Zivian Spotlight: Bridget Mayer, PA-C

Zivian Health is proud to support advanced practice providers. In addition to empowering compliant collaborations, we want to share the stories of the healthcare professionals we serve.

Today we spotlight Bridget Mayer, a board certified Physician Assistant specializing in primary care and internal medicine.

Mayer spoke with us about her journey as a healthcare professional and her experience with Zivian Health. Read on to learn more!

An Early Passion for Medicine

Bridget Mayer is originally from Syracuse, NY. For as long as she can remember, Mayer has always wanted to practice medicine.

“I was never someone who had any angst about what they were going to be when they grew up,” Mayer said. “By 10th grade biology class, I knew – yep, I want to be in medicine, and that was that.”

After high school, Mayer pursued pre-med and then studied to become a PA. 

Primary Care: Trust and Deep Connection 

Mayer has specialized in primary care for the majority of her 35-year career as a Physician Assistant. Her preference for primary care comes from a desire to develop true connections with her patients.

“I enjoy primary care because of the continuation of care and having a relationship with a patient over many years,” said Mayer. “Patients develop a trust and you get to really know them.”

Mayer says that she “thrives on having deep connections with people,” and is at her best when she is able to develop those connections with her patients and help them through building trust.

A Personal Journey: Discovering Functional Medicine

Mayer spent the majority of her career practicing in primary care, family practice and internal medicine in New York state. She also spent five years in primary care at Yale University’s Yale Health Plan, providing care to Yale employees, after her husband was professionally relocated to Connecticut.

Although she loves her profession and appreciates her journey as a healthcare professional, Mayer, like many other clinicians in recent years, has experienced significant burnout on several occasions.

“In many situations, the standard expectation is that clinicians will do 12 hours of work in an 8 hour day – every day of your career,” said Mayer. “In those situations there are high rates of burnout, and I suffered burnout bigtime.”

Mayer’s worst period of burnout occurred sometime around the pandemic. At the same time – perhaps not coincidentally – she developed a strong interest in Functional Medicine, a medical practice that focuses on the root cause of symptoms or illnesses by analyzing the body's imbalances with an emphasis on lifestyle improvements and preventative care.

Mayer was originally drawn to Functional Medicine due to its focus on prevention, as the field resonated with her personally and professionally.

“I’ve always tried to practice prevention with my patients,” said Mayer. “When there is a pressure to see 20 patients a day, or more, there is usually not enough time to give it justice. I also personally try to practice prevention for myself – I love fitness, love to lift weights, I’m an aerobic junkie, and I’ve dabbled in some alternative medicine. Overall, the burnout that I suffered worked directly against that.”

In an effort to seek relief from the burnout she was suffering, Mayer decided to begin practicing part time. Simultaneously, she developed a deeper interest in Functional Medicine and obtained certification at the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM).

Mayer found that Functional Medicine was liberating and refreshing, and significantly changed her philosophy of care and her personal wellness practices. Going deeper down this path led to the next stage in her career – opening a private practice.

Starting a Private Practice

After becoming certified with IFM, Mayer enrolled in a mentorship program named The Dr. Z.’s Functional Medicine Academy, which supports providers with both clinical resources and business-building skills.

“I have been a PA for 35 years, and I know about medicine, but I knew nothing about business,” said Mayer. “The Functional Medicine Academy specializes in setting you up to practice.”

In early 2024, Mayer decided to open a private Functional Medicine practice. She claims that the Functional Medicine Academy was a major part of her inspiration to start her own practice. “I would never dream of opening my own private practice without the support of this program,” said Mayer. 

Mayer now has a virtual practice that serves patients in the states of New York and Connecticut: Bridget Mayer, PA-C, Functional Medicine, PLLC.

In the future, Mayer will have a hybrid practice with offices in the Syracuse, NY and New Haven, CT areas. Her practice uses a functional medicine approach that focuses on gut health, intestinal permeability ("leaky gut") and the downstream effects that it has on autoimmunity, muscle and joint inflammation, mood imbalances and fatigue. 

“Modern living can wreak so much havoc on the gut,” said Mayer. “I help people with these problems by taking a deep dive into their health history, performing advanced functional medicine labs and guiding them through lifestyle changes that can really make a difference. Functional Medicine will often use targeted supplements to help as well. People can have a remarkable transformation in their health with functional medicine and it can often help where conventional medicine has fallen short.”

Experience with Zivian Health

Mayer found Zivian Health while searching for a collaborating physician so that she could open her new practice. She mentioned that Zivian was one of very few resources available for physician assistants seeking a collaborating physician outside of their personal networks.

Mayer says she appreciates Zivian’s level of service – she has the option to use either the Zivian platform or reach out to our team of specialists for support. “I’m super happy with Zivian,” said Mayer. “Having a human being and a digital platform available for questions is huge. There are many businesses and tools that I am utilizing, and having Zivian’s tools at my disposal has been wonderful and very valuable.”

Zivian Empowers Compliant Collaborations

Zivian thanks Bridget Mayer for sharing her story with us! We’re proud to be of service during an important time in her career as a Physician Assistant, and we look forward to the success of her private practice.

Zivian empowers Advanced Practice Providers by connecting them with physicians inside a secure and convenient platform to form long-term, compliant collaborations. Get started today!