Francesca Panko, APRN, FNP-BC — Nurse Practitioner
Francesca "Fran" Panko is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with more than fifteen years in medicine, spanning emergency, surgical, primary, and specialty care. That range gives her something patients feel right away: the ability to see the whole person, not just one complaint.
​
Fran spent her early career as an emergency and operating room nurse at hospitals across the Treasure Coast, including Martin Memorial and Lawnwood Regional Medical Center. The ER taught her to stay calm, think fast, and never lose sight of the patient in front of her. She went on to earn her Master of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner, graduating with High Honors, after completing her BSN summa cum laude at the University of Texas at Arlington.
For the better part of a decade, Fran has practiced in pulmonary and internal medicine with a respected Stuart specialty group, caring for patients with complex, ongoing health needs across both office and hospital settings. She is also a longtime clinical educator and preceptor, training new nurse practitioners, paramedics, and EMTs.
​
At Independence Wellness, Fran focuses on women's health and hormone optimization, including bioidentical hormone therapy and pellet implantation; comprehensive medical weight management; aesthetic injectables and neuromodulators; and laser treatments, including laser hair reduction and Fotona aesthetic procedures such as 4D facial rejuvenation, eye-area treatments, and lip enhancement. She completed comprehensive aesthetic and laser training at the National Laser Institute and is factory-trained on the Fotona SP Dynamis platform.
​
Fran is bilingual in English and Spanish and is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners. She cares for patients with patience, warmth, and genuine attention to detail.
Our Team
Experience you can feel in every visit.
Steven Parr, DO, FACEP, FAAEM — Founder & Physician
Dr. Steven Parr is a board-certified physician with more than two decades of frontline medical experience, now bringing that depth to a different kind of practice: unhurried, physician-led concierge care built around each patient's long-term health.
​
Before founding Independence Wellness, Dr. Parr spent over 20 years as an emergency physician and medical director within the Cleveland Clinic Martin Health System on Florida's Treasure Coast. He designed and opened the Saint Lucie West Freestanding Emergency Center and later served as Medical Director of the Tradition Medical Center Emergency Department, leading teams through some of the most demanding moments in medicine, including the region's COVID-19 response.
​
He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP), and a Fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (FAAEM). He completed his emergency medicine residency at the University of Florida – Shands Jacksonville, earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Kansas City University, and has served as a faculty instructor in emergency medicine and as an oral board examiner for the specialty.
​
That background shapes how he practices today. Emergency medicine teaches a physician to see the whole patient quickly, think clearly under pressure, and never lose sight of the person in front of them. At Independence Wellness, Dr. Parr brings that same rigor to longevity and regenerative medicine, hormone optimization, medical weight management, and aesthetic care, with the time and attention insurance-driven medicine rarely allows.
​
Dr. Parr completed comprehensive aesthetic and laser training at the National Laser Institute and is factory-trained on the Fotona SP Dynamis platform. He lives on the Treasure Coast, where he's an avid competitive shotgunner and waterman.