Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel

PRECISION HEALTH & INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE physician
HEAD OF INTEGRATIVE CANCER CARE
DIRECTOR OF SYNTHESIS CLINIC

Dr Nina

MB BChir (Medicine) and MA Hons Natural Sciences (Cambridge)

MSc Precision Cancer Medicine (Oxford) and PG Dip Health Research (Oxford), both with Distinction

FBANT FRSA IFMCP DipIM DipAc DipCHM PGCert DipION RYT200

PRECISION HEALTH AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE DOCTOR SPECIALising in INTEGRATIVE ONCOLOGY

BANT REGISTERED NUTRITIONIST AND NUTRITIONAL THERAPIST, HERBALIST, TCM PRACTITIONER, ACUPUNCTURIST AND YOGA TEACHER

I am an award-winning Oxbridge-trained integrative medicine doctor, scientist and educator with over a decade’s experience in integrative healthcare. I am a Fellow the College of Medicine, the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and I was the 2021-2023 Co-Chair of BSIO (British Society for Integrative Oncology). Alongside my scientific and medical training, including an MSc in Precision Cancer Medicine and PG Dip in Health Research from the University of Oxford with distinction, I hold multiple qualifications in nutrition, integrative medicine, functional medicine (IFMCP), health coaching (FMCA), herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (including Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture), yoga, mindfulness and other therapeutic approaches. I integrate and draw upon this extensive knowledge and clinical toolkit every day in my practice. As the clinic Director, I am hugely passionate about the role of Integrative Medicine and Precision Health in regaining and maintaining our health and wellbeing, having seen its effects during my own breast cancer diagnosis and the profound impact this approach has on the lives of my patients in clinic.

In 2022 I was delighted to receive a prestigious Innovation Leader of the Year UKBIA award for our inspirational vision for healthcare and practice leadership. Alongside my clinical work, I speak at national and international conferences and educate medical and nutrition professionals, as well as participating in research in integrative medicine and precision health and contributing to journal editorial boards (International Journal of Integrative Oncology and Nutritional Medicine Journal) and guideline development panels nationally and internationally. I am a co-author of the 2024 SIO-ASCO guidelines on integrative oncology care for anxiety and depression symptoms, and I am a co-author of ‘Integrative Oncology in Breast Cancer Care’ with Dr Penny Kechagioglou, also having contributed a chapter to the 2026 ‘Comprehensive Integrative Oncology’ textbook. Finally, I am the CEO of NCIO (National Centre for Integrative Oncology) and the Co-Founder and Director of Oncio CIC, an innovative non-profit aimed at providing high quality app-based resources for people with cancer (the Oncio app) and supporting best clinical practice and research in integrative oncology.

My passion lies in combining my extensive scientific and medical understanding and precision health testing with a whole person approach to create a precisely tailored health plan drawing on a broad range of therapeutic interventions. I believe that our current healthcare system, while often life-saving, is not life-optimising, and is rarely able to deliver whole person care for prevention and management of complex, chronic disease, including cancer. As a doctor providing integrative, personalised care to support people with cancer and other complex illness, I see the transformative impact of this approach on personal resilience, quality of life and clinical outcomes every day.

Integrative oncology overview and FAQ

Areas of Special Interest

INTEGRATIVE ONCOLOGY SUPPORT

Integrative oncology support for solid tumours and stable haematological cancer patients - I have a particular interest in marrying precision oncology approaches with integrative medicine to rationally design comprehensive collaborative care plans

I use a broad range of modalities in integrative cancer care, including nutrition and lifestyle approaches, psycho-emotional support, complementary modalities (including herbal medicine and acupuncture) and specialist approaches, including IV support, mistletoe therapy and oncothermia (modulated electrohyperthermia), delivered at our clinic in Berkshire.

Please note that I am an integrative medicine doctor, not an oncologist, and I would always aim to work with your extended medical team to provide supportive care. Unfortunately I am not currently taking on any new cases, and my waiting list is closed due to high demand.

