Decoding Healthspan: Integrating Genetic Insights for Inflammaging — From Hormones to Gut Health
Course Description
This advanced educational program explores the clinical integration of genetic insights to better understand and address the biological drivers of inflammaging, oxidative stress, hormonal resilience, and gut integrity. Through a precision medicine lens, faculty will translate emerging genomic science into practical, patient-centered strategies that support healthy ageing and metabolic longevity.
Participants will examine clinically relevant genetic variants using dnalife’s DNA Core, DNA Hormones, and DNA Gut assessments, exploring their impact on inflammatory tone, antioxidant defense capacity, endocrine function, and gut–environment interactions. Clinicians will gain clarity on both the clinical utility and limitations of genetic testing, with emphasis on translating genomic data into actionable, individualized care plans. Focus will be placed on interpreting results within the broader context of systems biology, lifestyle medicine, and personalized therapeutic strategy to optimize long-term healthspan outcomes.
Grounded in PLMI’s commitment to evidence-informed, clinically actionable education, this course equips practitioners to move beyond theoretical genomics — integrating precision insights into real-world assessment, strategic intervention, and sustainable patient care.
Program Sessions
Michelle Leary, ND, IFMCP
This introductory webinar explores how genetics, lifestyle, nutrition, and environment interact to shape long-term health outcomes and influence the development of chronic disease. Clinicians will be introduced to the emerging fields of nutrigenomics and precision medicine, with a focus on how genomic variability may help explain differences in inflammation, metabolism, hormone balance, and gut health between individuals exposed to similar lifestyles or diets. Through a practical, systems-biology framework, the session will review the foundations of polygenic risk scores, pathway-based SNP interpretation, and gene–environment interactions, while emphasizing that genetics are not deterministic and lifestyle remains the most powerful therapeutic lever. Attendees will gain a foundational understanding of how genomic insights may eventually support more personalized nutrition, prevention, and patient engagement strategies within clinical practice.
Targeted Support for Healthy Ageing Using Genetic Insights
Denise Furness, PhD
Using a clinical case example, key genetic variants that influence inflammaging and antioxidant status will be explored. Practical applications and clinical utility of genetic testing for personalised healthy ageing strategies will be discussed.
Understanding the Genetics of Gut Health and Clinical Application
Devan Szczepanski, MD
Gene–environment interactions play a significant role in shaping an individual’s gut health. This session will explore the genetic factors influencing gut function and discuss their practical application in clinical settings.
Speakers
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Denise Furness, PhDDr Denise Furness, PhD is a molecular geneticist and functional medicine practitioner. She is a pioneer in the field of nutrigenomics and epigenetics (precision medicine) with 20 years’ experience.
Denise began her career as a research scientist focusing on folate nutrigenomics, methylation, and DNA damage. She has published her work in peer reviewed journals and won numerous awards for her research and conference presentations.
In 2012 she founded Your Genes and Nutrition and began applying her knowledge in clinical practice. Denise has a special interest in fertility, thyroid and autoimmunity (after recovering from autoimmune thyroid disease herself), as well as healthy ageing. She is currently running a biological ageing study, aimed at improving mental health and naturally slowing the ageing process. -
Devan Szczepanski, MD, MADr. Devan Szczepanski is a board-certified Family Medicine physician, founder of Reformative Medicine®, and CEO of NuWell Medicine™ with clinics in Florida and Louisiana. With advanced training in genomics, nutrition, and neuropsychology, Dr. Szczepanski has developed a precision clinical framework known as the “Triangle of Health,” integrating DNA (structure), labs (function), and gut (connection) to personalize care.
This work focuses on transforming fragmented healthcare into a unified, data-driven system that improves clinical outcomes while restoring trust between provider and patient. Dr. Szczepanski is actively collaborating on AI-assisted clinical modeling and longitudinal care systems designed to scale Reformative Medicine globally.
A sought-after speaker and educator, Dr. Szczepanski teaches clinicians how to translate complex biological data into actionable, patient-centered care.
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Michelle Leary, ND, IFMCPDr. Michelle Leary, ND, IFMCP is a recognized leader in functional and personalized lifestyle medicine, serving as Director of Functional Medicine at Vida Integrated Health, where she oversees a regional network of physicians and nutrition professionals. She established and has directed a collaborative residency program with the Institute for Functional Medicine for over five years, cultivating the next generation of physician leaders. A clinical investigator on the LIFE-HOUSE trial, she has also contributed to peer-reviewed research and lectures internationally on systems medicine and precision health. Beyond her clinical and leadership roles, Dr. Leary advises on the strategic adoption of AI technologies in integrative medicine, helping physicians implement innovative tools to enhance decision-making and patient care.
