Dr. Sara Ptasnik is a USC and UCLA trained integrative health physician. Born in Colorado, she moved to Los Angeles for her undergraduate training at USC, receiving a BA in Neuroscience with minors in Sculpture and Natural Science. As an undergraduate, she began exploring concepts of Eastern philosophy and mind-body practices and researched the effects of exercise on neuroplasticity in Parkinson's Disease. Dr. Ptasnik completed her medical studies at Keck School of Medicine of USC and residency at LAC+USC Medical Center and is now double board-certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. 

 

Training at a large county hospital provided great insight into the impact of psychosocial and socioeconomic factors on health and disease at all ages, as well as the importance of maintaining balance as a healthcare provider. In residency, she also completed the Integrative Medicine in Pediatrics Curriculum through the Andrew Weil Center and studied the benefits of guided imagery and group medical visits on lifestyle changes in adolescents with obesity.

 

Dr. Ptasnik completed her Integrative Medicine Fellowship through the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, where she has deepened her integrative health knowledge, learning acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine theory with application in a biomedical model. She continues to work at the Center for East-West Medicine, with a focus on integrative pediatric and adolescent care. She also works as an integrative medicine consultant and pediatrician at Chinatown Service Center (CSC), a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides medical care for the underserved population in the downtown and San Gabriel Valley area in Los Angeles. She is dedicated to education in the academic and community settings and also teaches Qigong and self-care at the MPK Hope Resiliency Center through CSC. 

 

Outside of medicine, Dr. Ptasnik enjoys hiking, skiing, art, and spending time with friends and family.