Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanice Morrison.
Hi Isabelle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a physician rheumatologist and researcher who trained both in Paris (France) as well as Columbia University, in New York City. I am now based in Denver, CO where I established the first direct care rheumatology practice in Colorado after spending over 5 years at National Jewish Health in the division of rheumatology.
At age 40, I was diagnosed with stage IV, metastatic to the liver and bone, and breast cancer. While I have trained for over 15 years in the evidence-based medicine approach, when I faced this diagnosis, I found myself attracted to a different approach to disease (while also using high-tech medicine of course). I decided to lean into the experience and rather than “fight” against my cancer, I decided to learn from it. Thanks to this journey, I experienced the power of meditation, visualization, energy healing, and love. I was inspired to learn more about these alternative techniques, and now that I have studied many of them I integrate them into my practice of medicine.
I soon realized that I could not bring this holistic approach to an insurance based model and decided to open UnabridgedMD. It has been less than a year and I already see the difference in my patients’ lives. They reach remission (with treatment) faster than I have ever seen prior.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have come to appreciate that every time in my life when I have faced struggles, I have grown exponentially. Moving across the Atlantic from Paris, France to New York, to repeat my residency was extremely hard. I had finished my training in France and here I was, facing another 5 years (at least) of training.
Ultimately, while it was lengthy and not always easy, I have enjoyed learning during these extra years. I am now grateful for this dual training that has given me the tools to diagnose and manage complex conditions that may have been left untreated otherwise.
My cancer story, although scary at the time, has brought me a lot of good. Surprisingly, I would say that it has mostly brought me good. It allowed me to realize that my life was not a given and ever since I have lived my life with intentions, This is really why I created UnabridgedMD, Denver’s #1 Rheumatology Practice, so that I could offer the best treatment to my patients.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about UnabridgedMD?
I created UnabridgedMD with the hope of bringing the “whole non-edited version of me” while taking into account “the full patient”. I felt that in the insurance model, we are so constrained by time, that we can only tend to one very small aspect of our patients. In the end, the patient but also the physician suffer in this broken relationship.
Since then, I’ve read some very cool Harvard Studies that studied the Patient-Physician relationship. They found that patients did better when they felt that they had a strong relationship. How cool is it that we can study this! Yet, in the actual system, most patients are thrown from one “provider” to another depending on the system they are in or the insurance they have that year.
So, while I would like to think that patients chose UnabridgedMD because I have this double training and am an excellent rheumatologist and diagnostician. Or because I have done a lot of research, or maybe because I offer a holistic approach. I ultimately think that what attracts them the most to the practice is the promise of an authentic patient/physician relationship.
I am passionate about sharing my breakthroughs and am a thought leader and speaker. In September 2023, I was honored to be a TEDX speaker in Breckenridge on the topic of Changing the Relationship to our Health Challenges. Since then the talk has been widely received on YouTube with over 100,000 views.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I was trained in classical music and play the violin!
I am a big Electronic music fan and love dancing to house music, so most of my friends would not know that in my heart there will always remain a special place for classical music (especially in the romantic era).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.styleseat.com/m/v/naturallyvanice
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturallyvanice?igshid=ZGNjOWZkYTE3MQ==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@naturallyvanice3140?si=D7F4NsGdQH-Pg_mO
