The mission behind this practice is deeply personal for Dr. James Bruzzese, and it started over 10 years ago when his sister Julia first could not move her legs. Julia Bruzzese was eleven years old when a single tick bite began a slow theft: first her ability to dance, then to walk, then her childhood. A childhood that turned into chasing a diagnosis while doctor after doctor told her the pain wasn't real. By the time the truth finally caught up to her, Lyme disease had already taken what it came for and left her in a wheelchair ever since. Her fight became public far beyond our family, chronicled in the documentary The Quiet Epidemic, as her story echoed everyone's story: a warning about how many patients this disease swallows whole simply because no one was trained to see it in time.

 Dr. Bruzzese bore witness to it all; even watching his father give up a livelihood to fight and care for Julia. What Julia survived did not just change her life, but it gave Dr. Bruzzese a purpose: to become the doctor she needed but couldn't find. Dr. Bruzzese did not build this practice to treat a disease but to make sure no one else loses what Julia and his father lost.

Dr. Bruzzese’s training in Lyme and tick-borne disease has been intentional and highly focused. He studied under Dr. Richard Horowitz, an internationally recognized leader in the field, as well as nurse practitioners John Fallon and Somer Delsignore, whose clinical experience with these complex illnesses has helped shape his approach. He also completed residency training at NYU Langone Health, strengthening the medical foundation he brings to every patient’s care.

Alongside Dr. Bruzzese is a team of highly trained nurse practitioners, whom he personally oversees. The practice is structured this way so more patients can be seen without ever losing the individualized, patient-centered care that makes the difference between being treated and being healed.

Dr. Bruzzese believes and stands by:

• Listening to patients fully until their story is completely understood

• Treating the patient, never just a symptom list

• Bringing together the best of evidence-based medicine and integrative care, as healing never fits in one box

• Making compassionate, world-class care accessible to everyone

Dr. Bruzzese understands exactly how dark and lonely this road can feel, because he watched someone he loves walk it. This practice exists to offer something different: a place where symptoms are taken seriously, complex histories are carefully evaluated, and patients are met with persistence, compassion, and a genuine commitment to finding answers.

Julia lost so much to this disease, but she also proved that the human spirit can overcome even the cruelest diagnosis. Belief in resilience, determination and the refusal of complacency is the foundation upon which this practice rests.

You are not imagining this. You are not alone in this. And you have finally found people who will not stop until you have your life back.