Born and raised New Yorker Dr. Alexandra Kreps believes in the power of an integrative and personalized approach to care. A graduate of St. George’s University School of Medicine, she completed her residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center before serving as a clinical assistant professor and primary care physician at Mount Sinai. Read on to learn how she got her start in medicine and why she’s invested in holistic and multidisciplinary care.

What inspired you to go into your field and how did you get started?

In the back of my mind, I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor. When I was younger, I had an aptitude for math and sciences, which helped me naturally gravitate towards a career in medicine. One early formative experience that I remember fondly was volunteering at a pediatric unit in high school—watching doctors effect positive changes in their patients’ lives really solidified my passion and pursuit of medicine.

During my undergraduate studies at Emory, I majored in neuroscience and behavioral biology. It was an exciting multidisciplinary specialty that awarded me valuable experience in learning human behavior. Soon after entering medical school, I realized that internal medicine encompassed the holistic approach that I was interested in pursuing. I loved the intimate nature of the field. Ultimately, I wanted to help patients understand the interconnectedness of their bodies while being able to foster deep connections with them over the time. My work as an internist has allowed me to do just that.

Can you tell us more about your integrative and multidisciplinary approach?

I believe in looking at a patient from a 360 degree viewpoint, so I can better understand how they’re doing emotionally, socially, and physically. When I see a patient, I’ll often ask lifestyle questions that they might not expect from their primary care doctor, but that could be related to a diagnosis or existing issue. For example, I may ask about their diet, exercise, stress levels, or sleep quality. All of which can be relevant to many conditions, ranging from depression to back pain.

You also work as a medical consultant for several healthtech startups. What do you most enjoy about this work?

I’m very interested in the intersection between health and technology and how we can better design products, apps, and websites to help people improve their health and wellbeing. In particular, I’m passionate about helping to build interactive and informative spaces where the general public can find evidence-based, physician-backed information, rather than relying on Dr. Google. 

What can a guest expect from an appointment with you? What's it going to be like?

Expect to visit with a physician who is actively involved in your care and wants to use evidence-based medicine and best practices to formulate a personalized treatment plan. As I mentioned earlier, you can also expect to discuss lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise, and stress management and how they may be impacting your overall health. Finally, you can expect me to utilize all of the alternative and conventional practitioners here at HealthQuarters to help you achieve your health and wellness goals.

Can you talk more about how you see your practice as connected to holistic preventive care? 

Preventive care, in my opinion, is the true crux of primary care. I’ve long valued the approach of holistic and preventive care, whether it be through cancer screenings, vaccines, or discussing lifestyle choices. Because of this, I see my practice as rooted in both holistic and preventive medicine.

What excites you most about practicing within HealthQuarters?

I’m excited about the opportunity to be part of a bigger healthcare system that provides patients with increased access to care. In the era of Covid, it feels especially meaningful to be able provide preventive care easily and efficiently, and to be able to work with other practitioners, draw expertise from many disciplines, and help make our patients’ experiences even better. 

Tell us a bit about your life outside of medicine. What do you like to do with your spare time? Any passions or hobbies?

I love doing yoga, drawing, and painting. I also love learning about food, its nutritional value, and how different whole foods can help support and nourish the body. I’m often experimenting with new recipes, like an avocado pesto that I tried recently and turned out really well. Before Covid, I was also an avid traveler and have been to over 22 different countries, including India, Thailand, China, Morocco, and Cuba.

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Dr. Alexandra Kreps believes in the power of an integrative and personalized approach to care. A graduate of St. George’s University School of Medicine, she completed her residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center before serving as a clinical assistant professor and primary care physician at Mount Sinai. You can schedule an appointment with Dr. Kreps at HealthQuarters here.

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