Melanie Fiorella, M.D. is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as well as the Department of Reproductive Medicine at U.C. San Diego (UCSD). She also serves as a founding member on the Executive Board of the UCSD Center for Integrative Medicine and is the director of the Integrative Medicine in Residency Program. As a visiting staff member of the Chopra Center’s Mind-Body Medical Group, Dr. Fiorella offers mind-body medical consultations to guests attending the Chopra Center’s signature Perfect Health program.
Dr. Fiorella has spent her career integrating her knowledge of the benefits of mind-body-spirit practices with her study of allopathic medicine. She is passionate about helping patients discover their personal state of optimal health and supporting them in maintaining it. She utilizes the full spectrum of integrative medicine, starting with the fundamentals of a healthy diet, appropriate exercise, and a healthy stress response.
The “sister sciences” of yoga and Ayurveda are of special interest to Dr. Fiorella. She has practiced meditation and yoga for many years and is a certified yoga teacher. She is currently completing advanced training in Clinical Ayurveda for Health Professionals through Scripps and the Maharishi Ayurvedic Association. She finds these ancient systems to be of particular benefit in many areas of women’s health, as well as for digestive issues and mood disorders.
As a founding member of the Education Committee for the Center for Integrative Medicine, Dr. Fiorella works with a diverse integrative team to train residents and medical students, physicians, and the public. She shares the goal that many in the field have of making integrative medicine “just good medicine.” She is also applying her knowledge of integrative medicine as part of a research team that is investigating ways to help women reduce their risk factors for breast cancer.
Dr. Fiorella completed her medical school training at the University of Buffalo, where she was awarded membership into the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed her residency training in family medicine at UCSD. After serving as chief resident, she stayed on as a faculty member at UCSD and subsequently completed a Fellowship in Integrative Medicine through the University of Arizona.
