Meet The Team
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Special Interests
Women's Health
Pediatrics
Prenatal Care
Lifestyle Medicine and Wellness
Dr. Searson is a board-certified Family Physician. She was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended the University of Notre Dame for college. She returned to Missouri for medical school, before moving to Charlotte in 2002 to pursue Family Medicine residency training at Carolinas Healthcare System, now Atrium Health. After completing residency training, she went on to complete a Faculty Development Fellowship at UNC Chapel Hill. She has additional training in Integrative Medicine.
Dr. Searson served as a the Director of Maternal Child Health in the Department of Family Medicine for 10 years. In that role, she thoroughly enjoyed caring for a wide variety of patients, whose ages ranged from prenatal to 95 years young, as well as teaching residents the fundamentals of women's health, maternity care, and pediatrics. During this time she had the privilege to be present for hundreds of deliveries, and was able to care for several of "her" babies into their teen years. Dr. Searson cherishes the trusting relationships that develop over time, and truly loves getting to know and care for whole families.
Over the last 10 years, Dr. Searson has become more interested in lifestyle medicine and wellness. She has sought out additional training in Integrative Medicine, Integrative Nutrition and Wellness Coaching, and is excited to be able to better integrate these components into her practice in the Direct Primary Care model.
Outside of work, Dr. Searson enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and their two English labradors. She loves travel, being outdoors, and participating in anything creative. Her current creative passion is oil painting. You may notice a few hanging around her office.
Dr. Searson
A LETTER TO MY PATIENTS
Dear patients, 2018
Thank you for entrusting your care to me. Being a physician is a great privilege, and along with great privilege comes great responsibility. I have always, and will always, strive to provide compassionate, evidence-based medical care while taking into account the individual needs of the whole person in front of me.
Throughout my 16 years in Charlotte, I've seen medicine change from an intimate relationship between doctor and patient into big business with data collection and billing at the center of it. For the past several years I have yearned to put the doctor-patient relationship back at the heart of what I do, and so have chosen to take this leap into solo practice in order to do just that. In my mind, being able to offer the best medical care requires the time to listen, think and discuss during an appointment. Direct Primary Care is an innovative model that allows us to have this much needed time. After years of thoughtful planning, I am thrilled to be opening The Art of Health, where I can truly practice both the science and the art of medicine!
With gratitude,
Stacey Searson, MD
Grace Best RN
A native of Vero Beach, Florida, Grace earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Since graduating as a Registered Nurse (RN), she has had several years of clinical experience in both adult and pediatric medicine. Prior to leaving "big system care," Grace worked at Atrium's Levine Children's Hospital. Here, she had the privelege of caring for children of all ages, and supporting their families through a wide variety of physical and mental health challenges. Grace is a strong advocate for holistic healthcare, and she is committed to supporting the integration of whole-person care, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, within the primary care setting. She is excited to be able to fulfill this next stage of her career in a more intimate setting at The Art of Health.
Outside of work, Grace enjoys staying active through strength training at the gym, cooking healthy meals, and exploring the outdoors with her husband, Jacob, and their rescue dog, Piper. Grace very much values family, and is slowly convincing her Florida-based family to migrate to Charlotte, as her and Jacob build a life together in the Queen City.
Buddy
Buddy loves going anywhere and everywhere with mom. When he is at the office he serves as our "Lab tech" and emotional support animal. He is very sweet natured, loves children, and is quick to give kisses. He brings some of the biggest smiles to our patients' faces, and makes our office feel even more like home.
Did you know that there is a plethora of great medical research on having pets? Pet ownership offers signifcant physical and mental health benefits. Dog owners more likely to be more active and maintain a healthy weight, and have lower risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. Pet ownership has been shown to slow cognitive decline and boost social connection. Interacting with animals triggers the release of feel-good hormones like oxytocin and dopamine while lowering stress hormones like cortisol. Moreover, early childhood exposure to furry pets does not increase allergy risks and may actually help a child's immune system develop healthy defenses.