About | Vital Health Integrative Medicine

Our philosophy

Hope and healing, from the inside out.

Vital Health continues to operate on the strong clinical foundations established by our founder, Dr. Joseph Feste. While Dr. Feste is no longer seeing patients and is now in an administrative and advisory role, he remains a guiding source of research, insight, and educational leadership for the team.

Dr. Feste has long challenged the idea that symptoms are isolated or purely psychological. He ordered the panels other clinicians did not order. He read the whole chart. He stayed with the full picture.

That patience is now the house style of Vital Health. It is why we begin with measurement that takes weeks, not minutes. It is why a first visit is 60 minutes, not fifteen. It is why care here reads more like a relationship than an appointment.

Four clinicians, one coordinated chart. The patient stays with the practice, not the name on the door, and the protocol evolves alongside the person, not a template.

Founder & Owner · Advisory

Joseph Feste

Board-certified OBGYN whose clinical practice built the foundation of Vital Health. Now in an advisory and educational role, Dr. Feste remains the source of the practice's clinical rigor and its long view.

His contribution today is research, insight, and educational leadership for the team that carries his model forward.

View Dr. Feste's CV

"A practice is not a building or a name. It is a relationship a patient keeps with a set of people, and those people with one another."

OBGYN, FACOGBoard-certified ClinicalPractice foundation AdvisoryNot seeing patients

Dr. Joseph Feste, seated in his office, in navy scrubs, smiling warmly

Practice Lead

Julie Swett

With a BA in Biology from Baylor University and an MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Dr. Swett completed her Emergency Medicine residency in Chicago and has been board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine throughout her 23-year career.

She shifted from emergency medicine to preventive care after recognizing "so many emergencies were rooted in preventable chronic diseases." Today Dr. Swett leads Vital Health's clinical practice and is dedicated to guiding patients toward balanced, sustainable health.

"I stopped being interested in what was emergent. I became interested in what was early, and in guiding patients toward balanced, sustainable health."

MDUT Medical Branch 23 yrsBoard-certified EM LeadsClinical practice

Adult Nurse Practitioner

Kerri Thigpen

Over thirty years of experience in healthcare, including primary care, regenerative medicine, functional medicine, endocrinology, and hormone replacement therapy. BS in Nursing from UT Austin (1994), MS in Adult Health from Texas Woman's University (2002). Certified in functional medicine and ozone therapy.

Kerri's practice sits at the intersection of bioidentical HRT, regenerative medicine, endocrinology, and IV protocols. She has a passion for helping patients prevent illness and achieve the best version of themselves.

"I have a passion for helping patients prevent illness, achieve the best version of themselves, and meet their health goals."

MS, APRN, ANP-CAdult NP 30+ yrsIn healthcare FunctionalCertified, SAFM

Family Nurse Practitioner

Kristel Peña

Board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and integrative, preventative medicine. BS in Nursing from Hunter College, MS in Nursing from Long Island University. Fluent in Spanish.

Kristel is passionate about helping patients feel energized, balanced, and confident through personalized, root-cause care.

"I'm passionate about helping patients feel energized, balanced, and confident through personalized, root-cause care."

FNP-BCBoard-certified BilingualEnglish & Spanish Root-causeCare focus

Request a visit

Start with the complimentary consultation.

Sixty minutes, no cost. We'll hear what's bringing you in and tell you whether Vital Health is the right fit.

Request a consultation → Call (512) 559-4350

A practice built on legacy.