Here is Our Story.
Having Surgery is Hard. Recovering Shouldn’t Be.
As physicians, we wanted to optimize our patients’ recovery. We created Clara to provide evidence-based and convenient supplementation to optimize healing and recovery.
Meet Dr. Rebecca Knackstedt
Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder
Rebecca Knackstedt, MD, PhD is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who specializes in breast reconstruction. She completed a prestigious MD/PhD program at the Medical University of South Carolina where the focus of her PhD was on Vitamin D and inflammation. After graduating medical and graduate school, she completed a plastic surgery residency and microsurgery fellowship at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic. There, she participated in cutting-edge research and surgical procedures and participated in the care of complex patients.
During her residency and fellowship, she observed the lack of nutritional education provided to patients and understood by medical providers. To better understand the importance of nutrition in health and wellness, she became certified in Functional Medicine. This taught her the critical importance of strategic and targeted nutrition to optimize health during times of stress, such as surgical recovery. As a reconstructive surgeon, she addresses targeted supplementation with her patients and has first-hand observed the clinical outcomes of this intervention. While she recommended several supplements to her patients, she observed that patients were often unwilling to purchase multiple supplements in large sizes just to prepare for surgery recovery. This led her to co-found, Clara, with her husband and fellow physician, Thomas. She has experience designing and carrying out clinical studies, has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and has won numerous local and national research awards.
Meet Dr. Thomas Knackstedt
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Thomas Knackstedt, MD, MPH is a board-certified dermatologist and fellowship-trained board-certified Mohs surgeon. He is the founder of Apex Skin Center, a comprehensive dermatology practice in North Carolina and also serves as an adjunct associate professor of dermatology in the Department of Dermatology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Dr. Knackstedt earned his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. After completing an internal medicine internship at the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Knackstedt completed his dermatology residency at the prestigious Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center followed by a Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology fellowship. Dr. Knackstedt has published over seventy-five peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is dedicated to evidence-based medicine, cutting edge research, and the highest standards of clinical practice. He is considered a thought leader in the field of dermatology and serves on multiple national committees of the American Academy of Dermatology, the American College of Mohs Surgery, and the Council for Nail Disorders.
Dr. Thomas Knackstedt is an entrepreneur with a passion for improving every patient’s recovery and post-surgical health. In his career, he has witnessed first-hand the positive impact that holistic wellness, supplementation and education have on the recovery after procedures. He applied his medical education and training to co-found and develop the 100% drug-free supplements that form the foundation of Clara Recovery’s products.
About our name
Clara is named after Clarissa Harlowe Barton, an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973. She was and continues to be an inspiration to provide compassionate care to all in need.
Mission Statement
The mission of Clara Recovery is to support patients in their surgical journeys by promoting faster healing, optimizing recovery and improving the patient experience.
