COMPENDIUM ON FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE - Flipbook - Page 75
Professional Training and Certification
Functional medicine is practiced by licensed professionals from
many backgrounds, including MDs, NDs, DCs, RDs, and NPs.
Certification is commonly obtained through the Institute for
Functional Medicine (IFM), which offers an IFMCP designation after
completing core training, case reviews, and exams. Other
programs include Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN), Kresser
Institute, School of Applied Functional Medicine, Metabolic
Healing, and now, at Rockwell School of Holistic Medicine.
Restoring the Soul of Medicine
Functional medicine represents a shift from disease management
to health creation. It empowers both practitioners and patients to
understand the root causes of illness and implement personalized,
systems-based strategies to restore optimal health. As chronic
diseases rise and conventional medicine struggles to keep pace,
functional medicine offers a comprehensive, integrative model
rooted in science and human connection.
And now, at Rockwell, students are trained to recognize and
address these systemic failures in diagnostic standards, reclaim the
clinical skill of true interpretation, and rise above the limitations of
flawed conventional models. We prepare the next generation of
holistic practitioners to challenge assumptions, recalibrate the
meaning of health, and lead medicine back to its foundational
purpose.
History, Pioneers, Key Figures and Educational Pathways
in Functional Medicine
Jeffrey Bland and the Birth of Functional Medicine
Dr. Jeffrey Bland is widely regarded as the father of functional
medicine [1][2]. In 1991, he co-founded the Institute for Functional
Medicine (IFM) with his wife Susan Bland. The organization
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