Direct Primary Care & Lifestyle Medicine
Hope is where healing Begins
Personal, prevention-focused direct primary care. Grounded in science, compassion, and genuine human connection.
Medicine, as it was meant to be
Athena Direct Primary Care & Lifestyle Medicine delivers a new standard of primary care—evidence-based, prevention-focused, and rooted in lifestyle medicine. With transparent pricing and direct access to your physician, we make quality healthcare simple, personal, and effective.
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Care Built on Time & Trust
Unhurried visits, direct access to your care team, and a relationship-centered model that puts your health first.
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Proactive Care for Lifelong Health
Root-cause, prevention-focused and lifestyle medicine—advanced labs, comprehensive assessments, and personalized plans designed to support long-term balance and vitality.
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Access That Actually Feels Accessible
Same-day or next-day visits and direct communication when you need it—without gatekeepers or long waits.
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Evidence-Based Partnership in Care
Modern, science-driven medicine delivered with humanity—guidance, continuity, and support through every stage of life
Founder, Athena Direct Primary Care & Lifestyle Medicine
Dr. Laura Petrescu
MD, DipABLM, CPE, MSCP
Dr. Laura Petrescu is a triple board-certified physician in Internal Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, and Menopause Medicine, and the founder of Athena DPC—the first Direct Primary Care practice in the Rochester NY metropolitan area. She blends evidence-based medicine with a personal, prevention-focused approach that prioritizes time, trust, and patient partnership. A former surgeon with over two decades of medical experience, Dr. Petrescu has a special interest in women’s health, menopause, and metabolic wellness, helping patients build lasting health through compassionate, proactive care.
In-office and telemedicine sessions available in the Rochester, NY area
Our Approach
Because your health deserves more than seven minutes.
The average primary care physician face-to-face time with the patient in a conventional healthcare setting is 7 minutes. We believe you deserve so much more than that. We take the time to listen, understand, and guide you toward lasting wellness through prevention and partnership.
We specialize in many areas including, but not limited to…
Preventative Care
Lifestyle Medicine
Weight Management
Hormone Therapy
Menopause Care
Chronic Disease
Cardiometabolic Health
Endocrine Health
Digestive Health
Respiratory Care
Men’s Health
Acute Care
Cancer Prevention
Stress Management
Our Manifesto
We believe medicine has lost its way.
It became fast when it should have been thoughtful,
transactional when it should have been personal.
We’re here to bring it back to what it was meant to be—
one physician caring for their patient.
At Athena DPC, care isn’t measured in minutes or billing codes.
It’s measured in trust, prevention, and genuine connection.
We take time to listen, to learn, and to understand the whole person—
not just the condition.
We believe in evidence over assumption,
response over reaction, and care over crisis.
We believe that healing begins with care,
and that health is not just the absence of disease—
it’s the presence of balance, vitality, and peace.
We are physicians, partners, and advocates.
We are returning medicine to its roots
and reimagining what it means to be well.
This is the future of healthcare—
personal, proactive, and deeply human.
What to Expect
Your health Journey with Athena DPC Starts Here
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01/
Free Meet and Greet
An optional 30-minute conversation to ensure we’re the right fit for each other—aligning expectations, values, and care needs.
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02 /
Membership Enrollment
Sign up to become a member and complete our New Patient Enrollment forms
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03 /
Comprehensive Intake Visit
A 60-90 minute in-depth appointment to review your history, concerns, goals. Comprehensive labs will be ordered based on this visit.
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04 /
Lifestyle Medicine Consult & Care Plan
A lifestyle medicine consultation where we will review your personalized treatment plan, based on your lab results, intake history and goals -
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Personalized Ongoing Care
Ongoing, personalized care including lifestyle health consultations as needs arise, and acute sick care, with direct physician access.
Most Frequently Asked Questions
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Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a healthcare model where you receive comprehensive primary care directly from your personal physician through a simple monthly membership. This includes office visits, telemedicine, and ongoing care—without insurance billing or hidden fees.
By removing insurance from the exam room, DPC allows for longer visits, direct access to your doctor, and care that’s focused on prevention, relationships, and long-term health.
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Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based approach to care that focuses on addressing the root causes of illness and supporting long-term health. It recognizes that nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, relationships, and daily habits play a powerful role in how we feel—and how well we stay.
At Athena Direct Primary Care & Lifestyle Medicine, lifestyle medicine is integrated into your medical care, guided by science and personalized to you. It’s not about quick fixes—it’s about proactive, practical changes that help you stay well, now and for years to come.
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Athena Direct Primary Care uses a membership-based model that allows us to work directly for you, not an insurance company. By removing insurance billing and its administrative demands, we’re able to spend more time listening, explaining, and building meaningful relationships with our patients.
