David Rakel MD, FAAFP
Professor and Chair, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WisconsinDr. David Rakel is Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin. 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.
After residency training in family medicine in Colorado, Dr. Rakel worked in private practice in rural Idaho. His burgeoning interest in the relationships across health, the human experience, and the environment led to a fellowship in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona.
An author of both academic and popular writings, Dr. Rakel says one of his missions is to communicate medical information in a way that is accessible to people of all backgrounds.
Recent Contributions to PracticeUpdate:
- 2024 Top Story in Primary Care: Lifestyle Lessons From the UK Biobank Study and the American Heart Association
- Association of Contemporary Menopausal Hormone Therapy With Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
- Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder
- Efficacy of Vitamin D Supplementation on Glycaemic Control in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes
- Comparative Effectiveness of SGLT2 Inhibitors for Recurrent Nephrolithiasis
- Vitamin K2 for Nocturnal Leg Cramps
- Open-Label Placebo Injection for Chronic Back Pain With Functional Neuroimaging
- Mindfulness Meditation vs Escitalopram for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
- PSA Screening Combined With MRI-Targeted Biopsy for Detecting Prostate Cancer
- Comparative Effects of Drug Interventions for the Acute Management of Migraine Episodes in Adults