Orange Grove Center announces the appointment of Dr. Rick Rader in the consultant role of senior global advisor for Inclusive Health Innovations. In his role, Dr. Rader supports the Inclusive Health strategy by assisting with the development and utilization of inclusive health resources for health care professionals, which complements the work already done in the prevention area. In addition, he provides support to the staff to operationalize and optimize the current health strategy to advocate for policy changes and create alliances and partnerships in an effort to improve education and training for health professionals and access to care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Dr.
Rader is cross-trained in internal medicine and medical anthropology and appreciates and understands the bio-cultural determinants of health and disease, officials said. He is the director of the Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center at the Orange Grove Center, where he is responsible for the identification, implementation and evaluation of innovative health programs designed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan.
He was the first appointed special liaison for Family Healthcare Concerns at the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and has been a consultant to five U.S. Surgeon Generals in the area of health and disability. He serves on the board of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, as well as the American Association of Health and Disability. Dr. Rader is the editor in chief for Exceptional Parent Magazine and has published over 400 articles on intellectual disabilities. He is an emeritus advisor to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. In addition, he was elected to the National Academies of Practice in Medicine.
Dr. Rader won numerous awards including the Exceptional Physician of the Year Award. He serves on the board of the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practice and as medical advisor to the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals. Dr. Rader is passionate about Special Olympics and has been involved for 25 years at the local level in Tennessee, National Games, and World Games and as a member of the Global Medical Advisory Committee.