Mara Rabin, MD

Dr. Mara Rabin attended Georgetown Medical School in Washington, D.C. and completed a family medicine residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. After that, she practiced rural medicine and provided volunteer medical care to patients in Southern India and Senegal. In 2000 she began caring for many refugees and immigrants in her primary care practice, where she also conducted health screenings for newly arrived refugees. Over 14 years she and her practice partner cared for over 11,000 refugees. Early on in this work, she became acutely aware of the impact of trauma on health and how trauma history could impact successful integration to building a new life in Utah. In 2003, to help address the needs of her patients, she helped open Utah Health & Human Rights, now known as THRIVE Center for Survivors of Torture. Dr. Rabin advocated for the universal screening of refugees for a history of torture. This has allowed symptomatic survivors to access mental health services early in their resettlement. In 2013, she became certified in leading Mind-Body Skills groups to help her patients and THRIVE clients improve their ability to manage the stress of trauma. Over the past 11 years she has led MB groups at THRIVE with clients from Afghanistan, DRC, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana, Iraq, South Sudan, Western Sudan, and many other countries. She is a supervisor with the Center for Mind-Body Medicine and has supervised individuals in the certification process who work with Unaccompanied refugee minors as well as THRIVE staff who run MB groups. Dr. Rabin is a frequent speaker to healthcare providers about refugee health and trauma informed care.