Our Vision
Creating health to reveal meaning and ultimate purpose
Our Mission
It is the mission of Telos Functional and Integrative Medicine to provide customized and personalized care for each of our clients. We accomplish this by applying a Systems Biology approach to our practice of medicine.
In alliance with our clients, we succeed by leveraging leading-edge science to decipher the complex interaction of our clients' genomes and their unique epigenetic responses to exposures over time.
The Telos of a thing is that which it does when it fulfills its full potential. -Aristotle
Dr. Cheng Her
Meet Dr. Her
Cheng Her, MD, MS, IFMCP completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana where he graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology and Preprofessional Studies.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in 1996, Dr. Her was accepted to a three year Family Medicine Residency training program in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin.
Upon completion of his residency training, Dr. Her undertook a Primary Care Research Fellowship while serving as Junior Faculty with the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. This two year graduate research program culminated in a Master of Science (MS) in Population Health bestowed by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
At the conclusion of his residency and additional graduate training, Dr. Her served as Clinical Associate Professor with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and greatly enjoyed teaching medical students, residents, and fellows who regularly rotated through his clinic.
He is also an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (IFMCP), having successfully completed this additional three year training program in 2018.
Dr. Her was formerly on staff at the Gundersen Health System Department of Family Medicine in La Crosse, Wisconsin where he practiced full scope Family Medicine from 2002 to 2010, after which he practiced outpatient Family Medicine until October 2020.
Like many before him, Dr. Her's path to Telos Functional and Integrative Medicine LLC reflects a series of choices over time, entangled within and flowing from personal loss, acceptance, recognition, and reconciliation.
Welcome to Telos Functional and Integrative Medicine LLC . . . Let's get to it!
Meet Samantha
Hi!
I’m Samantha Kabat, the Functional Medicine Health Coach here at Telos. Over the last several years, I have completed the training for and achieved certification as both a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) and as a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC). I obtained these certifications to provide you with the best coaching services possible based on the National Standard of Health and Wellness Coaching guidelines. In addition, and informed particularly by my FMCHC certification, my coaching style is infused with information and resources supported by the functional medicine approach. Two main paths have led me to this position: my professional experience in the healthcare field and a strong personal desire to understand health and wellness.
The first path began with my career, involving my roles in the conventional healthcare system. I started my career as a Certified Nursing Assistant and ended as a Medical Social Worker. Over a span of 15+ years, I learned a lot about chronic disease and the physical and mental toll it takes on one’s life and the lives of their loved ones. I also learned that the conventional setting is not where I belong. My heart ached for something more.
The second path started with my own personal journey and exploration of what health and wellness means to me. As for many, the major shift in my health came after the birth of my first child. Becoming a mother was a swift awakening to the fact that my choices no longer impact my health alone. With the new responsibility of being a major influence on my family’s wellbeing, I set forth on an exploration to find health and wellness for myself and my family. During this time, I discovered that there are many ways to gain a fulfilling and healthy life, and I began to explore all of these amazing avenues to approaching health and wellbeing. I merged these two paths and all of my experiences into a passion, and a career, which is where I am today.
Here at Telos, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to walk alongside others on their own journey to health and wellness. I walk without judgment, keeping an open heart and mind, reflecting your authentic self which is full of power and knowledge. Through the structure of coaching, I evoke your power within to help you recognize and illuminate a path to wellness. You could be looking to support your health through transformations in areas such as exercise, nutrition, stress management or your relationships with yourself and others. Maybe you have tried multiple avenues to improve your health that have all felt like dead ends. Through the lens of functional medicine, we can work together to create attainable and sustainable changes. You may know exactly what you want or need to do but haven’t quite found the way to get there. Together we can dive into what the barriers have been, and what strengths can get you moving on your way. Maybe you have no idea where you want to go. We can explore your hopes and dreams, aligning them with your health and wellness goals.
Health and wellness are lifelong journeys, and I am honored to travel with you on this part of your path.
Photo by: Studio D Media
Samantha Kabat
Shannon Howard
Meet Shannon
My name is Shannon Howard, and I am the Clinic Manager and PEMF Practitioner here at Telos. I am the person you talk to when you call and typically the first face you see when you visit our office. I grew up in Houston, Minnesota, a small town in bluff country, just a short drive from La Crosse. I attended Western Technical College right out of high school and earned an Associate’s Degree in Dental Assisting. I later went on to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, all while working full time in a family dental clinic. After 24 years in the dental field, I got a call from Dr. Her to come join Telos. With hesitation at first, not knowing what skillset I had to offer, I accepted, and this has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.
My relationship with Dr. Her began many years ago when he first joined Family Medicine at Gundersen Health System and became my doctor. He later became our family doctor to my husband of 17 years, Clint, and our two children, Ava and William. He quickly became one of our family’s greatest blessings and still is. I am honored to work side-by-side with Dr. Her and our Telos Team.
I enjoy working with everyone that comes through our doors. Each person has their own journey in life, and I am extremely grateful to be a part of it. I live each day with the intention of becoming the best version of myself that I can be, and I love helping others to do the same.
Our Studio
Visit our new clinic and facility where we provide a state-of-the-art wellness center and teaching kitchen.
