Aayu Clinics - Best Chicago Medical Providers

I see patients both in urgent care and by appointment. I have a strong interest in primary care psychiatry as I feel that feeling good is vital to all health. I approach every patient with respect. It is your mind and your body and YOU know it best. I do not believe in telling people what to do. Instead, I would like to work with you and provide scientific evidence and logic for the proposed plan of care. I want you to be very involved in your care as only YOU can tell me what you are feeling.

Eric is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. He attended St. Anthony College of Nursing, in Rockford, Illinois, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. While working on a subacute telemetry care unit as a nurse, Eric completed his Master of Science in Nursing with a subspecialty in Family Practice. He has previously worked with underserved population on the west side of Chicago.

Eric is an active member of American Nurses Credentialing Center. He is also a Navy Veteran where he served 8 years in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Eric currently resides in the city of Chicago. He enjoys venturing around the city, hanging out with his dog, and traveling around the world with his wife.

Ezra is a certified Physician Assistant who graduated from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science. They also hold a Master's Degree in Women's & Gender Studies from DePaul University. Ezra believes mutual trust and relationship-building between patients and providers is fundamental to achieving positive health outcomes. They strive to practice compassionate, culturally competent, and person-centered medicine. When they’re not practicing at Aayu, they’re facilitating trainings on LGBTQ+ Cultural Competency for students and medical professionals in and around Chicago.

Dr. Brian is a naturopathic practitioner who believes each person is unique, and therefore we all deserve a unique wellness plan to suit our individual needs. He believes in not just helping you eliminate symptoms, but getting to the root cause of your health issues.

Dr. Brian supports his patients discover their natural ability to heal. He loves seeing patients reduce their need for both medications and supplements.

Some modalities he uses to support the body heal include Hydrotherapy, Nutraceutical Therapy, Nutritional Counseling, Functional Movement, Botanical Medicine, and more.

When not working, Dr. Brian loves traveling and learning new languages. He is fluent in many languages including Spanish and Portuguese. He also loves being active, so don't be surprised if you see him on a soccer field or doing handstands around town!

Christine is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and currently holds a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from North Park University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing. Christine has 10 years of critical care experience working as a Registered Nurse. In this fast-paced environment she realized that she could play a bigger role in promoting health and well-being by advancing her nursing education to become a healthcare provider. As an FNP, she hopes to provide care that promotes good health behaviors and practices so patients can thrive and meet their health goals.

Kristine Francisco is a full practice autonomy nurse practitioner with 8 years of clinical experience in Family Medicine, Primary care, and Urgent care. She graduated from Northern Illinois University and had an intensive nursing background of 11 years primarily in intensive/acute, cardiac, and geriatric care.

She is currently working with our team of providers to provide psychiatric care using Ketamine infusion treatments.

Stephanie is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) who obtained her Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Rush University. With 8 years of nursing experience, she has worked with all ages across the lifespan, in settings including pediatric acute care and adult critical care. She is proficient in Spanish, and strives to eliminate language barriers in healthcare. She is equally passionate about empowering patients to take control of their health. Stephanie shows sincere compassion for her patients, actively listens, and diligently works to provide the best care possible.

Her passion for health and and advocating for patients combined with her skills as being a patient educator and practitioner allow her to pursue her career in health promotion and primary care prevention. Kristine has a holistic approach to caring for her patients and has a strong belief in lifestyle changes, along with non-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical interventions. She has an endearing bedside manner, a ready smile, and the ability to warmly educate and motivate patients.

Morgan is a certified physician assistant who graduated from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science where she received her masters degree in physician assistant studies. She received her bachelors in psychology with a certificate in global health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is passionate about providing patients with the best education in order for them to make autonomous decisions regarding their own healthcare treatment and goals. When not working, Morgan enjoys spending time with her dog, Dennis, and a good brewery.

I was born and raised in the Little Village neighborhood, in the southwest side of Chicago, where my parents settled in after immigrating from Mexico. I did my undergraduate work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I majored in Cell and Structural Biology. I attended Medical School at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I completed my residency in the very hospital where I was born, Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

After residency, I worked at a few federally qualified health centers. I saw first-hand how my relatively young patients were being diagnosed with diabetes and chronic illnesses, especially those plagued by obesity. I wanted to help in this battle and opened my own Nutrition and Wellness office, NutriMedicos, in 2012. After my daughter was born, I elected to close my office and joined Advocate Aurora Health, where I have been working full time for the last 5 years.

Even though I had to close my office, I still have the passion to help patients in a more holistic manner and teach patients about diet, supplements, and mind-body techniques in my current practice.

Why I became a doctor? I was always sick as a child with the common childhood illnesses, measles, mumps, even though I was fully vaccinated against these illnesses. At the age of 5, I was hospitalized with serious complications caused by Chicken Pox, and my doctors weren’t sure if I was going to survive. I saw how tirelessly they worked to help me recover through this illness. It was at this moment, I knew all I wanted was to be a Doctor. Initially, I wanted to be a pediatrician since I wanted to help sick children. Instead, I chose family medicine as I love the variety of the specialty.

What brings me satisfaction in working as a doctor is being able to help people with more natural options and reversing patients’ chronic diseases. I love seeing patients leave the office happy after they have improved their metabolic numbers and leave with less medicines that they need to take.

When I am not working, I love spending time with my 5-year-old daughter and my husband. We love to watch Broadway Musicals in downtown or watch movies at home. In addition, I love to travel by land and sea, having done several cruise ship trips. We usually visit the coastal Mexican town of Puerto Vallarta once a year, where we had our destination wedding in 2014. Our next trip on the agenda is returning to Italy. Then Dubai when I turn 50. I also love to relax by doing some yoga, jogging and crafting.

My favorite Chicago neighborhood is the one we live in, Pilsen. The area is a close-knit community within a big city. It is full of culture and traditions that I hope my daughter will continue to follow as she grows up.