Board of Directors

David D. Clarke, MD - President & Co-Founder

David D. Clarke, MD is President of the Psychophysiologic Disorders Association. He is also Assistant Director at the Center for Ethics and Clinical Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology Emeritus both at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon, USA.  As Faculty Associate at the Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies he teaches graduate courses on Psychophysiologic Medicine.  He is also a Clinical Lecturer with Pacific University in Oregon. 

His book for patients, They Can’t Find Anything Wrong!, (Sentient Publications, 2007) was praised by a president of the American Psychosomatic Society as “truly remarkable.”  He was also the lead editor for the professional textbooks Psychophysiologic Disorders (KDP Publishing, 2019) which has sixteen contributors from five countries and the companion textbook A Diagnostic Guide for Psychophysiologic Disorders (KDP Publishing, 2022).

He is board-certified in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine and practiced Gastroenterology in Portland from 1984 to 2009.  During that time, he diagnosed and treated over 7000 patients whose symptoms were not explained by diagnostic testing.  In surveys of physicians by Portland Monthlymagazine in the metropolitan area, Dr. Clarke was twice named one of the “Top Doctors” in his specialty.  He has received numerous awards for patient care and is a member of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine and the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association.

 Dr. Clarke is a graduate of Williams College (Phi Beta Kappa) and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine where he received the Mosby Award for Clinical Excellence.  He completed internship and residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Gastroenterology at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.  He has been a Visiting Professor at the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane, Australia and at Oxford University in England.  He was the Ethics Director for his medical group from 2005-2008.

Dr. Clarke has lectured extensively on Psychophysiologic Disorders to health care professionals and the public across North America and in Europe. He has appeared on over 100 television and radio broadcasts throughout the U.S. and was an Executive Producer of three documentary films about Psychophysiologic Disorders.

 His websites are EndChronicPain.org (non-profit) and Stressillness.com (personal).

Rob Munger, MA, MS - Vice President & Co-Founder

Rob is a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University Extension School & Summer School. He specializes in Health Economics and decision-making. He has created the largest source of information for the public about PPD at TMSWiki.org. He also has an undergraduate concentration in computer science and experience as a trainer, consultant and integrator in the computer industry.

Howard Schubiner, MD - Co-Founder

Dr. Schubiner is an internist and a Clinical Professor at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and is a fellow in the American College of Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has authored more than 100 publications in scientific journals and books, and lectures regionally, nationally, and internationally. He has conducted several research studies in the application of mind-body medicine techniques for fibromyalgia and back pain. These randomized, controlled trials used pain reprocessing therapy and emotional awareness and expression therapy. They showed that these treatments are more effective than currently used pain therapies.

Dr. Schubiner has consulted for the American Medical Association, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Mental Health. Dr. Schubiner is the author of three books: Unlearn Your Pain, Unlearn Your Anxiety and Depression, and Hidden From View, written with Dr. Allan Abbass. He lives in the Detroit area with his wife of forty years and has two adult children. His website is UnlearnYourPain.com.

David Schechter, MD - Treasurer

Dr. Schechter graduated with a degree from Princeton University. While a medical student at NYU in the early 1980's, he was first exposed to a stress related disorder - his own! After successful treatment as a patient of Dr. John Sarno, he performed a telephone follow up study, in Dr. Sarno’s office. This study's results are cited in Dr. Sarno’s first two books.

After a residency in Family Medicine, he received a Certificate of Additional Qualifications in Sports Medicine. Dr. Schechter has been treating chronic pain and other functional disorders with a psycho-education approach for over 25 years in private practice.  He has a credential in Integrative Pain Management. 

In addition, Dr. Schechter is the author of Think Away Your Pain, The MindBody Workbook, the MindBody Workbook volume two,  the MindBody Workbook for Teens and The Lessons Doctor Sarno Taught Me. The first three are home educational materials for stress-pain and functional disorders. The fourth is an educational tool for adolescents to help deal with and prevent these disorders. The final is a memoir style reflection on Dr. Sarno's influence in his career.  

Dr. Schechter was the Principal Investigator of the Seligman Medical Institute between 2003-2007 and with that part-time grant, he published several papers, the final one an outcome study published in Alternative Therapies.

He is in private practice in Culver City, California and sees some telemedicine patients.  
Websites: MindBodyMedicine.com, SchechterMD.com.

