Rute Paixao, MD is a board-certified nephrologist and staff member of the Department of Nephrology and Hypertension at Cleveland Clinic Florida. She has received her medical degree from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, School of Medicine, Lisbon, Portugal, in 1998. She completed her Internal Medical Internship at Hospital Curry Cabral, in Lisbon, Portugal, and her Internal Medicine Residency and Nephrology Fellowship at The Cleveland Clinic Florida, in Weston, FL.
Dr Paixao specializes in all areas of Nephrology; however her research and clinical focus are early diagnosis and medical interventions aimed at health promotion and slowing the progression of disease in persons with CKD. In 2008, she completed a pilot study exploring the effectiveness of Shared Medical Appointments for individuals diagnosed with CKD Stages 3 and 4. The aim of this project was to develop an alternative model of care, which consisted of interdisciplinary team group visits. The model involves a medical visit with a strong focus on education and self-management strategies to promote health and improve quality of life. Dr Paixao strongly believes that enabling patients with medical knowledge allows them to copy better with their diagnosis, be more compliant with their diets and medications, and definitely help delaying progression of their chronic disease.
Dr. Paixao is also actively involved in the development and implementation of clinical education for the Nephrology Fellowship and Internal Medicine Residency Programs at The Cleveland Clinic Florida.