Traci Stevenson, DO, D-ABFM, CCMS IFM, FMCP-M

She/Her/Hers

Areas of Expertise

• Family Medicine
• Nutrition/Culinary Medicine
• Structural Competency
• Functional Medicine

Biography

Hi, I’m Traci, Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health at Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine, where I have the privilege to teach future physicians through the lens of osteopathic principles including health equity, prevention, and human connection.

I earned my D.O. from Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed an osteopathic internship in Mt Clemens Michigan and Family Medicine residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I grew up in rural Michigan, and training in Chicago revealed both the beautiful diversity of communities and the depth of health inequities. Across multiple practice settings from inner-city Chicago to rural Wyoming, Molokai HI, the Sonoma Developmental Center for the severely disabled, and our own Vallejo street medicine—as well as internationally in Fiji, Cambodia, and Honduras—I’ve seen how structural determinants effect health and that food serves not merely as nutrition but also a universal connector.

These experiences led me to focus on prevention and food as medicine. I am board certified in Family Medicine, a Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist, and an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner. My work integrates nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and structural competency into care and medical education, with a strong emphasis on nutrition security and the social determinants of health.

At Touro, I co-lead the interprofessional Street Medicine Elective with Dr. Michele Bunker-Alberts and serve with the 4th Second/One Love Vallejo Mobile Health Outreach team, providing care to the unhoused directly in the community and teaching students how structural factors shape health.

With Dr. Grace Marie Jones, I co-developed a 40+ hour culinary medicine curriculum integrated into the pre-clinical experience, combining teaching kitchens with community-based service-learning in partnership with local organizations. TUCOM’s culinary medicine program has been recognized by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services as a leader in medical nutrition education and aims to position TUCOM students as expert residency candidates.

My work has been supported by several grants focused on nutrition education and health equity, and I was honored to receive the 2025 Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Award and the 2025 AACOM Marguerite Elliott Innovation in Clinical Education Award.

I love teaching health care providers and am continually inspired and motivated by the improvements and innovations to health care, communities and systems that our current medical students are creating. Outside of medicine, I enjoy hiking, yoga, stand up paddle boarding, camping, gardening and cooking. I also enjoy baseball, especially the Chicago Cubs (and Detroit Tigers and SF Giants, of course!).

Clinical Specialty

• Family Medicine

Education

• Bachelor Science, Central Michigan University Psychology/Chemistry; Cum Laude
• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University/Chicago College Osteopathic Medicine
• General Osteopathic Internship, Mt Clemens General Hospital, Mt Clemens Michigan
• Family Medicine Residency, University of Illinois at Chicago

Certifications

• Diplomate, American Board of Family Medicine, (D-ABFM)
• Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist (CCMS), American College Culinary Medicine
• Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner-Medical (FMCP-M), Institute of Functional Medicine
• Association of College University Educations/American Council on Education, Certificates: Effective College Instruction and Inclusive Teaching for Equitable Learning
• National Health Care for Homeless Council, Health Care for the Homeless 101
• Certificate of completion, The National Diabetes Prevention Program, Lifestyle Coach Training

Honors and Awards

• Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award; Issued by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation; May 2025
• Innovation in Clinical Medicine-Marguerite Elliot Award; Issued by American Association College of Osteopathic Medicine, Society Osteopathic Medical Educators; Mar 2025
• 2022 Touro Innovative Teaching Award; Issued by Touro University California, College Osteopathic Medicine;
• Sonoma Developmental Center recognition of merit Tubbs Fires/evacuation 2016
• Sonoma Developmental Center, Employee of the Month 2015
• UIC Award for Service and Commitment to Family Practice
• UIC Dept. Family Medicine Award for Outstanding Research
• Illinois Academy of Family Medicine Research Award
• Midwestern University, Family Medicine Student of the Year Award
• The Lemmon Company Award for Ability and Contribution to Family Medicine
• Gate Pharmaceutical’s Certificate of Achievement in Medicine
• American Medical Women’s Association Janet M. Glascow Memorial Achievement Citation
• Midwestern University Research Day Certificate of Merit for Research
• Central Michigan University, Psychology Student of the Year

Research

• COOKS: Culinary Medicine as a Community-Based Service-Learning Model AACOM 2025, in progress.
• Working Together: Addressing Cardiometabolic Risk in Underserved Populations. AOA Strategic Partnership and Health Initiative, in progress
• Integration of an Innovative Virtual Culinary Medicine Curriculum into Undergraduate Clinical Medical Education AACOM 12/2024, in progress
• Utilization of technology to enhance inter-professional, structurally competent, direct-patient experiences as part of Street Medicine SM Elective (SME) and Early Clinical Experience (ECE) opportunity. CILT Faculty Innovation Grant, in progress.
• Utilization of an “Equity Action Lab” model to develop effective Community Partnerships and Interprofessional Collaboration in the Education of Future Health Care Professionals in Providing Quality Healthcare in Underserved Communities. NYMC Seed Grant Received 8/2024, in progress.
• Diverse and Inclusive Osteopathic Patient Encounters Using Virtual Technology. TUC Faculty Innovation Grant 7/2022

Memberships and Affiliations

• American Board Family Medicine
• Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California
• American Association College Osteopathic Medical College
• American College Culinary Medicine
• California Forum Preventive Medicine
• Institute of Functional Medicine
• California Street Medicine Collaborative
• Sustainable Solano

Teaching Responsibilities

• Structural Competency
• Nutrition/Culinary Medicine
• Integrated Systems: Cardiovascular Lifestyle and lipid management. Multiple Sclerosis, UTI
• Street Medicine