"Dr. Richard Donahue founded Personal Health MD in 2011 to combine academic excellence in primary care medicine with the most effective, and safe, integrative and functional medicine care, with care from the heart.
“It’s vital to take the time to understand each patient in-depth — as a combination of their biochemistry, epigenetics, goals, emotions, and relationships. Only then can we combine advanced science with the art of healing to best treat illness and personalize health action steps.”
Fascinated by advances in medical science and practicing Family Medicine for 29 years, Dr. Donahue enjoys collaborating with Harvard specialists to provide his patients with the most seamless healthcare possible. Dr. Donahue is a Brigham and Women’s Hospital Associate Physician, now Mass General Brigham, and Beth Israel Hospital Courtesy Staff Physician in the Departments of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Donahue studied cellular biology and political science at Tufts University, earned his MD from the University of Massachusetts and is board certified in Family Medicine from the Maine- Dartmouth Residency Program. From 1994 to 2005 he served as Medical Director at the Island Medical Center on Vinalhaven, Maine where he developed the fastest pre-hospital advanced cardiac care for heart attacks in New England, treated adult and pediatric complex medical illness, and provided home visits to the island’s elderly. As the island’s sole physician on call 24/7 for 10 years, he discovered how eliciting the most subtle symptom details could often lead to earlier diagnoses.
In 2005, Dr. Donahue moved to Boston to study public health policy and environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health where he served as a visiting scientist. From 2005 to 2011 he cared for Harvard students and professors at Harvard University Health Services and taught Harvard medical students as a Clinical Instructor in Medicine. He is a member of Massachusetts Medical Society and the American Medical Association.
From Maine Island Doctor to Boston Concierge Physician
In this video with Dr. Donahue, he shares his inspiration to start a concierge medicine practice on Newbury Street in Boston, and his experience as an “island doctor.” For 10 years, Dr. Donahue served a 1,200 person remote fisherman community off the coast of Maine. See how this experience informs Dr. Donahue’s unique approach, as he considers the nutritional aspects to healing in addition to conventional medicine."
