Dr. Gaines received her naturopathic medical degree from Bastyr University in 2002. She continued her training at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine where she completed a two-year family practice residency, with an emphasis on botanical medicine, homeopathy and women’s health. She is the chair of the Botanical Medicine Department, an associate professor and an attending physician at the Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center. Dr. Gaines is also a registered herbalist and shares her expertise in this area through teaching classes in botanical materia medica and bringing students to North Carolina each summer to study plant medicine. Dr. Gaines developed and supervised a naturopathic rotation at SCNM's community clinic at Sojourner Center, a domestic violence shelter for women and children from 2003 to 2007. She treats children and adults utilizing botanical medicine, nutrition and lifestyle counseling to make positive changes in patients’ health.