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:
- The Female Athlete Triad
- Global and Regional Effects of Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors Associated With Acute Stroke
- Diagnosis and Management of Vertebral Compression Fractures
- Duodenal Bacteria and Celiac Disease
- Medication Shouldn't Be the Default: Dr. Henry Emmons on Non-Pharmaceutical Ways to Treat Depression and Anxiety
- Mindful Self-Compassion Intervention Improves Depression, Distress, and HbA1c in People With Diabetes
- Effect of a High-Fat Mediterranean Diet on Bodyweight and Waist Circumference
- Whole Grain Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and Mortality
- Weight Loss and Adverse Events After Pharmacological Obesity Treatments
- Low-Value Care in Medicaid vs Commercially Insured Populations