Xena Health was built specifically around the health concerns women face in midlife.
That means our clinical standard goes beyond simply offering hormone therapy—it includes menopause-specific education, evidence-informed hormone care, sexual health training, and an approach that looks at the whole woman, not just a lab value.
A list of initials is only helpful if you know what each one represents. This page explains the formal education, board certifications, and specialty training behind care at Xena Health—and why each area matters to the women we serve.
“The point isn't to collect credentials. The point is to keep building the knowledge needed to care for women through a complicated stage of life.”
Every provider at Xena Health is held to the same standard: foundational advanced-practice education, menopause competency, hormone therapy depth, sexual health training, and longevity-focused education.
Issued by The Menopause Society (formerly NAMS).
The MSCP credential is earned through a formal competency examination focused on menopause care. The subject matter includes perimenopause and menopause physiology, hormone therapy, bone health, cardiovascular considerations, genitourinary health, sexual health, mood and cognition, and non-hormonal management options.
Cherie Little maintains this credential through the certification requirements established by The Menopause Society.
Why it matters at Xena: menopause care is the clinical foundation of Xena Health. The MSCP credential gives patients a clear, verifiable signal that our care is built on formal menopause-specific competency—not simply an interest in the topic.
Heather Hirsch, MD
Advanced education focused on women's hormone therapy, including individualized treatment, formulation and dosing considerations, and more complex clinical scenarios.
Why it matters at Xena: HRT is a major part of Xena's menopause care. This training adds hormone-therapy-specific depth to our broader menopause education.
International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health
Specialty education in women's sexual health, including concerns that can become especially relevant during perimenopause and menopause.
Why it matters at Xena: libido, vaginal and genitourinary symptoms, discomfort, intimacy, and sexual function belong in the midlife health conversation.
American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
Additional education in peptide therapy and treatment approaches used within longevity and optimization-focused care.
Why it matters at Xena: this training supports a broader conversation about health goals beyond symptom relief when peptide therapy is relevant to an individual patient.
Doctor of Nursing Practice · Family Nurse Practitioner, Certified · Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified
Doctoral-level advanced practice education is paired with board certification in both family practice and women's health.
Why it matters at Xena: midlife health rarely fits neatly into one body system. This background supports care that considers women's health within the larger clinical picture.
MSCP training supports evidence-informed evaluation and management across the menopause transition.
Menopause care →Advanced hormone therapy training supports individualized conversations about estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, route, formulation, monitoring, and patient goals.
Hormone replacement therapy →ISSWSH training helps make sexual health part of the clinical conversation rather than a subject patients are expected to navigate alone.
Symptoms are considered as part of a larger midlife picture: their timing, your health history, medications, menstrual changes, prior treatments, and goals.
When HRT is appropriate, treatment can be tailored across different hormones, formulations, and delivery methods rather than built around a single product.
Desire, vaginal symptoms, discomfort, and intimacy are legitimate health concerns and can be part of the visit when they matter to you.
Midlife is a transition, not a single appointment. Treatment plans can be revisited as symptoms, priorities, and health needs change.
Cherie Little built Xena Health around the reality that women can experience hormonal changes, sexual health concerns, metabolic changes, and questions about long-term health at the same time.
Her training reflects that same connected view: menopause at the center, with deeper education in hormone therapy, sexual health, and longevity-focused care around it.
As Xena Health grows, every additional provider we bring on is held to this same clinical standard.
Book a new patient visit or explore the areas of care our clinical training supports.
Medical information on this page is educational and does not replace individualized medical advice.
Clinical content: Xena Health · Cherie Little, DNP, FNP-C, WHNP-BC, MSCP