This approach reduces overhead, protects patient privacy, and allows us to deliver thoughtful, timely, and affordable care—without rushed visits or bureaucratic barriers.
You’ll still use insurance for medications, labs, imaging, specialists, and hospital care.
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The monthly membership fee is often comparable to what many people pay for a cell phone plan. For that fee, you receive direct access to your physician, and any primary care services that can be done in-office are included. No surprise charges.
Membership options and the most up-to-date pricing can be found on our Services page.
Ready to schedule your discovery meeting and meet your Direct Primary Care Physician? Get in Touch →
What Our Patients Say About Us
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Rated 5 Stars on Google
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Dr. Laura is awesome. We met for an extended time to review my medical history and bloodwork. Dr. Laura came ready with a nutritional plan prepared for me including easy to follow recipes, then explained in detail the evidence behind the plan during our visit. I am very excited for positive health results moving forward. Dr. Laura is very responsive by email & text which are both secure. It makes communication so easy & convenient when I have questions. Thank you Dr. Laura! - B.H.R.
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Even before my first visit to Athena Direct Primary Care, Dr. Petrescu called me personally to discuss any health concerns I might have. This personal attention was invaluable to me and following my visit, I was even more thrilled to have her as my primary care doctor. She is so easy to talk to, thorough, informative, and professional…and pays attention to mental health as well as physical. What I love most is direct access to Dr. Petrescu; she takes the “worry” out of waiting for hours, or days, for a call back from a doctor’s office. Highly recommend this service. -M.P.
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Dr. Petrescue is like no doctor I've ever had before. I never feel rushed. Instead she takes the time to listen to me, answer all of my questions, and help me become a healthier person. She's always available right away if I'm sick and need care or medication and is very knowledgeable and attentive. 5 stars isn't enough! -F.M.
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Dr. Petrescu is far and above the best doctor I've ever worked with. She's kind, thorough, perceptive, and highly knowledgeable. She actually cares about her patients and her thoughtfulness comes through when you're speaking with her. She prioritizes dietary and lifestyle changes over medication and prescriptions which I think is a breath of fresh air these days. She's very easy to get a hold off and makes an effort to respond to you in a timely manner. I can't recommend her enough. -A.C.
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Dr. Petrescu is patient, caring and takes the time to listen to concerns. This is a new experience for me. The typical doctor's office feels more like a factory (in and out in 15-30 minutes) whereas going to Dr. Petrescu I am able to discuss all concerns and feel like my health is taken seriously. In addition to that, she typically returns calls/texts with questions or requests within 24 hours, most times within 2-4 hours.
Kudos also goes to Jennifer who is organized, caring and ensures everything regarding my visits is prompt.
If most doctors operated their offices like Athena Direct Primary Care does, we would all be healthier. -A.T.
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I’m so thrilled to be a patient at Athena Direct Primary Care and Lifestyle Medicine! Dr. Laura Petrescu is incredibly caring and knowledgeable. She is deeply involved in patient care and offers you the best possible solution to your health needs. Having unlimited access to your doctor is priceless! I highly recommend this practice! - D.D.
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Dr. Petrescu and Jennifer are amazing people that create a welcoming atmosphere within the office that seems to be missing in many others these days. To go to the doctor’s feels like you’re just a number, pushed along to get through to the next patient. Dr. Petrescu’s office is an outlier in that regard, I feel that my concerns are heard and that solutions are being explored for whatever may be ailing me. I’ve been a patient here going on two years and will continue to be one for years to come. - T.S.
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Dr Petrescu has been my doctor for over 5 years. She is very knowledgeable and thorough in her assessments, very kind and compassionate. I always feel confident I get the best care. Highly recommend her. - O.D.
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Dr Petrescu takes the time to talk through a true preventative health care plan. No 15 minute appointments with a different provider every visit. I feel that Dr Petrescu gets to know her patients and truly prioritizes their needs. When I developed sudden concerning symptoms, I was able contact Dr Petrescu and her Nurse, Jennifer for guidance and recommendations rather than spending hefty copays to see a provider I have never met. This is truly how Primary Care should be! - M.C.
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Dr Petrescu is one of the most meticulous and thorough doctors that I have had the pleasure to work with! She treats everyone like family and is definitely a think outside the box professional. I trust her implicitly. - P.T.
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We’ve worked with Dr. Petrescu for a few years now and while we loved her, we were not happy with the corporate medicine approach and now that we have direct access to Dr. Petrescu it’s the best care we have had probably ever! Dr. Petrescu is an extremely knowledgeable and caring physician and we really appreciate this new approach to our medical care. - A.L.
Schedule your free consultation and learn more about how we can support your goals.