Our other doctors and healthcare professionals working across the survivorship care, integrative oncology and integrative cancer pain care services are able to offer consultations to support you. Our whole team works closely together with 4 MDT (multidisciplinary team) meetings a week led by me as the Medical Director, so that all our case discussions benefit from my broad expertise and a diverse range of input from our healthcare professionals.

Our Integrative Cancer Care Services

Recent Podcasts & Conference Talks

From anxiety to PTSD with Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel

Cancer, PTSD and Trauma Informed Treatment Options for Cancer

Let’s Look at the Why with Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel

Integrative Oncology - Supporting Living Well with Cancer talk at the IPM Congress with Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel and Dr Deepak Ravindran. In this session we discussed how integrative oncology (IO) approaches can transform support for those living with

The Oncio app is the first free app available to adults affected by cancer that empowers you to practically put integrative oncology tools and strategies into action. It is designed to be used by people at any point in their cancer care pathway - fr

Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel presented on Helixor mistletoe therapy, discussing professional and patient perspectives on this important modality in integrative oncology.

Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel presented at the 2023 BANT conference and AGM, giving an integrative oncology talk on multidisciplinary integration in practice.

Integrative Cancer Care - what else can I do?

Integrative Cancer Support, Women’s Health and Research Woes

Recent Posters, Lectures and Papers

Integrative Oncology (IO) is an evolving evidence-informed field of medicine with little high-quality professional literature currently available to support clinical practice. This book provides a robust introduction to integrative oncology and a pr

Integrative Oncology Approaches to Supporting Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment of Solid Tumours

IV subcutaneous mistletoe UK integrative oncology Dr Fuller-Shavel.png

Oncio poster presentation at SIO Annual Conference 2023 on ‘Co-creation of an integrative oncology app - building together from lived experience to address unmet support needs’. Presented by Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel on behalf of co-authors Dr Penny K

Oncio poster presentation at World Congress of Integrative Medicine and Health 2023 in Rome on ‘Co-creation of an integrative oncology app - empowerment and engagement in practice’. Presented by Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel on behalf of co-authors Dr Penny

Integrative Oncology Care of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Adults With Cancer: Society for Integrative Oncology-ASCO Guideline

“Dr Nina is extremely qualified. It is so reassuring to find someone with her knowledge and expertise in dealing with patients who have late stage ovarian cancer. So many people have commented on how well I look and cannot believe I have cancer. I am so much more relaxed knowing I am under her care.”

— Patient Testimonial
“Dr Nina is the most caring, understanding and experienced practitioner I have worked with. Her approach has given me hope where previously, very few have been able to provide the support & interventions I have needed & certainly not to the clinical level that I am currently receiving.”

Patient Testimonial
“I have been seeing Dr Nina for over a year and am utterly thrilled to have found her. It is hard to believe what has been achieved - with many areas that I had thought could never be changed now improved or improving. She is very thorough, evidence-based, efficient, professional, yet alongside this she is also highly personable, open-minded, and warm. In my experience, this is not an easy mix to find! Prior to this, I had tried many, many practitioners, and approaches for over 20 years without success. Thank you so much Synthesis!”

— Patient Testimonial
“I saw Dr Nina Sept 2020 following treatment for breast cancer. At our first consultation she told me she wanted me to feel better than I had prior to treatment and cancer I wasn’t sure that would be easy, but that’s exactly what she did in only 4 months! I now feel better than I have in years. With a change in diet and life choices and adding supplements that are relevant to me specifically alongside Dr Nina’s support and knowledge we have transformed how I feel both physically and emotionally. I cannot recommend Dr Nina highly enough, her approach is personal and unique and I felt very supported.”

— Patient Testimonial
“Dr Nina and the entire team at Synthesis Clinic are deeply compassionate and supportive of what you and your body need to maintain energy and vitality. Their knowledge is off the charts and they are always finding ways to empower their patients.”

