About Tracey

Short Professional Bio (100-150 words)

Tracey O’Shea, FNP-C is a Functional Nurse Practitioner, Medical Director at the California Center for Functional Medicine, and Program Director of the ADAPT Practitioner Training Program at the Kresser Institute. Trained closely by Chris Kresser, Tracey brings over a decade of hands-on clinical experience working with complex, chronic illness, including hormone imbalances, autoimmunity, environmental and tick-borne illness, gut dysfunction, and metabolic disease.

She is known for her calm, systems-based approach to care and for teaching practitioners how to think functionally rather than rely on rigid protocols. By combining active patient care with practitioner education, Tracey helps clinicians connect symptoms, labs, and lived experience into coherent, adaptable treatment strategies, bringing clarity and confidence to even the most complex cases.

Extended Bio (300-400 words)

Tracey O’Shea, FNP-C is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in Functional Medicine, Medical Director at the California Center for Functional Medicine, and Program Director of the ADAPT Practitioner Training Program at the Kresser Institute. She is widely respected for her ability to navigate clinical complexity with clarity, nuance, and deep respect for the patient experience.

Tracey’s transition into functional medicine was shaped by frustration with conventional care. By the early 2010s, she saw that patients with chronic illness were often rushed, fragmented across specialties, and left without a coherent long-term strategy. There was little time for critical thinking, no space for big-picture pattern recognition, and limited support for sustainable healing. That disconnect between what patients needed and what the system allowed became the catalyst for her path forward.

In practice, Tracey repeatedly encountered patients who were “doing everything right” yet continued to suffer. Many felt dismissed, overwhelmed by protocols, or lost in a maze of partial  explanations. These cases reinforced her belief that functional medicine requires more than new tools, it demands a fundamentally different way of thinking. One that starts with foundations, honors physiology, and resists the urge to chase the “shiny” diagnosis before the body is ready.

Trained and mentored closely by Chris Kresser, Tracey developed a clinical framework grounded in systems thinking, critical reasoning, and adaptability. She learned not just what to do, but why—and how to adjust in real time as patients respond. That apprenticeship shaped both her clinical philosophy and her teaching style: structured, curious, and deeply human.

As Program Director of ADAPT, Tracey has preserved the program’s strong foundational roots while evolving its curriculum to reflect real-world practice. Because she continues to see patients, she brings live clinical insight into practitioner education, helping clinicians move beyond memorization toward confident decision-making in uncertainty.

As Program Director of ADAPT, Tracey has preserved the program’s strong foundational roots while evolving its curriculum to reflect real-world practice. Because she continues to see patients, she brings live clinical insight into practitioner education, helping clinicians move beyond memorization toward confident decision-making in uncertainty.

Above all, Tracey wants practitioners to trust themselves again. To feel grounded in a repeatable approach, confident in their reasoning, and reminded why they entered this work in the first place. Her goal is simple but profound: to help clinicians and patients feel oriented, supported, and capable of moving forward, together.

Interested in booking Tracey for a podcast, panel, or interview?
Submit a media inquiry and our team will follow up with availability and next steps.