Karen Koffler, M.D., received her medical degree at the University of Miami and trained in internal medicine at the University of Colorado. She began her career as an ER doctor in a variety of settings, including Indian reservations, the Veterans Administration, and inner-city hospitals, and later helped develop the first “hospitalist” program for Kaiser Permanente in Denver. Along the way she realized that “health care” operated more as a disease management system, and became increasingly disconcerted with the often inadequate approach of medications and surgery to treat diseases already in their later stages. Questioning the status quo led her to being accepted into the first class of physicians trained by Dr. Andrew Weil – the father of integrative medicine – at the University of Arizona. While there she expanded her conventional training to include nutrition, herbs, supplements, mind-body therapies, spirituality, Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and other alternative approaches. Upon completion, she was recruited to Northwestern Medical Center in Chicago to design and run an integrative medical center. In 2006, she joined Canyon Ranch to direct its new health and wellness center at Canyon Ranch Miami Beach. Koffler was able to see repeatedly that chronic health issues could be reversed through changes in nutrition, appropriate exercise, supplements, improved quality of sleep, and skills to handle stress. In her current position, she leads the development of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Through her work, including clinical, research, and education, her goal is to help transform health care in the U.S. to include a focus on prevention, optimizing the health of patients, and expanding the paradigm in treating illness to include alternative practices. In her personal life, Koffler is committed to what she teaches: Mornings start with a meditation and a beach workout. She eats a mostly plant-based diet, always has coffee, and indulges in the occasional dessert.