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:
- Prevention of Heart Failure With the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7
- Association of Weight-Loss Interventions With Changes in Biomarkers of NAFLD
- Trends in Characteristics, Mortality, and Other Outcomes of Patients With Newly Diagnosed Cirrhosis
- Associations Between Gabapentinoids and Injuries, Accidents, Mental Health, and Criminality
- Association of Exposure to Artificial Light at Night While Sleeping With Risk of Obesity in Women
- Intensive Glucose Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
- Thyroid Hormone Treatment for Subclinical Hypothyroidism
- Association of Habitual Glucosamine Use With Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
- Dietary Patterns and Incident Heart Failure in Adults Without Known Coronary Disease
- Acetaminophen Reduces Positive Empathy