Paul Ratté, ND 
Associate Professor 
Northwestern Health Sciences University 

Dr. Paul Ratté has been a Doody’s Review Service book reviewer since 2016. He currently reviews complementary and integrative health titles under Editorial Review Group Chairs Susan Vossberg and previously under Anne Mackereth. Throughout his tenure with us, Dr. Ratté has reviewed 20 titles. One of his reviewed titles, Materia Medica of New and Old Homeopathic Medicines, 3rd Edition, is featured in Doody’s Core Titles 2024. 

Dr. Ratté is a naturopathic doctor and associate professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University, where he teaches clinical nutrition and evidence-informed medicine. Bridging clinical practice and research, he offers both patients and students a unique blend of empirical inquiry and clinical intuition. His expertise lies in functional medicine, where he integrates patients’ subjective experiences with objective data to create comprehensive care strategies. His commitment to healthy skepticism ensures a thoughtful, critical approach to evaluating all possibilities. 

Dr. Ratté has practiced in various integrative care clinics and conducted research at the Functional Medicine Research Center. He is a council member for the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health and serves on the Wisconsin Naturopathic Medicine Examining Board. His research interests include clinically relevant biochemistry, carbohydrate tolerance, anthroposophical medicine, cognitive biases, and the complexities of nutritional epidemiology. 

On his experience as a book reviewer, Dr. Ratté shares, “I get to explore a wide range of texts on complementary and alternative medicine—some grounded in scientific research, others rooted in clinical wisdom. This role gives me insight into the nuanced process of integrating complementary and alternative medicine into the mainstream healthcare model, from interpreting research evidence to translating it into practical clinical use. It allows me to satisfy my curiosity and continually engage with new ideas and perspectives.” 

About his recent reading, Dr. Ratté shares, “I recently read The Social Transformation of American Medicine by Paul Starr, an exploration of the history of American medicine and reflection on its path forward. As a naturopathic doctor, I was intrigued by the account of my profession’s efforts—both its advances and setbacks—in striving to establish naturopathic medicine within the mainstream. The roots of naturopathic medicine lie in homeopathic medicine, Nature Cure, and the Eclectic tradition, all of which once held equal standing with allopathic medicine. The book chronicles the shift in medical education from an apprenticeship-based model to a more materialistic, science-oriented approach.”