“I always aspired to be a complete physician who is not only well versed in academic medicine but is also out in the trenches of day-to-day patient care.” – Dr. Fred Ferri
As a medical student, I always admired physicians who were involved in the direct care of patients. So I always aspired to be a complete physician who was not only well versed in academic medicine but was also out in the trenches of day-to-day patient care. That’s one of the things that drove me to the field of internal medicine. Internal medicine is a specialty that allows me to get to know patients and their families, to see them on a continual basis instead of once every few years as a specialist. Continuity of care helps strengthen the special bond that exists between the physician and the patient. That’s why I like primary care and why internal medicine is my specialty.
Being involved in the daily care of patients, being in the “trenches” with other practicing physicians provides me with a better perspective of what is going in the practice of medicine and it gives me an advantage over other physician authors from purely academic centers, with very little patient contact.
Some of my early books came out of my training in internal medicine. Actually, my first book was written when I was an intern through the Yale Medical School program. As an intern in the early 1980s I used to walk around with several books in my lab coat, : a small lab book, a book on clinical diagnosis, a differential diagnosis book and others that served as my peripheral brain. I was unable to find one book that contained all this information in a portable concise format. So I approached the chief of medicine at the hospital where I was working and told him that I wanted to write a new medical book that would make the life of medical students and residents a little easier. His response was, “Well, I admire your work ethic and your attitude, but there are entire medical schools that have written medical books that don’t do well — what makes you think that yours is going to be different?” I told him that as an Internal Medicine intern I knew exactly what the other students and medical residents needed and I could do a better job.
As a practicing physician I recognize the limited time busy physicians have at their disposal for patient care. If you are seeing a patient and have a waiting room full of patients, you don’t have much time to go on the internet and try to read through 10 pages to find something that we can give in one paragraph. Later on, at your leisure you can research the topic in more detail, but I have done the homework for you and with our excellent team at Elsevier I am able to update the books on a regular basis and provide you with the latest information that will improve your patient care. In the very near future, we’ll be able to update our on-line books on a daily basis. If something comes up today, it will be up and available tomorrow.
Fred F. Ferri, MD, FACP, is a Clinical Professor at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University. He is a world-expert in the field of Internal Medicine and has authored over 20 major medical publications, including Ferri’s Clinical Advisor 2013, Practical Guide to the Care of the Medical Patient, 8th Edition, Ferri’s Netter Patient Advisor, 2nd Edition, Ferri’s Differential Diagnosis, 2nd Edition, and Ferri’s Fast Facts, as well as working on the editorial board of First Consult. He understands the needs of his peers for practical, actionable information in primary care to make educated decisions in the delivery of quality healthcare.
Nancy Dickey, MD, is past president of the American Medical Association, and practices family medicine in Bryan, Texas. She is a co-author of Swanson’s Family Medicine Review, 7th Edition.
Dr. Dickey earned her undergraduate degree from Stephen F. Austin State University, and received her MD and residency training at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. She then built and maintained an active family medicine practice and is the past program director of the Family Practice Residency of the Brazos Valley. She also recently completed a decade of service as President and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at the Texas A&M Health Science Center.
As the first woman elected president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Dickey developed the Patient’s Bill of Rights and exercised her passion for healthcare system reform. She has helped reshape America’s medical care by serving on many health-related boards, speaking frequently to professional and civic organizations, testifying before Congress, writing for medical and health-policy journals, and acting as editor for online and print publications.
Dr. Dickey’s myriad accolades include six honorary doctoral degrees in both science and law, membership in the Institute of Medicine and the Society for Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine, and appointment as chair of the Texas Health Policy Council. She is the recipient of numerous citations in The Best Doctors in America and Best Doctors publications.
Nominated as a Local Legend in the state of Texas, Dr. Dickey is known for her commitment to community service and medical leadership. With the support of her husband and their three children, Dr. Dickey continues to fulfill her vision of providing exceptional education, superior science, and compassionate care for all.
Related Author: Alfred F. Tallia, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Rebecca Small, MD is Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and the Director of Medical Aesthetic Training at Natividad Medical Center. Dr. Small also has a private practice in northern California where she personally supervises all treatments and trains physicians from all over the U.S. She is a co-author of Dermatologic and Cosmetic Procedures in Office Practice.
Dr. Small is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and Cambridge University in England. She completed her advanced aesthetic training with Dr. Gregory Chernoff at the Chernoff Plastic Surgery and Laser Center, which sets national standards for the latest aesthetic techniques and advanced laser technologies in use today. Dr. Small is a board certified physician specializing in advanced skin rejuvenation techniques and wellness medicine
As director for the UCSF Medical Aesthetic Training Program, Dr. Small trains family medicine residents in Botox®, dermal fillers, and laser procedures. She also lectures and trains physicians nationally with the MedSpa Training Institute and the American Academy of Family Physicians. As medical director for Monterey Bay Laser Aesthetics in Capitola, California, Dr. Small focuses on wellness and aesthetic enhancement. Since 2003, she has successfully incorporated medical aesthetic procedures in her own practice in addition to bringing these procedures into spa facilities in the Monterey Bay area in California.
Related Authors: Richard P. Usatine, MD, John L. Pfenninger, MD, FAAFP, Daniel L. Stulberg, MD
Daniel Stulberg, MD, FAAFP, is Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Director of the Preceptorship Program at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. He is board certified in family practice and is a co-author of Dermatologic and Cosmetic Procedures in Office Practice.
