Ariel Portera

First Name
Ariel
Last Name
Portera
Credentials (Display)
DO
Headshot Image
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Titles
Integrative Osteopathic Primary Care Physician
Bio

Ariel Portera, DO, is a physician who provides primary care for patients of all ages with a special interest in women's health, integrative medicine and nutrition. She also performs inpatient and outpatient osteopathic manipulative treatment – a hands-on approach to treating a wide variety of illnesses and musculoskeletal injuries.

Providing general integrative medicine consults through the Center for Integrative Medicine, she utilizes lifestyle medicine to address the root cause of chronic disease. She also integrates and frequently refers to other complementary modalities including but not limited to acupuncture, massage, mindfulness and culinary medicine.

She enjoys treating the mind, body and spirit to optimize health and wellness, and partnering with patients on their health care journey.

Dr. Portera completed a residency in family medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine and she earned her medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Fla. She is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Academy of Integrative Health Medicine, the Institute for Functional Medicine and the American Osteopathic Association.

In her free time, Dr. Portera enjoys spending time with family and friends, travel, hiking, cooking and meditation.

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Areas of Expertise
Integrative pain management, pain neuroscience and pain reprocessing therapy.
Care Setting
Outpatient
Accepting New Patients
Accepting New Patients
Not Accepting New Primary Care Patients
Languages

Integrative Oncology

Resource Type
Video
English
Resource Categories
Integrative Medicine
Resource Summary
This talk centers on cancer care as a shared healing process, one that depends on medical treatment as well as compassion, presence, and support for the whole person. The speaker discusses integrative oncology through many forms of care, including nutrition, acupuncture, massage, mind-body practices, spiritual support, and energy medicine, while emphasizing hope, balance, and the importance of caring for patients, families, and healthcare providers alike.
Resource Duration
26-30 minutes
Primary Center
CIH

Integrative Plant-Based Nutrition

Resource Type
Video
English
Resource Categories
Integrative Medicine
Resource Summary
The speaker presents nutrition as an essential part of integrative medicine, showing how everyday food choices can influence chronic disease, healing, and overall well-being. He highlights whole-food, plant-based eating as a practical path toward prevention and long-term health, while emphasizing education, community support, research, and helping patients make sustainable lifestyle changes.
Resource Duration
26-30 minutes
Primary Center
CIH

Biofield Therapies

Resource Type
Video
English
Resource Categories
Integrative Medicine
Resource Summary
Biofield therapies are discussed as a controversial but widely used area of integrative medicine focused on the body’s energy field and its possible relationship to healing. The presentation reviews research on healing touch and related practices, including studies with cancer patients, and considers how these therapies may support fatigue, pain, quality of life, and physiological balance through touch, expectation, patient-practitioner connection, and the healing environment.
Resource Duration
26-30 minutes
Primary Center
CIH

Osteopathic Manual Medicine

Resource Type
Video
English
Resource Categories
Integrative Medicine
Resource Summary
Manual medicine is presented as a way of restoring balance in the body through skilled touch, movement, and a deeper awareness of how physical symptoms show up in lived experience. The talk connects osteopathic medicine, massage, physical therapy, and healing touch, emphasizing the value of compassionate contact, patient-centered diagnosis, and the body’s natural capacity for healing and function.
Resource Duration
26-30 minutes
Primary Center
CIH

History of the Founding of the UC San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine

Resource Type
Video
English
Resource Categories
Integrative Medicine
Resource Summary
The speaker shares the founding vision for UC San Diego’s Center for Integrative Medicine, describing it as a collaborative, evidence-based effort to bring whole-person care into every level of the medical center. He emphasizes the importance of humanizing medicine, empowering patients, building community partnerships, and supporting health through clinical care, education, research, and integrative practices.
Resource Duration
16-20 minutes
Primary Center
CIM

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Resource Type
Video
English
Resource Categories
Integrative Medicine
Resource Summary
In this video, the speaker introduces mindfulness as a practical way to become more aware of the present moment and the patterns that shape how we respond to stress, pain, and difficulty. He explains how mindfulness can help people step out of automatic reactions, relate to their experiences with less judgment, and cultivate greater balance, resilience, and well-being through practices such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
Resource Duration
26-30 minutes
Primary Center
CIM

Personal and Professional Renewal

Resource Type
Video
English
Resource Categories
Integrative Medicine
Resource Summary
Explore a compassionate, integrative approach to healthcare that emphasizes empathy, self-awareness, and whole-person healing. The speaker highlights the importance of empowering patients through connection, resilience, and personal meaning, while encouraging clinicians to approach care with courage, compassion, and a shared commitment to healing and justice.
Resource Duration
16-20 minutes
Primary Center
CIM

Megan E. Jolicoeur

First Name
Megan E.
Last Name
Jolicoeur
Credentials (Display)
DO, FAAFP, ABOIM, FMCP-M
Headshot Image
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Megan E. Jolicoeur, DO
Titles
Integrative Physician
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Lead, Integrative Medicine Consult Service
Bio

Megan Jolicoeur, DO, is a board-certified family medicine and integrative medicine specialist. She is also an Institute of Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (FMCP-M).

She serves as an assistant professor of family medicine in the UC San Diego School of Medicine and currently sees patients at UC San Diego's Centers for Integrative Health. Through a holistic perspective, Dr. Jolicoeur empowers her patients to reach optimal wellness from a whole body and integrative approach that includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Dr. Jolicoeur has a passion and expertise in integrative medicine, medical acupuncture, osteopathy, lifestyle medicine, nutrition and functional medicine. She currently holds additional certifications in medical acupuncture, mind body medicine, Ayurvedic counseling, Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT),  and is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher.

She previously served as an active-duty naval officer and physician at Naval Branch Health Clinic Port Hueneme while also leading as the senior medical officer. During her time of service, she participated in a humanitarian mission called Pacific Partnership 2015 aboard the USNS Mercy and also established an integrative medical and acupuncture clinic for active duty, retired veterans and dependents.

Following her service with the Navy, she completed an integrative medicine fellowship at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine while also serving as a clinical instructor for UCLA. She completed her internship and residency at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. She served an additional year focusing on integrative medicine while also serving as a junior attending physician.

Dr. Jolicoeur earned her medical degree at Touro University School of Osteopathic Medicine-California. She completed a bachelor's degree in physiology and neurobiology from The University of Connecticut.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (FAAFP) and a member of the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM).

Her hobbies include spending time with family, running, hiking, cooking, and traveling. She uses yoga, meditation, and time in nature to stay grounded and grateful.

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Areas of Expertise
Functional GI disorders, chronic pain, women's health, oncology; mind body medicine; pain reprocessing therapy; medical acupuncture.
Care Setting
Outpatient
Accepting New Patients
Accepting New Patients
Languages