Mission
Our mission is to provide accessible, compassionate, and patient-centered care for every individual, regardless of background, identity, and circumstance. As a Direct Primary Care practice, we are committed to building trusting, long-term relationships through transparent, affordable care that honors the whole person.
We strive to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels even, heard, and respected, and where health and healing are approached with integrity, inclusivity, and unwavering support.
We strive to become a beacon in the community serving marginalized communities where patients who felt unsafe in other settings due to national origin, gender and sexual identity, challenges with addiction, or prior harmful experiences with healthcare providers can have access to inclusive and patient-centered primary care.
Purpose
To ensure all patients, especially patients and communities who have historically been marginalized, have access to high quality, non-judgmental, person-centered care that is accessible and inclusive.
Vision
To become a catalyst for change in moving health care from corporate- and profit-based organizations to focusing on the wellness of individuals and communities by centering patients’ needs and priorities in practices that also value the expertise and wellness of the members of the care team and enhances patient privacy and autonomy.
Values
Like us, we want to engage with conscious, like-minded people who care about the ethical and sustainable impact they’re making. We need people that are asking the difficult question of how we are building a better world that includes people of all walks of life while the current one crumbles.
At the end of the day we just want to make you think about what is possible for what healthcare can do for you. We want our work to give hope to patients that have felt like they are not in control of their health. We wish to empower people that have felt historically and systemically powerless.
We will always speak with a genuine and knowledgeable tone of voice, sharing what we know works and strive to be honest and authentic at all costs while maintaining a warm and caring delivery by way of empathy and thoughtfulness.
Building a bridge between mind & body, our belief is to understand ourselves to always keep in tune with our needs and desires, to create something innovative based on the values, the strategic problem solving and the way we interact with our community.
Between the work we create and the conscious, kind-hearted people we work with, fostering respect between ourselves is something we strive for. We value mutual respect and understanding of people not only in the field of healthcare, but also as patients and beyond.
Sanctuary Family Medicine was founded by Mark Ryan, MD (he/they), with over two decades of experience in caring for low-income and historically marginalized communities in Richmond. Building on this experience, Mark created Sanctuary Family Medicine to establish a space where they could connect deeply with their patients and be part of their community while helping patients on their journeys to health and wellness. Mark is committed to meeting patients wherever they are on their journeys to better health, and to partner with them through their next steps.
The name "Sanctuary" reflects the practice's values: a protective space where Mark and Nikki can provide healthcare that is individualized, patient-centered, inclusive, and evidence-based, and that can help over come barriers to healthcare experienced by members of the community who have historically found themselves marginalized and disenfranchised. Their goal is to become a beacon in the community where patients who might feel unsafe in other settings due to national origin, gender and sexual identities, challenges with addiction, or prior harmful experiences with healthcare providers will feel heard and will find a protected space to receive care. They created a Sanctuary that will help heal their patients, their communities, and themselves. Their love for their community, goal to provide truly patient-centered care to patients, and commitment to help those in need have driven the practice's creation. Looking into the future, Sanctuary Family Medicine is focused on building a team of caring and compassionate colleagues, including behavioral health, pharmacy, care coordination, and nutrition professionals who will help patients meet their goals.
Sanctuary is more than a medical practice; it is creating a legacy of patient-centered care, deep community, and continuous learning which will help medical professionals to think outside the box and transform their usual for a better future: for themselves and for their patients.
mark.ryan@sanctuaryfamilymedicine.com
Dr. Ryan completed their undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary, graduated the VCU School of Medicine in 2000 and completed their Family Medicine residency in Blackstone, Virginia in 2003, during which time they served as Chief Resident. After four years in private practice in Keysville, Virginia, they moved to Richmond to work at the Hayes E. Willis Health Center at Southside Plaza in 2007. Dr. Ryan served as Medical Director at this clinic 2014-2021, at which time they became Vice Chair of Clinical Operations and Quality for the VCU Department of Family Medicine and Population Health. They served as Vice Chair until October 2025, at which time they stepped down to start preparations to leave VCU and launch Sanctuary Family Medicine.
While at VCU, Dr. Ryan was the Medical Director for the International/Inner City/Rural Preceptorship (I2CRP) program, a program focused on working with medical students committed to primary care and working with medically underserved communities. They also were Course Director for the Patient, Physician and Society course, and the Medical Director for Global Health programs in the Department, and reached the rank of Professor in the VCU Department of Family Medicine and Population Health.
Dr. Ryan is fluent in English and Spanish, and led medical service trips to the Dominican Republic for 18 years. In South Richmond, Dr. Ryan cared for Spanish-speaking patients while also providing primary care to the Richmond community. They have held multiple regional, state, and national leadership positions. They have been recognized as a Richmond Top Doc three times, a Top Doctor in Virginia twice, and was the MCV Physicians Clinician of the Year in 2020. Dr. Ryan and their spouse. Janet, have lived in Richmond since 2007, and plan to be in the city into the future.
Dr. Ryan became a physician because they were committed to making a positive impact in their community. They are partnering to launch Sanctuary Family Medicine to create a safe and caring space, with a focus on supporting folks who have often been marginalized by policies that led to community and individual harms. They looking forward to partnering with you on your health journey!
Nikki.Arthur@SanctuaryFamilyMedicine.com
Nikki Arthur has been a lifelong resident of Richmond, VA. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia and soon after felt called to join the nursing profession. She completed her Nursing degree at VCU School of Nursing in 2005 and went on to work in inpatient pediatrics at VCU for 10 years.
Following the birth of her daughter, she transitioned to an Assistant Clinical Manager position at VCU Hayes E Willis Health Center. She continued her education by obtaining a Masters in Nursing Administration and Leadership in 2020 and a post-graduate certificate in Care Coordination in 2021 both at VCU.
While at the Hayes E Willis clinic Nikki was awarded the Clinical Excellence Award by the Department of Family Medicine. Nikki became Board Certified in Ambulatory Care Nursing in 2022 and received her pharmacy technician license in 2025. Nikki has two adult stepsons and she lives with her husband and daughter in North Chesterfield.
Nikki got into nursing to genuinely help others live their best lives, whatever that means for them. She is excited to join Dr. Ryan in building this clinic so that she can get back to the true backbone of nursing: human connections. She is truly committed to helping the community build healthy lives.
Let's Connect!
You can find Sanctuary Family Medicine at 618 Hioaks Rd. We will be opening our doors in July 2026. In the meantime, send us an email to express interest or sign up for our waitlist on our home page and we will get back to you!
804-555-5555
info@sanctuaryfamilymedicine.com
mark.ryan@sanctuaryfamilymedicine.com
Email or Call! We look forward to hearing from you!
Contact
(804) 404 - 6329
Info@SanctuaryFamilyMedicine.com
Address
618 Hioaks Rd.
Richmond, VA 23225