Finding new inroads to healing is what drives Dan Cherkin's research. With chronic illness on the rise, he aims to show how primary care can evolve to more effectively deal with health problems that don't respond well to conventional treatments.

Dr. Cherkin's approach embodies a transformation of the way we think about health care delivery and centers around the question, "What paths to healing are absent from the typical primary care encounter?" Dr. Cherkin is dedicated to engaging patients in healing activities by understanding their underlying needs and tailoring treatment around them. He's especially interested in improving treatment for chronic conditions and is best known for his research on alternative therapies for back pain. He often collaborates with Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) investigator, Karen Sherman, PhD, to study therapies such as yoga, tai chi, and acupuncture. 

While Dr. Cherkin's work is yielding important knowledge about the effectiveness of these therapies, he remains committed to finding ways to create an optimal healing environment in primary care. This enhanced approach can only work when primary care providers' needs are met in a supportive work environment. To this end, he led a study aimed at bolstering awareness, communication, and team building among primary care staff as a way to foster mindful, patient-centered care. 

Dr. Cherkin provided nearly a decade of valuable service to GHRI as associate director for research from 1999–2008, with two years as acting director. He belongs to several professional organizations, including the International Society for Complementary Medicine Research, and was program chair for the 2009 North American Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine.

Appointed December 2010 by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Dr. Cherkin serves on the 2011–2014 National Advisory Council for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) within National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Cherkin has maintained two faculty appointments at the University of Washington since the 1980s and is now affiliate professor in both family medicine and health services.

Related information:

• International Society for Complementary Medicine Research
• National Advisory Council for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

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Recent publications

Bradley R, Sherman KJ, Catz S, Calabrese C, Oberg EB, Jordan L, Grothaus L, Cherkin D. Adjunctive naturopathic care for type 2 diabetes: patient-reported and clinical outcomes after one year. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 Apr 18;12(1):44. PubMed

Avins AL, Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Goldberg H, Pressman A. Should we reconsider the routine use of placebo controls in clinical research? Trials. 2012 Apr 27;13(1):44. [Epub ahead of print].

Eisenberg DM, Buring JE, Hrbek AL, Davis RB, Connelly MT, Cherkin DC, Levy DB, Cunningham M, O'Connor B, Post DE. A model of integrative care for low-back pain. J Altern Complement Med. 2012 Apr;18(4):354-62. Epub 2012 Mar 28. PubMed

Bradley R, Sherman KJ, Catz S, Calabrese C, Jordan L, Grothaus L, Cherkin DC. Survey of CAM interest, self-care, and satisfaction with health care for type 2 diabetes at Group Health Cooperative. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Dec 1;11(1):121. PubMed

Sherman KJ, Cherkin DC, Wellman RD, Cook AJ, Hawkes RJ, Delaney K, Deyo RA. A randomized trial comparing yoga, stretching, and a self-care book for chronic low back pain. Arch Intern Med. 2011 Oct 24. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Hsu C, Cherkin DC, Hoffmeyer S, Sherman KJ, Phillips WR. Patient and clinician openness to including a broader range of healing options in primary care. Ann Fam Med. 2011 Sep-Oct;9(5):447-53. PubMed

Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Kahn J, Wellman R, Cook AJ, Johnson E, Erro JH, Delaney KM, Deyo RA. A comparison of the effects of 2 types of massage and usual care on chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2011 Jul 5;155(1):1-9. PubMed

Pransky G, Borkan JM, Young AE, Cherkin DC. Are we making progress? the tenth international forum for primary care research on low back pain. Spine. 2011 Sep 1;36(19):1608-14. PubMed

Sherman KJ, Cherkin DC, Ichikawa L, Avins AL, Delaney K, Barlow WE, Khalsa PS, Deyo RA. Treatment expectations and preferences as predictors of outcome of acupuncture for chronic back pain. Spine. 2010 Jul 1;35(15):1471-7. Epub 2010 Jun 8. PubMed

Sherman KJ, Cherkin DC, Cook AJ, Hawkes RJ, Deyo RA, Wellman R, Khalsa PS. Comparison of yoga versus stretching for chronic low back pain: protocol for the Yoga Exercise Self-care (YES) trial. Trials. 2010;11(1):36. PubMed

To view more publications, please see Dr. Cherkin's CV.

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