— Patient Testimonial
“I would thoroughly recommend Dr Nina as an extremely impressive healthcare practitioner. She is very thorough, evidence-based, efficient, professional, yet alongside this she is also highly personable, open-minded and warm. The Synthesis admin team have also been great - patient, organised, polite and good at communicating.”

— Patient Testimonial
“Dr Nina is the first person since my diagnosis who spent time getting to know me as a person, truly listening and understanding my wishes. A personalised holistic approach to any treatment plan is used, not just the same protocol for each person. This has made a huge difference to my quality of life, increased resilience during treatments, enabling me to enjoy life and not constantly worry about my health.”

— Patient Testimonial
“I cannot recommend Synthesis Clinic highly enough. Dr Nina and her team have been absolutely incredible in helping me get to the root cause of my problems which have plagued me for several years. I know that no stone has been left unturned, and I am already feeling so much better even after only 6 weeks of treatment. The whole team have been so supportive, open and welcoming, and I would not put my trust in anyone else.”

— Patient Testimonial
“I had my appointment with Dr Nina just over a month after my mastectomy surgery following the detection of breast cancer. Meeting Dr Nina has been life changing and has given me the confidence and belief that I am taking charge and doing the very best I can to mitigate any possible future recurrence. I have never felt and looked better!”

— Patient Testimonial
“The care I have received at the Synthesis Clinic is nothing less than outstanding. I have regained significant quality of life in spite of having stage 4 cancer. It’s such a relief to be treated as an individual at last, and not another cancer patient who gets the same blanket approach which simply doesn’t work for some of us. This does.”

— Patient Testimonial

Professional Background

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

MA Hons (Cantab) Natural Sciences - University of Cambridge

MB BChir Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine - University of Cambridge

MSc Precision Cancer Medicine with Distinction - University of Oxford

PG Dip Health Research with Distinction - University of Oxford

PG Dip Integrative Medicine - National Centre for Integrative Medicine

PG Cert Personalised Nutrition - Middlesex University

Diploma in Nutritional Therapy - Institute for Optimum Nutrition

Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner - The Institute for Functional Medicine

Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach - Functional Medicine Coaching Academy

Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) - Yoga Alliance

Chinese Herbal Medicine Diploma - Phoenix Academy/FTCMP (Federation of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

Diploma in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Acupuncture with Distinction - MATCM (Manchester Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

AWARDS, ACCOLADES and key positions

Chair of the SIO (Society for Integrative Oncology) Global Committee (2024-date), Member of the SIO Board of Trustees

Co-Chair (2021-2023) of the British Society for Integrative Oncology (BSIO)

Fellow of the College of Medicine

Fellow of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT)

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA)

Henry Roy Dean Prize for Pathology, University of Cambridge

Graystone Scholar, University of Cambridge

Editorial Board Member - Nutritional Medicine Journal

Editorial Board Member - International Journal of Integrative Oncology

UKBIA (Business & Innovation Awards) 2022 Innovation Leader of the Year

ADDITIONAL TRAINING

Women’s Integrative and Functional Medicine Professional Training Program with Dr Aviva Romm

Heartwood Herbal Medicine, Functional Herbal Therapy and Aviva Romm Herbal Medicine for Women

Integrative approach to Breast Cancer — University of Arizona

Functional Herbal Therapy in Cancer with Prof Kerry Bone

Basic and Advanced Courses in Mistletoe and Integrative Oncology with PAAM (Physicians' Association for Anthroposophic Medicine)

SIBO Pro course with Dr Allison Siebecker

Gastrointestinal Health, Neuroinflammation and Autoimmunity — Kharrazian Institute

Introduction to Theory and Practice of CFT (Compassion Focused Therapy) — Compassionate Mind Foundation

Training in polyvagal theory and SSP (Safe & Sound Protocol)

Yin Yoga and Mindfulness — Level 1 and Level 2

Yoga Therapy Skills for PTSD, Therapeutic Yoga in Cancer Treatment and Yoga Nidra for Mental Health — The Minded Institute

