Safia Lyon, APRN

I am a born and raised Wichitan. I graduated from WSU in the Fall of 2007 with my BSN. I began my nursing career in the St. Joseph ER, where I built my nursing foundation managing the acute and urgent needs of my patients. I very quickly realized how the lifestyle choices of my patients strongly correlated with their healthcare concerns. I felt like the ER didn't provide an atmosphere for me to truly help my patients thrive. I ended up in cosmetic care at a local clinic, where I met Dr. Davis. He was transitioning into functional medicine at that time and his enthusiasm was contagious. With this new understanding of finding the "root cause" of illness and my passion for education, I knew this was how I wanted to practice medicine. It was also during that time that I was starting my family and had 3 babies in less than 3 years.

In Spring of 2015, I decided to go back to school for my Masters through the online program at Walden University. The same month I started school, Prairie Health and Wellness was looking for a phlebotomist. This was how I got my foot in the door. I spent as much time as I could learning from the PHW team: then Dr. Davis, Dr. Marvin, and Joleen. I graduated in Fall of 2016 and got my APRN license for Family Practice that December. In Spring of 2017, I completed the Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP) training through the Institute for Functional Medicine.

In Functional Medicine, we strive to find the root cause of symptoms. I learned that the root for many of my patients was dysautonomia, an imbalance in the nervous system. Through my own healing experience and my work with patients, I found trauma to be at the root of this dysautonomia. Desperate to learn more about the connection between trauma and our physical health, I began reading books and listening to podcasts on the subject. I completed training through Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Ketamine Training Center (KTC) in spring of 2023. I am currently working on my Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate and am scheduled for completion in August of 2025. This work is my passion.