Donald I. Abrams, MD

Director, Integrative Oncology Research Program
Integrative Medicine Physician

"I believe people, especially those getting cancer treatments, really benefit from having both a Western diagnosis as well as a whole-person approach. Good nutrition is an important part of the prescription, but other options are fitness training, massage, acupuncture, herbs, biofeedback, meditation, guided imagery, integrative psychiatry, yoga, or tai chi."

Donald Abrams, MD, is Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, Chief of Hematology/Oncology at San Francisco General Hospital and Director of Integrative Oncology Research at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. He is a member of the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center Executive Committee and is co-chairing the Center's developing program in Symptom Management, Palliative Care and Survivorship.

He served as Assistant Director of the UCSF Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital and was chair of the Community Consortium, a professional association of more than 200 primary care providers treating Bay Area patients with HIV. He conducted numerous clinical trials investigating complementary therapies in patients with HIV including therapeutic touch, Traditional Chinese Medicine interventions, medicinal mushrooms and distant healing.

His interest in botanical therapies led him to pursue a two-year Fellowship in the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona which he completed in December 2004. His particular passion in the field involves nutrition and cancer. Since completing his Fellowship, Dr. Abrams has been providing Integrative Medicine consultation to people living with and beyond cancer at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. He remains interested in conducting clinical trials in integrative oncology particularly investigating medicinal mushrooms, Traditional Chinese Medicine interventions and massage.

Dr. Abrams is currently the Vice-President of the Society for Integrative Oncology . He has also been a member of various Education sub-committees of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He has co-edited an Oxford University Press textbook in Integrative Oncology with Andrew Weil, MD.

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