The Transformative Power of Conscious Breath with Lauren Toolin through Pranamaya

PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND REGISTRATIONS

Registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)

Fellow of the College of Medicine and the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine

Member of the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal Society of Medicine and the Independent Doctor’s Federation

Chair of the SIO (Society for Integrative Oncology) Global Committee (2024-date), Member of the SIO Board of Trustees

Member of the Institute of Functional Medicine and the American Nutrition Association

Member of US Yoga Alliance and UK Yoga Alliance Professionals, student member of IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists), member of SIO Yoga SIG (Special Interest Group)

Member of ATCM (Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture UK) and FTCMP (Federation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners)

selected research publications

ResearchGate profile here, ORCiD 0000-0002-5877-1567

Cost-effectiveness of integrative oncology for sustainable and patient-centred cancer care: a systematic review in the context of the WHO global traditional medicine strategy 2025–2034 (group co-author). Front Public Health. 2026 Mar 18;14:1773455. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1773455. PMID: 41929877.

Nutritional strategies in supporting immune checkpoint inhibitor, PI3K inhibitor, and tyrosine kinase inhibitor cancer therapies (first and senior author). Front Nutr. 2025 Dec 3;12:1670598. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1670598. PMID: 41425618.

Efficacy of Multimodal Psychological Interventions on Pain After Surgery in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review (group co-author). Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Survivorship Study Group. JCO Oncol Pract. 2025 Jun 26:OP2500081. doi: 10.1200/OP-25-00081. PMID: 40570265.

Bridging Borders in Integrative Oncology: A Global Initiative by the Society for Integrative Oncology (first co-author). J Integr Complement Med. 2025 Mar;31(3):217-220. doi: 10.1089/jicm.2025.0049. Epub 2025 Feb 13. PMID: 39943907.

Integrative Oncology Approaches to Supporting Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment of Solid Tumours (first author). Curr Oncol Rep (2024). https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11912-023-01492-4 (PMID: 38194216).

Safety of intravenous and subcutaneous mistletoe administration in adults with solid tumours – single UK integrative oncology centre experience (first author). Intern J integrative Oncol 2023; 1: 23-29. DOI 10.48252/IJIO04.

Integrative Oncology Care of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Adults With Cancer: Society for Integrative Oncology-ASCO Guideline (group co-author). J Clin Oncol. 2023 Oct 1;41(28):4562-4591 (PMID: 37582238)

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS, POSTERS AND CHAIRED SESSIONS

Poster presented at ESMO 2025 - Berlin, October 2025: ‘Addressing the Supportive Care Gaps in Breast Cancer Patients: The Role of Integrative Oncology Approaches’ (last/senior author)

Abstracts accepted for SIO 2025 - Boston, October 2025 (poster and oral, first and presenting author): ‘Integrative Oncology (IO) in Supporting People with Gynaecological Malignancies: UK Centre Insights’ ‘Safety of intravenous and subcutaneous mistletoe administration in adults with solid tumours – UK integrative oncology centre experience’

Abstracts presented at SIO Europe 2025 in Oxford, June 2025: 1) Integrative Oncology (IO) in Supporting People with Gynaecological Malignancies: UK Centre Insights (last/senior author) 2) A Multidisciplinary Integrative Approach to Paediatric and TYA Cancer Survivorship (last/senior author)

P468 Pathologic regression and treatment dose intensity in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with or without Viscum album extract injections: a retrospective study. 19th St.Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference. The Breast 80S (2025) 104272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.breast.2025.104272.

