Gary Kaplan, DO

Gary Kaplan, D.O., is the founder and medical director of the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine, and author of Total Recovery: A Revolutionary New Approach to Breaking the Cycle of Pain and Depression (Rodale, 2014). A pioneer and leader in the field of integrative medicine, Dr. Kaplan is one of only 19 physicians in the country to be board-certified in both Family Medicine and Pain Medicine. He is board-certified in Medical Acupuncture and has studied and practiced Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Herbal Medicine. In response to growing numbers of patients presenting with heavy metal toxicity, Dr. Kaplan received certification in the science and practice of chelation therapy, by The American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM).

In 1985, Dr. Kaplan created the Kaplan Medical Center to offer patients suffering with chronic pain and illness a more effective model of medical care. Utilizing a broad range of conventional and alternative medicine strategies, the Center’s physicians, nurses, psychotherapists, dietitian and physical therapists collaborate closely on patients’ progress, sharing their insights and treatment recommendations to ensure the best outcome for each patient. This coordinated, multidisciplinary approach has proved to be highly effective — especially for patients suffering with complex and longstanding medical problems.

A clinical associate professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr. Kaplan was one of the directors of a $1.7 million NIH grant that funded an educational initiative to incorporate complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine into Georgetown’s medical curriculum.

Dr. Kaplan worked with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish acupuncture as a medically effective treatment for a range of chronic pain problems. Additionally, Dr. Kaplan has trained physicians in medical acupuncture through the Helms Institute for Medical Acupuncture, sponsored by the UCLA School of Medicine. A past president of both the Medical Acupuncture Research Foundation and the Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association, Dr. Kaplan has written and lectured extensively on acupuncture and the integration of complementary and alternative therapies in the treatment of pain and chronic illness.

In 2013, Dr. Kaplan was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Kathleen Sebelius, to the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC). The Committee provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of HHS through the Assistant Secretary for Health on issues related to ME/CFS.

In 2015 Dr. Kaplan established the Foundation for Total Recovery in order to provide support and find a cure for all who suffer with chronic pain and depression by educating patients, building an online community of patients, doctors and researchers, partnering with leading researchers, academics and innovators, and studying data to find a baseline approach to diagnosing and curing neuroinflammation.