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David Vander Straten, MD, CMO
Dr. David Vander Straten serves as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for CommUnityCare. He joined the organization in August 2005, as Associate Medical Director, and was promoted to Medical Director in August 2006. In these roles, he was responsible for working alongside the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Medical Director to manage daily operational and patient care issues as well as recruiting additional members of the professional staff. He implemented the Lead Provider program, which increased leadership opportunities for the providers in the practice. As CMO, he continues to work closely with the COO and other staff to address the growing needs of an integrated healthcare practice. He is Board Certified and maintains his clinical practice in Family Medicine at CommUnityCare – East Austin.
Dr. Vander Straten earned his bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Southwestern University. He received his medical degree from Texas A & M University Health Science Center while on a Health Professions Scholarship Program with the U.S. Navy. Following his internship in Family Practice at the Naval Hospital, Charleston, SC, and residency in Family Practice at the Naval Hospital, Jacksonville, FL, where he served as Chief Resident, he worked as a staff physician at the Naval Hospital, Beaufort, SC, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Upon completion of his Active Duty tour, Dr. Vander Straten joined the faculty of the Department of Family Medicine at UTMB in Galveston and completed a faculty development course in Underserved Medicine through the University of California-San Diego. His wife’s research fellowship and residency education lead them to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked in both the Kaiser Permanente and University Hospitals health care systems as well as private practice.
A native Austinite, Dr. “Van” certainly appreciates our diverse patient population and considers himself honored to be able to provide exceptional healthcare to the community. He is profoundly humbled to work alongside an incredibly talented, dedicated and well educated group of staff and providers who are passionate about providing the right care, at the right time, at the right place.
When away from work, Dr. Vander Straten enjoys outdoor activities, sampling new restaurants and pursuing the fine art of throwing horseshoes.
