About Dr. Sarah Chen & Our Team
WellLife Integrative Health was founded in 2016 by Dr. Sarah Chen, a board-certified physician who recognized that the conventional medical model, while powerful for acute conditions, was failing millions of patients suffering from complex chronic illness. After completing her internal medicine residency at Oregon Health & Science University and a fellowship in integrative medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (University of Arizona), Dr. Chen returned to Portland with a mission: to build a practice where patients receive the time, diagnostic depth, and individualized care that genuine healing demands.
Dr. Sarah Chen, MD, ABIHM
Medical Director & Integrative Medicine PhysicianDr. Chen has treated over 4,200 patients using integrative protocols spanning functional medicine, acupuncture, clinical nutrition, and botanical therapeutics. She holds advanced certifications in hormone optimization, gastrointestinal restoration, and neurotransmitter balancing.
Why Integrative Medicine Matters
During her internal medicine residency at OHSU, Dr. Chen observed a recurring pattern that deeply troubled her. Patients with chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraines, and autoimmune conditions cycled through specialist after specialist, accumulating pharmaceutical prescriptions that managed individual symptoms but never addressed the interconnected root causes driving their suffering. Standard lab panels returned "normal" results while patients continued to deteriorate. The fifteen-minute appointment model left no room for the deep listening and comprehensive investigation these patients desperately needed.
Seeking a better paradigm, Dr. Chen pursued advanced training in functional medicine through the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and completed a two-year fellowship in integrative medicine under Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona. She simultaneously trained in acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, earning NCCAOM certification. This multidisciplinary education gave her the clinical tools to evaluate patients through multiple diagnostic lenses simultaneously: Western biochemistry, functional medicine systems biology, and the pattern-recognition wisdom of 3,000-year-old Chinese medical tradition.
WellLife Integrative Health opened its doors in the Nob Hill neighborhood of Portland in September 2016 with a single examination room, a treatment table, and a commitment to never rushing a patient. Today, the practice occupies a full third-floor suite at 2847 NW Westover Road with four treatment rooms, an IV infusion suite, an infrared sauna room, and a team of four practitioners serving the greater Portland metropolitan area. Every clinical decision we make is guided by the same question Dr. Chen asked on day one: "What does this patient's body actually need to heal, and how can we provide it with the least harm and greatest efficacy?"
The WellLife Clinical Team
Every member of our clinical team holds advanced credentials in their respective disciplines and participates in ongoing continuing education. We meet weekly for collaborative case reviews to ensure every patient benefits from our collective expertise.
Dr. Michael Torres, ND
Naturopathic Physician & Botanical Medicine SpecialistDr. Torres graduated from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland and holds an Oregon naturopathic physician license (#ND-5892). His clinical focus includes evidence-based botanical medicine, bioidentical hormone optimization, environmental toxicology, and detoxification protocols. He is certified in advanced IV nutrient therapy and manages our compounding suite. Dr. Torres has completed additional training through the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and specializes in complex environmental illness, mold toxicity, and heavy metal chelation.
Liang Wei, L.Ac., Dipl.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist & TCM PractitionerLiang Wei holds a Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) and is both NCCAOM Diplomate-certified and Oregon state licensed (#LAc-3847). He brings over twelve years of clinical experience specializing in pain management, fertility acupuncture, stress-related disorders, and digestive health. Liang trained in classical Five Element acupuncture under Master J.R. Worsley lineage practitioners and integrates both Five Element and TCM diagnostic frameworks for comprehensive patient assessment.
Emma Novak, MS, CNS, LDN
Certified Nutrition Specialist & Licensed DietitianEmma earned her Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition from Bastyr University and is board-certified through the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS). Her clinical expertise spans therapeutic elimination diets, autoimmune protocol (AIP) implementation, SIBO and FODMAP management, ketogenic metabolic therapy, and cardiometabolic nutrition. She works closely with Dr. Chen to integrate nutritional biochemistry with functional medicine lab findings for truly personalized dietary protocols.
Practice Standards & Ethics
Our Commitment to Clinical ExcellenceWellLife Integrative Health maintains the highest standards of clinical governance and patient safety. All practitioners carry active malpractice insurance, complete state-mandated continuing education annually, and adhere to evidence-based clinical guidelines. We participate in regular peer-reviewed case conferences and maintain professional affiliations with the Institute for Functional Medicine, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Oregon Medical Association, and Oregon Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Our practice is a registered 501(c)(3) community health partner (EIN: 93-2847103) supporting pro-bono integrative care for underserved Portland communities.
Our Mission & Values
WellLife Integrative Health exists to restore hope and health to patients who have been failed by fragmented, symptom-suppressive medical care. Our mission is to provide rigorous, compassionate, whole-person medicine that treats root causes, respects patient autonomy, and empowers lasting transformation.
Root-Cause Resolution
We investigate upstream. Symptoms are signals, not diagnoses. Our clinical model allocates the time and diagnostic depth needed to find and address the true origins of illness rather than masking them with pharmaceuticals alone.
Therapeutic Partnership
Healing is a collaborative process. We share our clinical reasoning transparently, provide full access to lab results and notes, and ensure every patient understands the "why" behind every recommendation. Your body, your data, your decisions.
Evidence-Informed Integrative Care
We honor traditional healing wisdom and validate it with modern scientific evidence. Every protocol we recommend has a foundation in peer-reviewed research, clinical trials, or well-established traditional medicine lineages with documented safety profiles.