Introduction: Your Complete Healthcare Center presents conversations with MIT Medical, Care for the Community with Melanie Cole.

Melanie Cole: Welcome to Conversations with MIT Medical. In today's provider profile. We have Dr. Melissa Mackel. She's a Family Physician and Primary Care Sports Medicine Provider at MIT Medical. Doctor Mackel, thank you so much for joining us today. Tell us a little bit about your career path before becoming a primary care provider at MIT Medical.

Dr. Mackel: Thank you so much for having me. So prior to starting at MIT, I did my training both in Family Medicine, as well as Primary Care Sports Medicine at Brown University in Providence and after that was part of both in orthopedic practice as a non-operative partner at a hospital system in Delaware. As well as having my own family medicine practice.

Host: So then tell us a little bit about your specialties and areas of expertise.

Dr. Mackel: I really like focusing on both the wellness and preventative side of medicine, which is why I love both family medicine and sports medicine. A lot of what I end up doing allows me to kind of reach patients on multiple different levels without necessarily having pharmacologic intervention for problems that are existing and working on incorporating more holistic type measures into care plans.

Host: So then tell us a little bit about what drew you to work at MIT Medical and how do you think your background and experience can be used to benefit this very unique community?

Dr. Mackel: MIT Medical is a very special place. It is on the forefront of, you know, the developments across both medical and academic specialties, which really puts us in a unique position to serve not only our community, which is, you know, the students and faculty and staff who work there, but in the greater Cambridge and Boston area.

Host: Tell us a little bit about your philosophy of care. I think that's such an important point when we're talking to providers.

Dr. Mackel: Tell us a little bit about what you want patients to know about how you approach disease, wellness and care for the whole person. I think that you, the way you put it is exactly right. It's, it's really caring for the whole person. So it's not just seeing a patient and you know, diagnosing them with whatever disease process is going on at that moment, but really taking into consideration the other things that are in their lives that are affecting it as well from, you know, their family or you know, the stress component. How to incorporate exercise and you know, wellness into those things to improve it. You know, as a general sort of, I am so sorry, this sounds terrible.

Host: Dr. Mackel, tell us about your philosophy of care. What do you want patients to know about how you approach disease and wellness and care for the whole person? It's such an important point.

Dr. Mackel: My philosophy of care is kind of beating patients for where they're at and working to utilize measures to help prevent disease processes from occurring and becoming more problematic down the road. That means that we can develop a plan hand in hand to use things like nutrition and exercise to optimize, you know, not only physical health but mental health and you know, the total aspect of the person.

Host: What do you do for fun, Dr. Mackel? Tell us a little bit about your family and life outside of work.

Dr. Mackel: I used to be an athlete and I'm still an avid amateur, you know, runner. I have two small children who are four and nearly two years old who keep me busy as a mom. My husband and I, you know, love to be outdoors and travel when we were able to as well as cooking, and you know, photography.

Host: Dr. Mackel as we wrap up, what do you like about working at MIT Medical and tell the listeners what you'd like them to take away from this segment and your approach to care.

Dr. Mackel: Working at MIT Medical is a really unique place in that it allows the medical side to collaborate with the university efforts to be on the forefront of the advances of not only medical and academic research, but also making a difference in our community that is both Cambridge and the surrounding areas. I would like the MIT Medical community to know that I am there for them as a provider to help care for them not only in their sports and athletic interests, but also to help take care of their whole families.

Host: Thank you so much, Dr. Mackel, for coming on and telling us about yourself and your approach to care at MIT Medical. And that concludes this episode of Conversations with MIT Medical. Please visit our website at medical.mit.edu, for more information and to get connected with one of our providers. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other MIT Medical podcasts. I'm Melanie Cole.