Dr. Rex L. Mahnensmith, M.D.

I am continuing to serve as a Practicing Internal Medicine Physician.   The central focus of my care is the individual.   I aim to listen, to understand, to sort out the active concerns of each individual and to address each.  I will actively address any expressed and discovered concern, and will make referrals as needed.   My care aims to be proactive and preventative - to provide screening and advice and counsel regarding health maintenance and wellness achievement.   My care also will address acute illnesses and established chronic ailments and health concerns.   And my care shall embrace and address complex and high risk burdens of illness.   My Calling as Physician is to provide -- and deliver -- personalized care that carefully considers the individual's burden of illnesses, the health changes that she or he is experiencing, and then aiming to carefully provide effective remediation.   I am to actively consider special concerns and fears and needs as they unfold.   It is with humility that I serve in this chapter of my Vocation -- truly taking time to listen, to hear, to respond, to show empathy, and to make deeply considered and personalized clinical decisions. I pledge to serve carefully and tenderly, expressing value, concerns, hopes, counsel and education to individuals as I deliver particulars of clinical care.

I am blessed with good health myself. I have served for over 30 years as Teaching Physician in three University Medical Centers. My teaching harmonized well with my clinical service and patient care during these years. I served both in outpatient clinics and on hospital units, supervising students and residents in concert with direct care responsibilities. These years were fulfilling. I aimed to deliver best care to patients - and I aimed to model best care as well. I regularly talked to students and residents about the special "Calling" of a physician - the privilege, the responsibilities, the duties, and the opportunities to make a difference to individuals and families.  I received several teaching awards over these years, and I received several "Model Physician Awards" as well.  These years were filled with gratification and positive relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed clinical teaching and I poured my heart and mind and soul into each moment.  I served as Associate and then Full Professor of Medicine at Yale Medical School from 1992 to 2014.  During these years, I also served as "Clinical Advisor" to the Chairman of Medicine and I serve as "Advisor" to National Medicare Dialysis Oversight Committee.  I also served as Medical Director of Dialysis at Yale from 1994 to 2014 and as Regional Medical Director of Dialysis for two National Dialysis Corporations from 2001 through 2006.  In these Medical Director of Dialysis Roles, I was responsible for Quality Assurance and Dialysis Safety in local dialysis clinics in New Haven, CT and I also served as a Regional Educator regarding Quality Assurance for hundreds of dialysis clinic leaders across 30 states in Eastern U.S.  In this capacity, I lead the development of several Clinical Pathways which were implemented within the operations of these dialysis clinics and which resulted in high quality care and excellent clinical outcomes.  

In 2014, I retired from Yale University Professorship as Tenured Professor Emeritus - - and I transitioned to serving individuals and families in Skilled Nursing Facilities, providing General Medical care to many persons with various chronic illnesses. In this context, I had the capacity to really take time with individuals --- to sit and listen, to hear and to understand their concerns, and to deliver personalized care like never before.  In this, I realized my Deepest Calling as a Physician -- primary, holistic care of individuals in their own special contexts, delving deeply into their unique social contexts, knowing deeply their burdens of chronic illnesses, responding promptly to any acute health change that they were experiencing, and addressing their various problems and fears.  I took this step in my career journey so that my wife and I could live in a small town in northern Connecticut where our daughter and our grandchildren lived, so that we could help with their care and familly needs.  This step was very positive. 

In 2015, I transitioned to a Community Health Clinic setting, where I served as Primary Care Physician addressing multiple individuals' needs and concerns. It is with humility that I served in this chapter of my "Vocation" -- truly taking time to listen, to hear, to speak, to show empathy, and to make deeply considered, and personalized clinical decisions - and aiming to catalyze positive change in each person's health and sense of well-being. I served as Chief Medical Officer for the CHC into 2017, then transitioned to a Private Practice Group - DOCS of Connecticut.

Through all, I have truly hoped to be a light that shines, just enough to give warmth and illumination and to be a kindling source for others' whose light is dimming or flickering. I have hoped and continue to hope to confer a true sense of genuine caring to each person that I serve - - caring for the person but also caring about the person -- recognizing and serving within their specific social context.

Serving in this way, serving carefully as a caring physician, has been and is my Calling. I intend to serve thusly as long as God wills and by His Strength and Wisdom.

Professional Honors and Recognition:

Apr 1972 Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Denison University
Sep 1972 Teaching Fellow, Denison University
Jun 1976 Lange Award: "Clinical Excellence". Yale

May 1977 Alpha Omega Alpha, Yale
Jun 1977  Berniker Award: "Most exemplary of The Oath of Hippocrates and Maimonides Prayer" Yale
Jun 1979  Kushlan Award: "For clinical excellence and contributing the most to patient care" Yale
Jul  1983 National Kidney Foundation, Research Fellowship Award, Yale 
Jun 1985  Duke University "Special Recognition for Teaching"
Jun 1988  "Teacher of the Year" Brown University
Jun 1988  "Model Physician Award" Brown University
Jun 1989  "Senior Class Outstanding Teacher Award" Brown University 
Jun 1989 "Teacher of the Year", Miriam Hospital, Brown University
Jun 1990 "Model Physician Award", Miriam Hospital, Brown University
Jun 1990 "1990 Senior Citation: Outstanding Physician and Teacher" Brown University
Jun 1991 "Senior Class Outstanding Teacher Award", Brown University
Jun 1991 "Model Physician Award", Miriam Hospital, Brown University 
Jun 1992 "Teacher of the Year", Miriam Hospital, Brown University
Jun 1993 "Teacher of the Year", Yale Internal Medicine
Jun 1993 "Howard M. Spiro Teaching Award", Yale University Affiliated Hospitals
Sep 1997 "Didactic Professor Award", Yale University Physician Associate Program
Sep 2009 "Didactic Professor Award", Yale University Physician Associate Program
Jun 2011 "Emergency Medicine Resident Appreciation Award", Yale Emergency Medicine
Oct 2012  "DaVita Shining Star Award" -- for service excellence in their dialysis clinics
Sep 2013 "Branford-DaVita Service Appreciation Award"