
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 & 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:
- Effects of Complementary and Alternative Medicines in the Management of Heart Failure
- Traditional Dietary Advice vs a Low FODMAP Diet and Gluten-Free Diet for Non-Constipated IBS
- 2022 Top Story in Primary Care: Nonpharmaceutical Strategies for Reducing Dementia Risk
- Understanding the Current Biologics in Asthma Treatment
- Association of Ultraprocessed Food Consumption With Risk of Dementia
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Escitalopram for the Treatment of Adults With Anxiety Disorders
- Effect of BP Lowering on the Prevention of Dementia
- Efficacy of Peppermint Oil in IBS
- Effect of Colonoscopy Screening on the Risks of Colorectal Cancer and Related Death
- Intensive Lifestyle Management Improves Steatosis and Fibrosis in Children With Obesity and NAFLD