r. Dana M. Elia, DCN, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND is an integrative and functional registered dietitian nutritionist with over 28 years of clinical experience. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dr. Elia relocated to Lancaster, PA in 2001 where she is the owner of Fusion Integrative Health and Wellness, LLC which was honored with the 2019 Best of Lancaster Award for the nutritionist category.

An active member of her functional nutrition community, Dr. Elia has served on the executive committee of Dietitians in Integrative and Function Medicine (DIFM) since 2013 where she most recently held the Research Chair position. Dr. Elia previously served DIFM as Past-Chair, Chair, Chair-Elect, Treasurer and Member Services Chair. Dr. Elia also sat on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics DPG Advisory Council to the CEO and is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Council on Research, Scientific Integrity Subcommittee.

Dr. Elia's fervor and dedication for the power within the food as medicine approach, stems from her own personal health journey. She has battled autoimmune disease since childhood, then in 2013 was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma. As a survivor and warrior for rare disease advocacy, in 2017 Dr. Elia was chosen as a 1 of 4 survivors for featured videos with the Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple University. In 2021 a routine mammogram led to early detection of breast cancer and genetic testing uncovered a rare P53 mutation and subsequent diagnosis of Li Fraumeni Syndrome.

With a passion for ongoing education and a drive to always provide her patients with the best level of care, Dr. Elia earned her doctorate in clinical functional nutrition (DCN) through Maryland University of Integrative Health where in 2019 she was also awarded the Student Research Poster Award.

Dr. Elia enjoys writing about diet and nutrition and sees the process as a means to help people identify the underlying root causes of the barriers preventing them from optimal wellness. She is the author of The Stem Cell Activation Diet and The Sugar Detox Diet for 50+. In her free time, she loves hiking, camping at the Delaware seashore, traveling with her husband James, scuba diving, or going on an adventure with her rescued lab, Champ