Dr. Stulberg is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s medical school and family medicine residency program. Following eight years of rural private practice in Arizona, he began teaching full time with Intermountain Health Care, and then directed the University of Colorado’s Family Medicine program at the Rose Medical Center. Currently, as director of the preceptorship program at UNM, he is in charge of the medical students’ Continuity Care Clinics, rural Practical Immersion Experience, and fourth year preceptorships. His professional interests include procedures, education, digital photography, and dermatology as a part of family medicine.
Related Authors: Richard P. Usatine, MD; John L. Pfenninger, MD, FAAFP; Rebecca Small, MD
Philip Buttaravoli, MD, FACEP, is Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and author of the third edition of Minor Emergencies.
Dr. Buttaravoli holds an MD from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. After earning his MD, he completed an internship at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and a residency at University Hospital. He is board certified in Emergency Medicine.
Edward T. Bope, MD, is Assistant Dean of VA Medical Student Education at the Columbus VA Ambulatory Care Center. Prior to this role, he served as director of the Riverside Methodist Hospitals’ Family Practice Residency Program in Columbus, Ohio. He is an author of Conn’s Current Therapy 2018.
Dr. Bope completed his medical education at Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. He went on to finish a residency at Riverside Medical Hospital. Dr. Bope is board certified in Hospice Care and Palliative Medicine, Adolescent Medicine, and Family Practice. He served on the academic council that was responsible for the National Institute for Program Director Development, and is a member of the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors.
Theodore X. O’Connell, M.D., is the Founding Program Director of the Kaiser Permanente Napa-Solano Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. O’Connell is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the UC San Francisco School of Medicine and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. O’Connell is a prolific author, and has published numerous journal articles, textbook chapters, textbooks, and editorials, including Crush Step 1, Crush Step 2, Crush Step 3, Instant Work-Ups, USMLE Step 2 Secrets, and USMLE Step 3 Secrets.
Dr. O’Connell earned his MD from UCLA School of Medicine and completed his residency at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, where he served as chief resident. He has won numerous awards and recognitions, including: Physicians’ Exceptional Contribution Award, the highest physician honor given by the Southern California Permanente Medical Group; the Physician Recognition Award 2007, 2005, 2004, and 2003; the Family Medicine Physician of the Year; and the Annual Teaching Award from the Woodland Hills Family Medicine Residency Program, among many others.
Alfred Tallia, MD, is Associate Professor and Chair, Associate Director of Research, and University Master Educator of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is a recognized author and editor, with more than 100 abstracts, book chapters, and scientific publications to his name, including Swanson’s Family Practice Review, 7th Edition.
Dr. Tallia holds certifications from the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Family Medicine. He has served on numerous boards, including the executive committee of the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative, various committees of the National Board of Medical Examiners where he was recently elected to a four-year term as member-at-large. His research focuses on the organization and quality of primary care in the healthcare system, and he has received funding from the National Institute of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Public Health Service, and the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Center for Research in Family Medicine and Primary Care.
“Integrative medicine is really about health and healing. It’s about how can we use multiple modes of therapy to manage patients’ health with evidence-based guidelines.” – David Rakel, MD
The third edition of Integrative Medicine is designed to empower clinicians to understand how they can incorporate complementary and alternative therapies into their practice. The book really shows what the data tells us might work best for a specific condition. For example: hypertension. We have really good medications for hypertension, but what about supplements, what about mind/body, what about just simple breath work? What about a DASH diet, what about nutrition? How can some of these other modalities really stack the deck in favor of the body’s ability to self-heal? And really that’s the goal of this book, to try to put ourselves out of business! If we’re doing our job well, our patients will need us less and they will understand how to create health for themselves and this book helps us understand which tools will work best.
Integrative medicine is really about health and healing. It’s about how can use multiple modes of therapy to manage patients’ health with evidence-based guidelines. We also honor the relationship that each clinician has with their patient and then use the relationship as a tool to help empower both parties to understand what’s going to work the best.
David Rakel, MD serves as Director and Founder of the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine program and Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Wisconsin Medical School and Public Health in Madison. He is board certified by both the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, and is certified in interactive guided imagery. He is co-editor of the eighth edition of Textbook of Family Medicine and author of Integrative Medicine.
Prior to his time in academia, Dr. Rakel served in rural practice in Driggs, Idaho, and as medical director of Grand Targhee Ski resort. He completed a residential fellowship in Integrative Medicine at University of Arizona and joined University of Wisconsin in 2001. Dr. Rakel has received several teaching awards including the Baldwin E. Lloyd clinical teacher award, the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine faculty excellence award, the Marc Hansen lecture award and the resident teacher-of-the-year award.
Related Author: Robert E. Rakel, MD
Robert E. Rakel, MD is a Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He is considered one of the founding fathers of family medicine, and has authored a number of texts in the field, including Textbook of Family Medicine, 8th Edition.
Prior to joining Baylor, Dr. Rakel served as the first Chair of the Family Medicine Department at the University of California, Irvine. He has authored or edited nearly 50 books, and held leadership positions at the American Board of Family Practice, JAMA, and the American Medical Student Association.
Related Author: David Rakel, MD
