Profile: David Kopacz, MD

David Kopacz, MD lectures in the didactic seminars for ICTP. He graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago for medical school and psychiatric residency. His first job was at Omaha VA and University of Nebraska, which was followed by work in a number of different practice settings, including private practice, rural community mental health, and multi-specialty group practice. Dr. Kopacz served as Clinical Director of Buchanan Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre in Auckland, New Zealand for several years, prior to moving to Seattle. Since 2014, David has been at Seattle Division of Puget Sound VA working in Primary Care Mental Health Integration with an Acting Assistant Professor appointment in the Clinician Teacher track at University of Washington. Dr. Kopacz is board certified through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology as well as the American Board of Integrative & Holistic Medicine and the newly formed American Board of Integrative Medicine. Dr. Kopacz published his first book in 2014, Re-humanizing Medicine: A Holistic Framework for Transforming Your Self, Your Practice, and the Culture of Medicine, and his next book, published in2016, isWalking the Medicine Wheel: Healing Trauma & PTSD, with co-author Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow). He has always been interested in whole-person, holistic treatments and delivery systems, and Collaborative Care seemed like a logical extension of that work. Dr. Kopacz thinks that his most important work has been bringing creative, whole-person approaches to working with veterans and staff. He has helped start a Whole Health Class for veterans, which has been a great tool for engaging with Primary Care staff as well and has had some staff wellness applications. He believes that Collaborative Care looks to be a growing field, on its way to becoming mainstream psychiatry.