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UF Health University of Florida
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation College of Medicine
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Irene M Estores

Irene M Estores, M.D.

Associate Professor, Residency Program Director

Department: MD-PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHAB

About Irene M Estores

My name is Irene M. Estores, MD, and I am an associate professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. I also serve as the residency program director for the program and the director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Florida College of Medicine. I attended medical school at the University of the Philippines. Following medical school, I completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Johns Hopkins and Sinai Hospital joint program in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition, I have received acupuncture training at the University of Miami Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine and I apply this to the management of both musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain. I am a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Society for Clinical Hypnosis, and a Board Member on the American Board of Integrative Medicine.

My interest in integrative medicine grew out of self-exploration of other healing and belief systems, a spiritual practice of prayer, self-reflection and meditation, and a mindful experience of wanted and unwanted events in my life. I consider my medical practice as a vocation and a spiritual path.

As a commitment to nurture my own body, mind and spirit, I like to walk, keep daily practices including prayer, journaling and meditative reading practice. In my free time, I enjoy walking any labyrinth I can find, hiking and cooking with my sons.

Additional Positions:
Residency Program Director
2022 – Current ·

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught
2017-2018
MDT7200 Elect Top/Medicine
2016
MDC7200 Medicine Clerkship

Board Certifications

  • Board Certified, Integrative Medicine
    American Board of Integrative Medicine
  • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
    ABPMR
  • Spinal Cord Injury Medicine
    American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Clinical Profile

Specialties
  • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Subspecialties
  • Integrative Medicine
Areas of Interest
  • Chronic pain – resources
  • Healthy living
  • Learn to manage stress
  • Spinal Injury
  • Spinal cord trauma

Research Profile

Resilience and Wellness Chronic Pain Medical Acupuncture Mind-Body Medicine

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

0000-0002-1055-3691

Areas of Interest
  • Medical acupuncture
  • Mind-Body Medicine
  • Neuropathic pain
  • Spirituality in Health Care

