Daniel Federman, Renowned Veteran Care Advocate, to Retire

To hear Daniel Federman, MD, tell it, a $500 check and a set of slides jump-started his career in academic medicine.

In his first year as an assistant professor at Yale, Federman approached his department leadership to request funding to purchase the American Academy of Dermatology Kodachrome slide set, which contains hundreds of images of skin diseases. “I had an idea, and they believed in me,” Federman says. With the slides in hand, Federman began giving monthly lectures to internal medicine residents to help them better understand the skin diseases they may encounter in their practice.

“Not only did the slides help the residents, but they were also an effective bit of self-promotion,” Federman says. “The lectures helped me make a name for myself and start to climb the ladder of academic medicine.”

The son of a physician, Federman attended medical school at New York University, where he met his wife. After completing his residency and serving as chief resident at the University of Miami, he stayed at the university and secured his first ladder-track position in academic medicine. It was there that he got his foot in the door working with veterans. When he and his wife decided to move back to the northeast to be closer to family, he knew that he wanted to continue working with the VA.

“The winds of fate just blew me to Yale,” Federman says. “I loved it here. I loved teaching the residents, and I loved taking care of veterans. To me, it was a perfect mix and perfect job.”

His passion for veterans and for the VA over three decades has been a beacon for many, according to Federman’s longtime colleague Christopher Ruser, MD, professor of medicine (general internal medicine).

“As an educator, he brings a palpable, humanistic approach that lends itself to true mentoring,” Ruser says. “He formed strong bonds with so many trainees who would go on to have successful careers across the spectrum of academic medicine.”

One of those trainees, Jeffrey Kravetz, MD, is now a professor of medicine (general internal medicine). “I have had the absolute pleasure of spending my entire medical career, from the beginning of my internship as his resident way back in 1998 to now, working alongside Dan,” Kravetz says. “He befriends patients and develops a level of trust that all physicians should aspire to.”

In 2012, Federman’s steady pursuit of a career in academic medicine was thrown into a tailspin when the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School deeply affected his community of Newtown, Connecticut. Federman was devastated.

“I am normally like the mayor of the VA. I chat with everyone I see – the patients, janitors, colleagues – everyone,” says Federman. “But at that time, when I’d walk through the halls, I’d intentionally look down at the floor so that I wouldn’t have to even make eye contact.”

At a vigil in his community, he met a woman who had driven up from Baltimore with a dog wearing a purple vest, indicating it was a healing dog.

As an academic physician, Federman thought, ‘How could a dog possibly help a kid deal with this unthinkable tragedy?’

Despite his skepticism, Federman accepted the dog in his arms. “I can’t articulate what happened, but I can tell you from that day on, I stopped crying. I got better,” he says.

This transformative experience coincided with a time when opioid use was surging throughout the country. Federman saw that many people were having problems with opiates. He had been searching for another tool to offer his patients with chronic pain.

“Those experiences helped me become open to non-traditional therapies,” he says.

Federman was soon selected by the VA to serve as a national patient-centered care representative, where he was introduced to the concept of “battlefield acupuncture.” In battlefield acupuncture, five needles are placed in each ear, regardless of where the patient’s pain originates.

Federman began offering this therapy in individual appointments, but the program soon grew to group visits with up to 25 veterans who came for treatment every week.

“I saw that it was working, and I couldn’t believe it. It really was astounding,” Federman says.

Under Federman’s direction, the group evolved so that instead of simply passively receiving acupuncture, patients learned to take a more active role in their pain management. Federman began bringing in nutritionists, health psychologists, and physical therapists. He later published research showing that the therapy is beneficial for short-term pain management.

In 2018, Federman was named chief of medicine for the West Haven VA, where he oversaw efforts to increase veteran enrollment and expand access to comprehensive health care.

“As a leader, it was less about administration or technical issues; it was more about the people he led,” Ruser says. "He knows not just everyone’s names, but also the names and ages of their children, the well-being of their families, the stressors in their lives.”

Federman, who will transition to emeritus status on July 1, 2026, hopes to dedicate more time to the Battlefield Acupuncture Clinic in retirement so that he can continue to care for his patients – some of whom he has treated for more than two decades.

“I know their families, I know their military history, and I understand some of the trials and tribulations they’ve been through,” he reflects.

In addition to working with the clinic and spending more time with his grandchildren, Federman also plans to continue his medical mission work abroad. Earlier in his career, he served as the medical director of Community Health Partnership Honduras, where he worked closely with a local doctor to provide tailored, ongoing care to patients across more than 20 communities. Federman also participated in similar medical brigades in the Dominican Republic, Kenya, and Tanzania, and in April, he will travel to Bolivia for another medical mission.

As he prepares for his upcoming retirement, Federman reflects on the changing world and field of medicine.

“There’s so much more knowledge readily accessible at your fingertips now than when I started or certainly when my father started,” says Federman. “But I tell students and trainees, the most important thing is your ability to listen and to communicate in a compassionate, thoughtful, meaningful way.”

The Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine is among the nation's premier departments, bringing together an elite cadre of clinicians, investigators, educators, and staff in one of the world's top medical schools. To learn more, visit Internal Medicine.