Functional Medicine Consultants
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Stephanie Harrington MS, CNS, LDN
Bio:
Stephanie Harrington, CNS, LDN is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist with advanced training in functional nutrition. Her passion for functional medicine was shaped by her own family’s history of autoimmunity, which inspired her to explore the powerful connections between gut health, immune function, and hormones.
She specializes in digestive health - helping clients uncover and address the root causes of conditions such as IBS, SIBO, IBD, parasites, and fungal overgrowth. Stephanie also focuses on women’s health and hormones, including perimenopause, menopause, PCOS, fibroids, and endometriosis. In addition, she works extensively with chronic skin concerns such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, and hair loss.
Education:
Stephanie earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Science in Nutrition from the National University of Natural Medicine. She has completed a six-month intensive mentorship with Katie at GHT Academy, is SIBO-certified through Dr. Nirala Jacobi, and completed Dr. Aviva Romm’s comprehensive Women’s Integrative & Functional Medicine Professional Certification.
In Practice:
Stephanie takes a personalized, root-cause approach, guiding clients with complex conditions toward long-term healing, resilience, and a renewed sense of connection with their bodies. She listens deeply to her clients and their body’s internal signals, offering both clarity and compassionate support. Stephanie is passionate about cutting through the noise of conflicting nutrition advice, helping clients understand the root of their symptoms, reconnect with their health, and find strategies that allow them to truly thrive.
Personal:
Originally from Rhode Island, Stephanie now lives in Oregon with her husband. Outside of practice, she enjoys hiking in the woods, practicing yoga, studying herbal medicine, and diving into the latest health research.
Ayla Heppding MS, CNS, LDN
Bio:
Ayla Heppding (Neal) is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist with a particular interest in hormones, male and female support from preconception- postpartum, the microbiome, and metabolic health. Ayla also has experience with optimizing nutrition for a wide variety of complex conditions such as SIBO, candida, hypothyroidism, connective tissue disorders, mast cell activation syndrome, chronic fatigue, menopause and more.
Education:
Ayla graduated from University of Maryland College Park with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, and has her Master’s degree in Human Clinical Nutrition and Integrative Health from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Ayla began her nutrition career by interning, and subsequently assisting (your’s truly) Katie before completing her requirements for licensure. Thereafter, working with hundreds of functional medicine patients at one of the largest functional and integrative health clinics in the DC area.
In Practice:
Ayla believes that individuals know their bodies better than any practitioner ever will; and that empowerment through education can help them make the connections between their bodies and food/lifestyle choices. While she prefers a food and lifestyle-first approach, she pulls in functional testing and supplements as needed–with the goal of less is more in the future.
Personal:
Ayla lives in the mountains of Western Maryland with her husband and 3 beautiful daughters. In her free time she loves to cook, read/research, and be present with her family and community.