ABFM-C, ABLM, American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Medical Doctor
Denise Palke is a native Oregonian and has been a family medicine doctor since 2010.
She trained at Loma Linda University and then graduated from the Providence Milwaukie Family Medicine Residency in 2013. She has practiced in a variety of settings over the last 12 years, but as time went on, she started wondering if there was a better way to help her patients achieve optimal health. This led her first to a board certification in Lifestyle Medicine and ultimately, to training in functional medicine. She is planning on sitting for her functional medicine certification exam in 2026.
Dr. Palke’s own journey included a diagnosis of celiac disease in 2020. After the diagnosis and admonishment to “do your best to avoid gluten,” she was sent back into the world thinking there must be more to it than that. She discovered functional medicine as a way to address how she got here in the first place, how to move towards healing and how to hopefully prevent future autoimmune conditions from setting in.
Because of her own experience, she is hoping to help people all over the Pacific Northwest get a better handle on their autoimmune conditions, wherever they are on the path. She is ready to dive in at the first positive ANA or Hashimoto’s diagnosis and also ready to help if you have been on biologics for years for complex autoimmune conditions. The goal of every encounter is to meet the patient where they are and make changes that help move the immune system back towards balance. Every little bit helps! While autoimmunity is her particular interest, Dr. Palke is happy to help anyone wanting to move towards health and well-being through a functional approach.
In her free time, Dr. Palke is on “Team Dog” and you may get to meet Gus the goldendoodle in visits with her. She is also an avid Crossfitter and enjoys participating in her church and neighborhood communities.
