Professors Federica Raia and Mario Deng will publish the book, "Relational Medicine: Personalizing Modern Healthcare - The Practice of High-Tech Medicine as a Relational Act" this summer. The book focuses on the importance of personhood and body in a world of high-tech medicine therapies such as heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support devices, exploring how health care professionals can connect with patients, families and caregivers.
Raia is a complexity scientist and professor in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. She explores many complex natural systems, especially relationships and encounters with multiple perspectives, such as those between patients and health care professionals. Deng is a cardiologist and director of the UCLA Integrated Advanced Heart Failure-Mechanical Support-Heart Transplant Program.
Raia and Deng, who are married, conceived of the Relational Medicine Theory to understand and improve the practice of modern medicine. They also founded the Relational Medicine Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks to support the collaboration of patients, caregivers, health care providers, education researchers and artistic professionals in modern medicine.
