Introducing Dr. Alicia Hart

Integrative Physician | Mental Health + Complex Chronic Care

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Alicia Hart to the NW Regen team! Her journey to medicine is as unique as her approach to care — beginning in zoo and wildlife medicine before finding her calling in human health.

Dr. Hart specializes in mental health, neurodiversity, and complex chronic conditions such as ADHD, EDS, MCAS, and POTS.

Her work combines deep scientific understanding with a genuine love of helping people feel seen, supported, and empowered. At NW Regen, she partners with Dr. Ryan Wood to create comprehensive, compassionate care for each individual — from orthobiologic procedures to mental-health support and everything in between. 

Learn more about Dr. Alicia Hart and her philosophy of care in the following interview.  

1. Dr. Hart, what inspired you to become a doctor?

My path to medicine has had a few twists and turns. As a young child, I wanted to be a doctor so that I would never be bored. Through high school and most of college, I planned to be a veterinarian who was perhaps also a jazz lounge singer. 

In my early 20s, I lived at the NW Trek Zoo, training raccoons, assisting with surgeries, and helping with the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit conservation efforts.

During that time, I was confronted by some of the difficulty in the veterinary field when I was asked to euthanize a very ill squirrel and vomited in the parking lot instead.

When I asked my academic advisor what I was going to do as my life plan fell apart in front of me, he told me to “Cut the animal [excrement] and be a people doctor”. 

I laughed at him that day- but here I am in human medicine now! I am glad that I had such a long detour into veterinary/zoo medicine, as my experiences there prioritized individualized and practical care in an unconventional way that still informs the way that I think about health now. 

2. Can you tell us a little about your background?

I grew up here in Willamette Valley, in McMinnville. I ventured out of state to the distant lands of Washington for college at St. Martin’s University for my bachelor’s in biology and internship with the zookeeper/veterinary team at NW Trek, then came back to the metro area to complete my degree at the National College of Natural Medicine. 

After that, I practiced in trauma informed primary care for 5 years at Vitality NW, then as financial constraints of the pandemic closed that clinic, did a 3-year residency in primary care and bariatric medicine at Southwest Family Physicians. 

I opened a specialized mental health clinic called Clockwork Botanicals after that. I found I missed the variety of a broader practice, and so joining NW Regen feels like a natural fit. 

3. What drew you to your areas of specialty?

• Mental Health — particularly ADHD, neurodiversity in general, depression, and anxiety.  These conditions are often minimized, ignored, or offered generic platitudes in conventional healthcare settings. 

Optimizing diagnosis and treatment opens the path for people to truly thrive.  

Watching folks find transformative growth is inspiring and ripples out to not only the rest of their own personal health but positively impacts the community as well. 

• Complex Chronic Health — particularly conditions like EDS, MCAS, and POTS are fascinating because of the intricacies of all of the places that the immune system, connective tissue, and nervous system overlap. I really enjoy going through charts, finding what has been done and what needs to be done, collaborating with care teams, and finding ways to make life just a little bit easier. 

4. What‘s your philosophy about patient care?

I strongly believe that patient care should be trauma-informed, person-centered, and holistic.  Sometimes people think of holistic care as merely medicine with some extra meditation thrown in; I think holistic care means really considering context and developing plans in ways that empower people to make their best-informed decision. 

We live with a healthcare system that is dysfunctional and disjointed. I am committed to bringing in a paradigm change that focuses not only on harm reduction, but on building community, shared decision making, and honoring diverse experiences.

5. What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy meeting interesting people and hearing their stories! 

Especially with my focus on ADHD, I get to meet fascinating folks who do incredible things. 

There’s a meme that runs around on the internet that says something like “Being friends with someone who has ADHD is like microdosing Wikipedia” which does generally ring true in my experience.  I definitely enjoy learning something new every day.

6. What brought you to NW Regen?

Dr. Wood and I went to school together at NCNM, and we’ve always had fun working together on student shifts and on projects in class. He’s been trying to get me to work with him since we graduated, but our timelines didn’t match well then. 

We finally found a setting that works well for both of us to make that happen and are looking forward to building comprehensive specialty care for folks with connective tissue disorders and other complex health needs.  

7. What’s health advice you share with patients?

I have two big pieces of advice that I find apply to everyone: 

1) Bedtime is real. 

Staring into the blue rectangle of infinite distraction is not going to help you get enough rest, but it is going to delay your body’s melatonin release.

If you are struggling to get enough sleep, consider charging your phone in a different room, programming lights to dim or turn off to remind you to go to bed on time, or listening to an audiobook you’ve already read—or a textbook you think is boring—or calm music to provide your brain with something to wind down. 

2) Exercise is just moving your body in a way that you enjoy. 

Kids don’t “exercise”- they play tag, climb trees, pretend to be animals and generally engage in silliness that gives them 20k+ steps a day and a ton of weird functional strength building. 

8. How do you stay up with advances in your field?

I am part of two different international multidisciplinary journal clubs which bring me interesting research from many fields of study. I also maintain a presence on ResearchGate, which is a website for primary authors to share their research with anyone interested; as well as Bluesky, which is where the scientists migrated after twitter died. When I get a chance, I also enjoy going to conferences. 

9. What do you like to do outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my partner and our three kids. 

We play a lot of video games, chess, and soccer together. I am an avid sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction reader and generally am always looking for my next book. 

I also enjoy fibercrafts and woodworking. 

10. What do you look forward to at NW Regen?

Dr. Wood and I have very complementary skill sets. I am looking forward to being inspired to learn new things as well as reminding Dr. Wood that he needs to eat lunch and stay grounded. It’ll be a good balance for both of us—he can do the orthopedic diagnoses and regenerative procedures that he is far more skilled at than I am, and I will enjoy the internal medicine focus that helps those procedures work well and that helps folks to thrive.

Book your appointment with Dr. Hart today.