New Mexico Nurse Practitioner Council Spotlights Vanessa Menanteau, DNP, CNM, FNP-BC

Vanessa Menanteau, DNP, CNM, FNP-BC, of Memorial Women’s Medical Associates is featured by the New Mexico Nurse Practitioner Council as their August Member Spotlight.

Vanessa grew up in Spain and moved to the United States in 1997. She's lived in Las Cruces for the past 11 years and has been grateful for the opportunity to serve her community. One of the greatest joys of her career has been caring for her diverse patient population. Fluency in English and Spanish has allowed her to connect with many patients in their native language, helping build trust and meaningful relationships.

Vanessa earned a bachelor’s degree in international business in Spain before discovering her passion for healthcare after moving to the United States. Since then, she’s continued building her nursing education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) at Frontier Nursing University and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at New Mexico State University. She ultimately earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Aspen University. One of the things Vanessa enjoys most about being an NP is that healthcare is constantly evolving. She believes there’s always something new to learn and that every new piece of knowledge gives clinicians another opportunity to better serve their patients.

Becoming a CNM gave Vanessa the opportunity to care for women through pregnancy, childbirth and every stage of their reproductive lives. After a few years, she decided to become an FNP, a decision that completely broadened her scope of practice. It allowed her to care for entire families across all stages of life and expand her focus into metabolic health, chronic disease prevention and longevity healthcare. Now, she combines her background in women’s health with a whole-person approach, helping patients understand the root causes of illness and empowering them to take an active role in improving their long-term health.

Vanessa also just recently published her first book, "Metabolic Restoration: Returning to the Foundations of Health." Years of listening to her patients and learning alongside them shaped the book, and it reflects her drive to better educate people about the root causes of chronic disease.