David Hatem is a General Internist and an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He obtained his Bachelor of Science from Boston College in 1981, his MD from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1985. He served his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Michael Reese Hospital, finishing in 1988.

Since then he has practiced Internal Medicine at the University, maintaining a busy outpatient practice. He has been involved in teaching at the Residency and Medical Student level since he came to UMASS, as an outpatient preceptor, small group facilitator, and he is currently the Course Director of UMASS' Physician, Patient and Society course.  In 2009 he was named one of the founding Co-Directors of the Learning Communities at UMass.

His involvement with the American Academy on Communications in Healthcare dates back to 1989. He is a graduate of the Facilitator Training Program, Co-Directed the FIT program, has hosted the National Faculty Development Course in 1999 at UMASS. He has served on the Executive Committee as president (2006) and treasurer.  He has published in the areas of faculty development, medical error, and the use of reflection in education.