Dan Ratner, PsyD

A former mind body symptom sufferer himself – in the form of eight years of seemingly chronic back pain – Dr. Ratner is an experienced psychologist specializing in the treatment of mind body sufferers. Dr. Ratner is a member of the PPDA board, has a professional relationship with many of the medical doctors in the field, including Dr. John Stracks, Dr. David Schechter, Dr. Dave Clarke, Dr. David Hanscom, and Dr. Ira Rashbaum, and was a supervisee of TMS therapist and author Eric Sherman, PsyD at the start of his work in the field. In describing his work, Dr. Ratner writes, “I work collaboratively with patients to get them information on how to understand mind body experience, understand and organize their emotional worlds, reduce doubt that they can get better, and expand their sense of control over symptoms and their own life and self-concept. I often in a more relaxed manner, using humor, warmth, and openness to build strong connections.” Dr. Ratner’s Crushing Doubt podcast – available on Youtube and Spotify – is an additional resource for mind body sufferers.

Lynn Crothers, LCMHCA

Lynn Crothers is a psychotherapist based in Western North Carolina. A former chronic migraine sufferer, Lynn spent decades living with undiagnosed—or wrongly diagnosed—neurological symptoms. Her life changed when she discovered the mind-body work of Alan Gordon, Dr. John Stracks, and the PPDA. Her practice, A Welcoming Place Counseling, serves individuals living in North Carolina and Washington State. Having spent years traversing the medical field looking for answers, she finds great fulfillment and meaning today in supporting individuals on their unique journeys with chronic, unexplained symptoms. A former journalist, she has always been intrigued and inspired by the stories of others. After all that she has learned on her own journey, she knows the importance of joy and rest. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her husband David and their dog Luca, and feels lucky to call rural Appalachia home.

Lee Canter, MSW

Lee’s commitment to helping other sufferers of chronic pain disorders is a direct outgrowth of his experience with chronic migraine symptoms. After over seven years of being almost bedridden, seeing numerous medical professionals and getting no help from traditional biomedical treatments, he was finally cured of his symptoms using a psychophysiologic treatment approach. Critical to his recovery was the support he received from current board member Dr. David Schechter, and former board member Derek Sapico, LMFT.

Lee began his professional career as a clinical social worker. He then became a highly successful entrepreneur. His first company, Canter and Associates Inc. was a nationally recognized educational training company. Over the life of the company, over one million educators and parents purchased its books and videos or participated in its training programs. The company was sold to Sylvan/Laureate Inc. His second company, Center for Transformative Teacher Training, continued his efforts in developing ground breaking training materials for educators and was sold to his co-founder.

His passion is to use his professional expertise and his personal experience to help spread the word on the use of a psychophysiologic treatment approach to other chronic pain sufferers, especially those with migraine symptoms.

Rebecca Kennedy, MD Family Medicine physician

Rebecca Kennedy MD has been a family medicine physician for over 20 years with a lifelong interest in the mind-body connection and the body’s ability to heal itself. She worked at Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon for 15 years and developed an intense curiosity to find better ways to help patients the current medical model fails. After years of searching, she finally found the PPD model and undertook extensive training. She worked with hundreds of patients in the integrative clinic at Kaiser Permanente using the PPD approach over several years. She was the lead of the long COVID specialty group for the entire Northwest Kaiser Permanente region where she assessed hundreds of patients with long COVID, restoring many of them to good health. Witnessing the transformative impact of this model, Dr. Kennedy left Kaiser in 2023 to establish her own clinic and focus exclusively on treating chronic PPD symptoms, called Resilience Health Care in Portland, Oregon. She provides virtual consultations for patients worldwide and is committed to spreading the word about PPD.

www.Resilience-Healthcare.com

Staff

MARKETING DIRECTOR | LUKE JONES


Luke is an accomplished digital marketer, known for his ability to create and implement effective marketing strategies, streamline processes, and boost lead generation using data analysis and innovative approaches. He has established and managed successful marketing agencies, consistently delivering excellent results and garnering hundreds of thousands of followers for his clients. As a specialist in comprehensive marketing strategies, Luke is skilled at aligning marketing efforts with organizational objectives to drive success.

OPERATIONS MANAGER | RENA LE

With a background in administration, healthcare, and customer service, Rena is an accomplished operations manager with a track record of success. Her experience in overseeing daily operations in high-volume, fast-paced environments has honed her skills in managing complex schedules, coordinating logistics, and organizing events. Rena is highly skilled in providing excellent customer service and excels in leading teams, training new employees, and providing comprehensive support. Her talent for problem-solving, troubleshooting, and attention to detail has allowed her to prioritize time-sensitive tasks, minimize turnaround times, and maximize efficiency.

Former Board Members

Listed in reverse order of departure