About
Dr. Natalie Bruce is a board-certified pediatrician with a focused expertise in functional and integrative pediatric mental health. She earned her MD from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in 2010 and completed her pediatric residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2013. The American Board of Pediatrics has certified her continuously since that year.
After more than a decade in traditional outpatient pediatric settings, Dr. Bruce opened Nurturing Pediatrics in 2024. She holds a Pediatric Functional and Integrative Psychiatry Fellowship from Psychiatry Redefined and completed the REACH Institute's Patient-Centered Mental Health in Primary Care Mini-Fellowship. She also trained with Arc of North Carolina's IDD Health ECHO program for primary care providers. Dr. Bruce is passionate about identifying root causes behind ADHD, anxiety, OCD, autism spectrum disorder, PANS, PANDAS, and basal ganglia encephalitis. She builds personalized care plans grounded in each child's unique biology, nutrition, and environment. Her clinical work draws on genomic testing, nutritional analysis, and integrative therapies alongside conventional medicine.
Education & Training
Medical School
University of Mississippi School of Medicine, MD (August 2006 – June 2010)
Residency
Pediatric Residency, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (July 2010 – June 2013)
Fellowship
Pediatric Functional and Integrative Psychiatry Fellowship, Psychiatry Redefined (April 2025 – July 2026)
Additional Training
REACH Institute: Patient-Centered Mental Health in Primary Care Mini-Fellowship (January 2025); Arc of North Carolina: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Health ECHO for Primary Care Providers (May 2025 – July 2025)
Certifications
Conditions Treated
Who is Dr. Bruce right for?
Dr. Bruce is a strong fit for families whose children have complex, difficult-to-diagnose mental or behavioral health conditions. She works especially well with children suspected of neuroinflammatory conditions like PANS, PANDAS, or basal ganglia encephalitis. Parents of children with ADHD, anxiety, OCD, depression, or autism spectrum disorder who want root-cause investigation will find her approach valuable. She also serves children with nutritional deficiencies, sleep disturbances, and related physical health concerns. Families across North Carolina who need specialist-level functional consultation alongside their child's existing primary care can access Dr. Bruce virtually.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Dr. Bruce specializes in PANS, PANDAS, basal ganglia encephalitis, ADHD, anxiety, depression, OCD, and autism spectrum disorder. She also addresses nutritional deficiencies, sleep disturbances, restless leg syndrome, iron deficiency, asthma, eczema, obesity, and constipation when they intersect with a child's mental or behavioral health.
Yes. Dr. Bruce holds board certification in Pediatrics from the American Board of Pediatrics, continuously since 2013.
Dr. Bruce earned her MD from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She later completed a Pediatric Functional and Integrative Psychiatry Fellowship through Psychiatry Redefined.
Dr. Bruce completed the REACH Institute's Patient-Centered Mental Health in Primary Care Mini-Fellowship in January 2025. She also completed the Arc of North Carolina's IDD Health ECHO program, which focuses on intellectual and developmental disabilities care for primary care providers.
Dr. Bruce builds personalized care plans grounded in each child's biology, lifestyle, and environment. She uses a functional and integrative framework to find root causes rather than focusing only on symptoms. Her plans may incorporate lab testing, genomic data, nutritional counseling, and evidence-informed complementary therapies alongside conventional medicine.
Yes. Dr. Bruce offers IntellxxDNA genomic testing as an optional part of her consultations. This testing examines genetic variations related to nutrients, inflammation, mitochondrial function, detoxification, immune function, brain structure, brain plasticity, and neurotransmitters. Genomic testing carries an additional minimum cost of $1,500.
No. Dr. Bruce functions as a specialist consultant. Children continue receiving routine care from their primary care provider while Dr. Bruce conducts a deeper investigation into root causes of mental, behavioral, or physical health concerns.
Dr. Bruce conducts consultations virtually via Zoom. The practice uses Elation Health for scheduling and patient portal access and the Spruce Health app for HIPAA-secure messaging.
Doctor profile last updated April 10, 2026