James R. Stevens, MD, CAQSM, ABAARM, FAAFP

James “Jay” Stevens, MD, CAQSM, ABAARM, FAAFP, is the founder of Essential Health. Having practiced innovative primary care medicine for more than 30 years, Dr. Stevens has worked in various conventional primary care settings, including group private practice and as a hospital-employed physician and physician leader.

His clinical focus encompasses all services at Essential Health. As Chief Innovation Officer at Essential Holding Company, the licensor and management affiliate for Essential Health, Dr. Stevens is part of a growing effort to seek, refine and introduce new knowledge and methods to Essential Health clinics in a constant quest to provide an avenue towards better health and longevity for those we serve.

Dr. Stevens was the first Sports Medicine Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2002, Dr. Stevens founded Carolina Family Practice & Sports Medicine (CFP&SM) in Cary, North Carolina, now part of Novant Health. He later developed an Executive Health Program that evolved into a direct primary care practice.

Dr. Stevens served as the team physician for the 2006 Stanley Cup Champions Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League for more than 25 years. He has also served as the physician for the Carolina Ballet for 20 years, the Chairman of the Rex Hospital Primary Care Division, and currently serves as the Medical Director for Extivita Hyperbarics, a leading Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy clinic located in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park.

Dr. Stevens is Board Certified in Family Practice and Anti-Aging Medicine, with a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine and the American Academy of Family Practice. He is also certified in Peptide Therapy and is a member of the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine and Hyperbaric Medicine International.

Dr. Stevens is a “walk the walk” physician who prioritizes accountability with regards to his patients’ health as well as his own health. He is an accomplished surfer (East/West coast USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Tortolla, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia), average triathlete, and in recent times has taken up rucking. Over the years, he has built 25 homes in Nags Head, NC, Encinitas, CA, and Steamboat Springs CO. Dr. Stevens enjoys hiking and downhill skiing in the Rocky Mountains with his wife and sons. When he is not exercising or optimizing his sleep, he is an avid reader in the health and wellness genre.