PAWTUCKET – Dr. Keith W. L. Rafal was appointed as the new chief of rehabilitative and restorative care at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.

He is the president and founder of Healing Choices in North Smithfield. Rafal served previously as the medical director of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island in North Smithfield.

In his new capacity, he will lead a team of specially trained rehabilitation nurses, licensed physical, occupational and speech therapists, a neuropsychologist and a therapeutic recreation specialist.

Rafal earned his medical degree at Howard Medical School in Washington, D.C. He completed his physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at Boston University Medical Center. Rafal completed a fellowship in geriatric medicine at Brown University, and received his master’s in public health from Tufts University. He is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. •