David Victor Power
Maintaining balance in our life is important, but it has always been hard for me to do. I always want to do my best, but I’ve often not taken care of myself in that process. This continues to motivate me to try and achieve balance – and to take care of those “other” parts of my life. My family is very important to me and I also want to take care of their needs.
In the snowy winter months in this upper Midwestern state, I play in a few tennis leagues, and along with drills, usually play competitive tennis at least 2 to 3 times per week. In the summer, I play league golf when possible, up to 2 to 3 times per week – as the weather allows.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve always loved to draw interesting faces, mainly using pencil or charcoal. I continue to enjoy doing so – more recently, I am dabbling with oil painting.
I like to write narratives and poems about my experiences with individuals I’ve met over the years: students or patients in my clinical practice. What a privilege to get to know “patients” as the unique individuals they are!
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I’ve had a very busy academic career as a Teaching Physician at University of Minnesota Medical school, directing the Medical Student Education division of my department, co-directing my medical school’s curriculum thread in Public Health and many other educational roles, advising students on their career choices, being a Professor and a member of my medical school’s Promotion and Tenure committee and advising our student Gold Humanism Honor’s society.
On a daily basis, I personally practice mindfulness and actively work to maintain as much inner calm as I can, in all that I do. I strive to promote our humanity as both providers and patients in primary care medicine.
My Missions
Image from Skellig Michael
My Artwork
Wooden Bowl
2022, Pencil, Charcoal
Study on Cian McLaughlin Sketch
Iron Goblet
A Man with Dementia
Selected Publications
As an academic family physician, he has published over 60 peer-reviewed publications during his career, which by 2026 have been cited by others over 10,000 times. A selection of these are provided here.
An Irish Outpost Close to My Heart…
From a first trip to these amazing islands back in the 1970s and later re-visited: these are two of the wonders of SouthWest Ireland.
A Short Poem That Means A Lot To Me:
“(In my sleep I dreamed this poem)
Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.”
– “The Uses of Sorrow” by Mary Oliver
Reprinted by the permission of The Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency as agent for the author.
Copyright © 2006 by Mary Oliver with permission of Bill Reichblum
David V. Power 