Coming out of 15 years of martial arts training and teaching, Vinny began developing his interest in integrative health and healing as an undergraduate at Boston University, studying biology as well as East Asian Studies, with a focus on Chinese language and culture. Studying abroad in China he had the opportunity to explore and practice Chinese medicine. He then spent a year studying traditional Chinese medicine at the New England School of Acupuncture prior to attending the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA. During medical school he partnered with local practitioners of integrative therapies to host an annual Complementary and Integrative Therapies Health Expo. He also collaborated with the UMass Cancer Center to integrate mind-body therapies into a weekly student-led meeting for breast cancer survivors and their support persons. With a desire to care for people in their entirety—body, mind, spirit, families, and communities—he eagerly pursued training at the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH), completing both his family medicine residency training and then the Academic Integrative Health Fellowship, offered within the same department. He has completed medical acupuncture training through the Helms Medical Institute, a Mindfulness Teaching Internship through the University of Wisconsin Mindfulness Program, and the University of California-San Diego Mindfulness Teacher Training Intensive. He currently practices as a family physician and integrative health consultant through the University of Wisconsin’s DFMCH in Madison, WI. Vinny’s research has focused on developing and teaching mindfulness training programs for resident physicians.
Vinny is blessed to have been married to his wife, Annmae, since May 2013, and their first child, Skylar Mae (“Sky”) Minichiello, was born on August 8, 2017. He is grateful to his father, mother, and sister for their inspiration and encouragement to trust his heart along the way.