Abstracts on the Oncio app presented at SIO (Society for Integrative Oncology) 2023 annual conference and 2nd WCIMH congress in Sept 2023 (posters): 1) Co-creation of an integrative oncology app - building together from lived experience to address unmet support needs (first author) 2) Co-creation of an integrative oncology app - empowerment and engagement in practice (first author)

BOPA (British Oncology Pharmacy Association) Conference Oct 2022 – ‘Non-pharmacological interventions [in cancer care]’

Integrative and Personalised Medicine Congress 2022: Presentation - ‘A Systems Approach to autoimmune thyroid disease’

BANT Annual Conference 2022 - ‘Mental Health, Precision Nutrition, and Lifestyle Medicine: Translating Evidence to Clinical Practice’. Presentation - ‘Precision Health and Integrative Medicine Approaches to Supporting Trauma Recovery’

ECIM 2021 Virtual Congress, 19th European Congress of Integrative Medicine (ESIM/ISCMR) - Chair of ‘Yoga for Health’ session

18th International Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) Conference 2021 - poster presentation ‘Breast cancer patients’ experience within a UK integrative cancer support clinic and wider perspectives on the need for integrative oncology input within the public healthcare service’

ISNPR (International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry), Oct 2019 - poster presentation ‘Vitamin D in old age psychiatry inpatients’

Integrative Health Convention, Oct 2019 - ‘Functional and Integrative Medicine as the future of chronic disease care’

TALKS AND LECTURES

Imperial College London BSc Oncology - integrative oncology lecture with Dr Jonathan Krell (2022-date, invited annual lecture)

ESIO 2026 keynote lecture - Zurich, Switzerland ‘Integrative oncology meets immuno-oncology – the IO2 approach’

SIO Annual Conference 2025 (Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA) ‘Integrative Medicine highlights from the last year: Immuno-oncology update’

SIO Europe 2025, Oxford, UK - Conference Co-President; presented on: ‘Immuno-oncology from the integrative perspective - mechanisms and interventions’

IOWG (Integrative Oncology Working Group) January 2025 ‘Immune checkpoint inhibitor optimization with integrative oncology (IO) approaches’, co-presented with Dr Friedemann Schad (Germany)

NMI (Nutritional Medicine Institute) Summit 2024 - An Energetic View: Mitochondrial Nutrition for Fatigue, the Brain, and Healthy Ageing ‘Mitochondrial Dysfunction and the Pathogenesis of Complications of Cancer Treatment’

IPM (Integrative & Personalised Medicine) Congress 2023 ‘Integrative Oncology – Supporting Living Well with Cancer’, co-presented with Dr Deepak Ravindran

BANT (British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine) AGM & Conference 2023 ‘Multidisciplinary integration in practice – dynamic alignment for better outcomes’

BSIO Annual Conference 2023 - co-presented a workshop with Dr Penny Kechagioglou entitled ‘Supporting IO adoption and clinical practice through postgraduate education’

BOPA (British Oncology Pharmacy Association) annual conference 2022 ‘Non-pharmacological interventions in cancer care’

Integrative and Personalised Medicine Congress 2022 ‘Systems Approach to autoimmune thyroid disease’

BANT Oct 2022 - ‘Optimising Women’s Health in Menopause and Beyond’

ATCM lecture Sept 2022 ‘Integrative medicine in breast cancer: the role of TCM’

Verve Festival Sept 2022 - ‘Integrative approaches to menopause support’

Please contact Raquel, our Integrative Cancer Care clinic coordinator, to discuss the programmes and book in.

If you have any questions about our integrative oncology services or are unsure about the support you may need in your individual case, please contact our Integrative Cancer Care clinic coordinator, Raquel Salgado. Please note that Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel is not currently accepting new patients outside of urgent referrals from our consultant oncologist network but our other integrative oncology, cancer survivorship and cancer pain care doctors have availability.

UK Integrative Oncology Clinic Consultations in Berkshire and online

We offer in-person appointments and online consultations with our specialists in integrative cancer care, including integrative oncology doctors, nutrition, dietetics, health coaching, physiotherapy, yoga therapy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, pharmacy and psycho-emotional wellbeing professionals (please note that some services are only available remotely).

Please note that coming to see our team is not a substitute for standard NHS care, including acute care services. We do not provide emergency or out of hours services.

Hours
Monday–Friday
9am–5pm

Phone
01628964332

Email
raquel@synthesisclinic.co.uk