Publications

2024
Multilevel Determinants of Long COVID and Potential for Telehealth Intervention.
Ethnicity & disease. 34(3):155-164 [DOI] 10.18865/EthnDis-2024-2. [PMID] 39211818.
PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2023
Assessing Psychological Resilience and Distress Among Graduate Health Profession Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health. 12 [DOI] 10.1177/27536130231185072. [PMID] 37377629.
2 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2023
Integrative Medicine in Long COVID.
Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America. 34(3):677-688 [DOI] 10.1016/j.pmr.2023.03.006. [PMID] 37419539.
PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2022
Appraising Important Medical Literature Biases: Uncorrected Statistical Mistakes and Conflicts of Interest.
Frontiers in medicine. 9 [DOI] 10.3389/fmed.2022.925643. [PMID] 35935772.
1 citation · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2022
Intermittent Fasting: Potential Utility in the Treatment of Chronic Pain across the Clinical Spectrum
Nutrients. 14(12) [DOI] 10.3390/nu14122536. [PMID] 35745266.
10 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2021
Acupuncture, Shingles, and Allergen Immunotherapy.
Medical acupuncture. 33(6):443-446 [DOI] 10.1089/acu.2020.1521. [PMID] 34976278.
PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2021
Functional medicine: Focusing on imbalances in core metabolic processes.
The Journal of family practice. 70(10):482-498 [DOI] 10.12788/jfp.0307. [PMID] 35119987.
1 citation · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2021
Improving burnout and well-being among medicine residents: Impact of a grassroots intervention compared to a formal program curriculum.
Journal of education and health promotion. 10 [DOI] 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1378_20. [PMID] 34485547.
PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2021
Models of Care for Postacute COVID-19 Clinics: Experiences and a Practical Framework for Outpatient Physiatry Settings.
American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation. 100(12):1133-1139 [DOI] 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001892. [PMID] 34793373.
11 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2020
Promoting Resilience in Medicine: The Effects of a Mind-Body Medicine Elective to Improve Medical Student Well-being.
Global advances in health and medicine. 9 [DOI] 10.1177/2164956120927367. [PMID] 32499968.
11 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2019
Advancing supportive oncology care via collaboration between psycho-oncology and integrative medicine.
Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 27(9):3175-3178 [DOI] 10.1007/s00520-019-04840-y. [PMID] 31062108.
6 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2019
Hormonal Regulation In Pcos Using Acupuncture And Herbal Supplements: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature.
Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.). 18(5):36-39 [PMID] 32549844.
2 citations · PubMed
2019
Medical Cannabis for the Primary Care Physician.
Journal of primary care & community health. 10 [DOI] 10.1177/2150132719884838. [PMID] 31646929.
12 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2018
Medication Cost Savings in Inpatient Oncology Using an Integrative Medicine Model.
Explore (New York, N.Y.). 14(3):212-215 [DOI] 10.1016/j.explore.2018.02.002. [PMID] 29685674.
6 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2018
Nurturing the Seeds of Change: Strengthening the Lifestyle Medicine Movement With the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award.
American journal of lifestyle medicine. 12(6):476-478 [DOI] 10.1177/1559827618789354. [PMID] 30783401.
3 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2017
Auricular acupuncture for spinal cord injury related neuropathic pain: a pilot controlled clinical trial.
The journal of spinal cord medicine. 40(4):432-438 [DOI] 10.1080/10790268.2016.1141489. [PMID] 26869339.
32 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2017
Transition Readiness and College Adjustment in Students with IBD: Focus Groups Highlight Issues not Captured in Common Surveys and Indices
Gastroenterology. 152(5) [DOI] 10.1016/S0016-5085(17)32756-7.
Publisher’s Site
2017
Utilization and Perception of Integrative Medicine Among Plastic Surgery Patients.
Annals of plastic surgery. 78(5):557-561 [DOI] 10.1097/SAP.0000000000000916. [PMID] 27759586.
6 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2015
Healing Environments: Integrative Medicine and Palliative Care in Acute Care Settings.
Critical care nursing clinics of North America. 27(3):369-82 [DOI] 10.1016/j.cnc.2015.05.002. [PMID] 26333757.
5 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2009
Autonomic dysreflexia and associated acute neurogenic pulmonary edema in a patient with spinal cord injury: a case report and review of the literature.
Spinal cord. 47(5):423-5 [DOI] 10.1038/sc.2008.152. [PMID] 19139757.
14 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2009
International standards to document remaining autonomic function after spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord. 47(1):36-43 [DOI] 10.1038/sc.2008.121. [PMID] 18957962.
162 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2008
Silver hydrogel urinary catheters: evaluation of safety and efficacy in single patient with chronic spinal cord injury.
Journal of rehabilitation research and development. 45(1):135-9 [PMID] 18566932.
12 citations · PubMed
2004
C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in patients with heterotopic ossification after spinal cord injury.
The journal of spinal cord medicine. 27(5):434-7 [PMID] 15648796.
31 citations · PubMed
2004
Effects of gender on neurologic and functional recovery after spinal cord injury.
Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 85(11):1826-36 [PMID] 15520978.
117 citations · PubMed
2004
Lack of justification for routine abdominal ultrasonography in patients with chronic spinal cord injury.
Journal of rehabilitation research and development. 41(1):101-8 [PMID] 15273903.
19 citations · PubMed
2004
Prevention and treatment of heterotopic ossification after spinal cord injury.
The journal of spinal cord medicine. 27(4):376-82 [PMID] 15484668.
23 citations · PubMed
2004
Women’s issues after SCI
Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. 10(2):107-125 [DOI] 10.1310/3BAB-Q5U1-FVCX-THCY.
Publisher’s Site
2003
The consumer’s perspective and the professional literature: what do persons with spinal cord injury want?
Journal of rehabilitation research and development. 40(4 Suppl 1):93-8 [PMID] 15077653.
48 citations · PubMed

Grants

Oct 2023 ACTIVE
RECOVER-AUTONOMIC: A Platform Protocol for Evaluation of Interventions for Autonomic Dysfunction in Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC) "Study"
Role: Co-Project Director/Principal Investigator
Funding: DUKE UNIVERSITY via NATL INST OF HLTH NHLBI
Jun 2016 – May 2018
College Students with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Supporting the Transition to Adult IBD care
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: ABBVIE

Education

Integrative Medicine Fellowship
2012 · Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona
Residency – Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
1993 · Sinai Hospital-Johns Hopkins Hospital
Internship – Internal Medicine
1990 · Sinai Hospital-Johns Hopkins Hospital
Medical Degree
1987 · University of the Philippines