Whole Person Clinical Strategies for Root Cause Cognitive Health

Recorded live at A4M's Longevity Fest 2025, this conversation brings together Jeff Gladd, Chief Medical Officer at Fullscript, and Ben Walters, Head of Journeys at Fullscript, with hosts Laurie Hofmann and Dr. Lexi Gonzales to explore how whole person care becomes scalable, without burning out the clinician or fragmenting the patient experience.

The discussion centers on how familiar clinical tools—intake data, labs, wearables, and patient-reported outcomes—function differently when organized as a connected clinical system rather than managed as isolated workflows. Jeff and Ben outline how this systems-based approach enables clinicians to front-load insight, compress the path from data to action, and track progress over time, while staying aligned with workflows clinicians already trust.

For functional medicine and longevity leaders, this episode clarifies how familiar platforms are evolving into measurable, durable clinical systems that support whole-person care at scale.

Show Notes: Whole Person Clinical Strategies for Root Cause Cognitive Health | Jeff Gladd, MD & Ben Walters

Key Discussion Points

Defining "Whole Person Care": Dr. Gladd explains that Fullscript has adopted this term as a broader umbrella than "integrative medicine" to welcome traditional allopathic physicians who are beginning to focus on root-cause care but may feel alienated by "alternative" terminology.
The "Copy-Paste" AI Problem: Ben Walters notes that many clinicians are currently using AI unsustainably by copying patient data into tools like ChatGPT and pasting it back into EMRs; Fullscript’s goal is to embed AI directly into the operating system to ensure data security and workflow fluidity.
Aggregating Context: The Journeys platform is designed to solve data fragmentation by collecting intake information, historical lab results, wearable data, and patient-reported outcomes in one place, allowing AI models to build truly personalized plans.
Quantifying Success: The group discusses the importance of moving beyond subjective feedback to objective data, utilizing the PROM 10 framework (Patient-Reported Outcome Measure) to track baseline health and progress, giving practitioners the data to prove their care models work.

Actionable Insights for Practitioners

The "Front-Loaded" Lab Protocol: Instead of doing an extensive intake visit first, practitioners are encouraged to send the right lab requisition immediately so the patient arrives at the first appointment with data in hand, allowing for an actionable care plan on day one.
Asynchronous Scaling: Dr. Gladd suggests using the platform to handle routine follow-ups and check-ins asynchronously; this keeps patients monitored and cared for while freeing up live appointment slots for complex cases or new patients.
Drastic Time Reduction: By using the "Journeys" AI workflow to interpret labs and generate wellness plans, practitioners can reduce a task that typically takes 45 minutes down to approximately seven minutes, potentially increasing patient capacity by 5x.

Featured Resources

Join the Journeys Waitlist: Be among the first providers to deliver care within a connected clinical ecosystem that grows your practice, engages your patients, and accelerates your care. Fullscript Journeys launches early 2026.
Resource: Visit the Innovations in Clinical Implementation landing page for exclusive resources.

Analogies for Understanding

Superpowers: Ben Walters describes embedding AI into the clinical workflow not as a replacement for the doctor, but as a tool to give them "superpowers in their everyday" practice.
Four Clean Walls: To describe the value of data aggregation, Walters uses the image of keeping all patient context—labs, wearables, and intake—within "four nice clean walls" rather than scattered across fragmented systems.

Breathing Life into the Plan: Walters contrasts static medical records with the Journeys platform, which is designed to "evolve and breathe life" into the care plan by constantly checking in on the patient.

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As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jeffrey Gladd, MD advises on company and product direction with the perspective of integrative and family medicine. He has been in this role with Fullscript since 2019. Dr. Gladd graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine in 2001 and after successfully opening a family practice, shifted focus toward health promoting care by completing the University of Arizona Integrative Medicine fellowship program under the direction of Dr. Andrew Weil, MD in 2009 and opening the Parkview Health Center for Integrative Medicine. In 2010, Dr. Gladd opened GladdMD Integrative Medicine, blending health-promoting care with high access technology. In 2011, he created and launched the web’s first nutrient depletion calculator, Mytavin.com. With the success of GladdMD and Mytavin, Dr. Gladd has become a sought-after speaker in his field, speaking at TEDx and being featured in various industry publications.

Ben Walters began his career in consulting before pursuing his passion for healthcare and entrepreneurship. He built a food-waste start-up, ultimately scaling and selling the business to Hopper. At Hopper, he helped build a B2B2C offering from zero to over $500M in revenue. Wanting a new 0→1 opportunity in healthcare, Ben was drawn to Fullscript, where the mission resonated deeply and where he now gets to help build Journeys to empower providers to compete with the D2C solutions in the market. Outside of work, he has two young kids he spends a lot of time running after, and he tries to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Laurie Hofmann, MPH, has dedicated over 20 years to advancing the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and the field of functional medicine. A founding Board member, she went on to serve as Vice-Chair, Executive Director, CEO, and Board Chair, guiding IFM through significant growth with vision, discipline, and compassion. She led the development of IFM’s 2016–2020 Strategic Plan, strengthened global functional medicine education and certification, and was instrumental in launching international programs and co-creating the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, the first major patient-centered functional medicine clinic. Laurie is now a co-founder and partner at OvationLab/VirtualPractice and advises multiple health and professional education initiatives. She enjoys time outdoors, traveling, writing, and studying conscious leadership.

Dr. Lexi Gonzales, ND, MS, IFMCP, is a clinician, educator, and implementation strategist working at the forefront of functional and longevity medicine. Trained in biochemistry, systems biology, and translational research, she develops practical frameworks that strengthen clinical reasoning and elevate patient care. As Senior Clinical Implementation and AI Specialist at OvationLab, she designs models and educational systems that help practitioners integrate emerging technologies with clarity and consistency. Her clinical background spans primary care within an insurance-based integrative model, multidisciplinary practice at Vida Integrated Health, and private functional medicine practice with a focus on hormonal and metabolic optimization, endometriosis, and fertility. She also served as IFM’s inaugural Medical Education Resident and later as Clinical Content Developer.