Donna Chacko MD

In her decades practicing medicine, first as a radiation oncologist in Florida and later as a family medicine physician in Washington, DC, Dr. Chacko saw a lot of suffering. In caring for her patients, especially the immigrants and the homeless, she saw how stress, poverty, and injustice ravaged people’s health. And she saw how love, respect, appropriate care, and positive choices restored it.

Donna was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, along with her twin brother and older brother. She attended Catholic schools, college in Oregon, and medical school at UC Davis in California. She and her husband raised three daughters in St. Petersburg, Florida, until his death in 1997. This 27-year marriage was an unhappy one that left Donna with feelings of desperation until she finally surrendered to God—a transformative event in her life that slowly led to healing.

After retirement, Donna integrated her broad medical experiences, everything she learned in her marriage, and her deepening faith into a ministry called Serenity and Health, which served as the springboard for Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey.

Donna lives with her second husband in University Park, Maryland. Her favorite pastimes are reading, gardening, walking, reading books on Skype to her grandchildren, visiting with family and friends, and watching Masterpiece Theater and NBA games with her husband.