Dr. Rotchford grew up in Olympia, Washington. He earned his BA, MD, and MPH degrees at the University of Washington. In 1981 he completed a rotating internship at the Montreal General Hospital, a McGill University teaching hospital. Between 1981 and 1995 he practiced family medicine near Aberdeen on Washington's coast. In 1982 he became interested in Medical Acupuncture and is a founding member and Fellow of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. He became a Fellow of the American Academy of Preventive Medicine in 1992 and three years later he established a full time practice in Port Townsend.

His interest in medical acupuncture has resulted in a longstanding interest and experience in pain managment. He a is long time member of the American Academy of Pain Management. To complement his work in pain management he was certified in addiction medicine in 2005. For more detailed information please see his Curriculum Vitae handout.