About
Dr. Josh Starbuck, MD, IFMCP, is board-certified in Internal Medicine and holds certification as a Practitioner from the Institute of Functional Medicine. In 2021, Dr. Starbuck established Makena Health with the vision of creating an innovative medical practice. The goal is to seamlessly integrate the most effective modalities from Internal Medicine, Integrative/Functional Medicine, and Longevity Medicine, fostering optimal vitality of both body and mind. Dr. Starbuck is currently immersed in training under Dr. Scott Sherr, exploring his latest passion for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
Prior to founding Makena Health, Dr. Starbuck dedicated five years to serving as an Internal Medicine Hospitalist at Maui Memorial Medical Center. During this tenure, he held positions as the Assistant Medical Director of the Hospitalist Program and Chair of the Utilization Management & Performance Improvement Committees.
Before moving to Maui, Dr. Starbuck practiced as an Internal Medicine Hospitalist at Tufts University/Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME. He completed his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine in 2015 at Tufts University/Maine Medical Center after graduating from Saba University School of Medicine in 2012. His academic journey began at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he graduated Cum Laude in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science, focusing on Cross Cultural Interaction and Public Health Strategy.
Dr. Starbuck’s Experience as a Patient
Dr. Starbuck has the life experience to fully walk in his patients’ shoes. During his second year of residency, he returned from a surf trip feeling unwell and having difficulty breathing. He went to the Emergency room and was admitted to the hospital with Acute Renal Failure. Over the course of a week in the hospital he received a kidney biopsy, was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy, and began hemodialysis treatment. Fortunate enough to have a kidney donated by his sister, Doctor Starbuck pivoted his medical career from that moment forward — and became interested in finding the root cause of his illness, which ultimately became the path forward to his own holistic healing.
He has spent the last decade studying integrative and functional medicine, and he uses these modalities alongside his allopathic training to create a whole picture of wellness — with each patients’ individual goals at the core.