David Rakel MD, FAAFP
Esther Millard Endowed Professor, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health; Chair, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinDave Rakel is Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin. He joined the faculty of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health in 2001 as an assistant professor of family medicine. During his time at UW–Madison he founded the Integrative Medicine Program (now known as the Integrative Health Program) and received the Gold Foundation’s Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, the school’s highest honor for excellence and compassion in care. His team worked with more than 50 clinical systems within the Veterans Health Administration to implement changes to make care more personalized, proactive, and patient driven.
An author of both academic and popular writings, Rakel says one of his missions is to communicate medical information in a way that is accessible to people of all backgrounds. He has published 11 books, including the Textbook of Family Medicine, Current Therapy, and Integrative Medicine, as well as peer-reviewed research on the impact of measures such as mindfulness meditation and the power of the therapeutic encounter. He serves as editor-in-chief of Practice Update, a website devoted to commentaries on primary medical care research. His 2018 book The Compassionate Connection focuses on how relationship-building can influence health outcomes.
Rakel obtained his undergraduate degree from Colorado College and graduated from Baylor College of Medicine in 1991. After residency training in family medicine in Colorado, he worked in private practice in rural Idaho. His burgeoning interest in the relationships between health, the human experience, and the environment led to a fellowship in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona.
Disclosures
Dr. Rakel has nothing to disclose.
Recent Contributions to PracticeUpdate:
- ASCRS Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Constipation
- GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Risk for Cirrhosis and Related Complications in Patients With Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease
- Enhancing the Cardiovascular Health Construct With a Psychological Health Metric for Predicting Mortality Risk
- Association of Plant and Animal Fat Intake With Overall Cardiovascular Disease Mortality
- Association of Anti-Inflammatory Diet With Dementia in Older Adults With Cardiometabolic Diseases
- Association of Metabolic Syndrome With Neuroimaging and Cognitive Outcomes
- Comparative Cardiovascular Benefits of Bempedoic Acid and Statins
- Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide for Weight Loss in Adults With Overweight or Obesity
- Associations Between Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Adverse Brain Health Outcomes
- Detection, Classification, and Epidemiology of Chronic Kidney Disease