Institute for Functional Medicine appoints president of medical education and research

The Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) named Cary Sennett, MD, PhD, president of Medical Education and Research, a new senior role created by IFM to advance its work of evaluating and integrating emerging research and trends in health and medicine, according to an April 24 press release.

According to IFM officials, this strategic move, combined with the recent appointment of Amy Mack as the new chief executive officer (CEO) and the ascension of former CEO Laurie Hofmann, MPH, to chairman of the board, “enables the organization to better address a broader agenda beyond education, including researching innovative and economic clinical models and broad-based strategic partnerships.”

Sennett, a board certified internist and fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), comes to IFM from a long career in healthcare as a practitioner and administrator, most recently as president and CEO at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. He received his PhD in health policy and management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge; his MD and MPhil (in human genetics) from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut; and his bachelor of science in biology from Stanford University in California.

 “As a healthcare professional for over 30 years, my personal mission has always been to provide healthcare solutions for patients that effectively treat their conditions at a cost that makes quality healthcare accessible and affordable,” says Sennett. “We are at a critical time in our country where the cost of our healthcare system substantially outweighs the value and positive outcomes it provides the average patient. [Functional medicine] provides a path forward to create an affordable healthcare model based on individualized, patient-centered care that delivers optimal results in addressing chronic diseases and restoring health.”