I believe everyone deserves compassionate and respectful medical care. I have spent most of my career working in medically disenfranchised communities and have come to the understanding that the way medicine is practiced in the US does a disservice to patients, communities, and physicians.
I believe racism, sexism, homo/transphobia, fatphobia and xenophobia are public health hazards. I believe the US medical system has perpetuated these rather than addressing them and their consequences. I believe capitalism, for profit (and fake ‘not for profit ‘) health systems are, by their very nature, disempowering for all involved and the mutual aid model is invaluable for marginalized communities.
I believe that addressing social determinants of health and trauma at individual and community levels is a key to restoring health. I work within a Health at Every Size ® paradigm, and realize that shaming people has never led to outcomes that are beneficial to well-being. I believe the word “fat” is a noun and adjective, not an insult or diagnosis.
I practice with a harm reduction approach that recognizes the discrimination folks face in the health care system based on race, color, religion, national origin, immigration status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.
I believe that while medical technology is great, relationships are at the heart of healthcare. The newest, most expensive trend is not often what is needed.
I believe in slow medicine – leaving the assembly line modern “medico-industrial complex” for Direct Primary Care, which affords me the time needed to address you as an individual person with unique challenges and gifts.
Vicky Borgia is a board certified family medicine physician with over twenty years of experience. She practices ‘womb to tomb’ medicine with special interests and training in reproductive health, LGBTQIA health, and integrative medicine.
I earned a BA in Women’s Studies from Columbia University at the dawn of intersectionality, and an MD from SUNY Brooklyn (aka Downstate). I completed my residency at UCSF Sutter Medical Center in Santa Rosa, CA and attended a faculty development fellowship in Addressing the Health Needs of the Underserved at UCSD. I am board certified from the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine.
The demographics: I am a white cis fat queer able-bodied woman who, by lottery of birth, was born to middle class parents. I have two now over six-foot ‘gaybies’ born via low-tech alternative reproductive techniques. When I am not working, I am schlepping my sons to baseball events, walking, reading, participating in social justice activism and occasionally getting in precious couch time.
Caroline Cylkowski is a board certified Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner with over fifteen years of experience. Her areas of interest and experience include LGBTQIA health, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, and headaches. She comes to Radiance Medical after spending the last 12 years working in LGBTQIA health at the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia, PA.
I am thrilled to be joining Radiance Medical Group. As a person living with several chronic, poorly understood medical conditions, I approach patient care with the idea each person is an expert in their own body, and it is my job, as your provider, to listen carefully and take seriously your reported symptoms and experiences. I also believe that thin and fat are adjectives and, to address the “thin elephant” in the room, being thin does not necessarily equal good health and restricting calories will not improve health but has been shown to cause real physical and emotional harms. It will continue to be my practice to actively discourage patients from “dieting” and instead to work with each patient to achieve their health goals while honoring the body they have.
I earned my BA in Art History from Carleton College in Minnesota and my nursing degrees from UPenn. Before coming to Radiance Medical, I spent the last twelve years at the Mazzoni Center. My approach to patient care has been informed by my own experience living with multiple chronic health conditions. I believe each individual is an expert in their own body, and it is my job, as your provider to take seriously your reported symptoms and experiences, even when they don’t fit neatly into the established body of medical knowledge.
The demographics: I am a white, straight, disabled, neurodivergent cis-female. My husband is a teacher at a Friends School, and we have two daughters, ages five and ten, as well as two cats, a frog and various fish. In my free time I enjoy walking in nature, drawing, collaging, patch-working, quilting, and knitting.
Our office is located in East Passyunk and only minutes from the Italian Market, the cornerstone of our neighborhood’s deep history and diverse immigration patterns. We are proud to be part of one of Philadelphia’s most vibrant and culturally diverse neighborhoods.
Accessibility: To enter our office, a portable ramp can be put in place above the two exterior steps. Inside our office is one level with a short ramp. Please contact us in advance of your visit if you need assistance.
We are looking forward to hosting more events when they are not hazardous to you or the community. Stay home, stay safe!
