Shenbagam Dewar, MBBS

Clinical Assistant Professor, Geriatric and Palliative Medicine

Biography

Dr. Shenbagam Dewar earned her medical degree from Kilpuak Medical College in Chennai, India and completed a residency in Ob & Gyn at Madras Medical College and a Family Medicine residency at the University of Connecticut.  Dr. Dewar joined the faculty of the University of Michigan Internal Medicine-Geriatric & Palliative Medicine team after completion of the UM Geriatric fellowship program in 2016.

Dr. Dewar is Board Certified in Family Medicine, Obesity Medicine, and Geriatric Medicine.  She is a PCP at Turner Geriatric Clinic, Co-Director of the Glacier Hills clinic Assisted Living location, Physician Lead for the long term care facility at Saline Evangelical Nursing Home, while also serving as an attending physician on the Geriatric Inpatient Consult Team at the University of Michigan Hospital. She runs the weight management clinic which is named Optimal Health, Weight, Lifestyle clinic at Tuner Geriatric Clinic

In 2020, Dr. Dewar became the inaugural recipient of the Albert G. and Olive H. Schlink Foundation Clinician Scholars Award.  She was also appointed as the Virtual Care Champion in the Division of Geriatric & Palliative Medicine.

Her primary clinical interest is in improving functional status and quality of life of Obese older adults and reducing their multi-morbid burden. She is also interested in enabling older adults to make end of life choices while they still preserve the ability to make those valuable decisions.

 

Areas of Interest

Research Interests:

  1. Multi-disciplinary management of obese older adults to improve mobility, reduce disability and improve Quality of Life.
  2. Study the effect of morbid obesity on hospital readmission rates, rehab potential and rehab LOS transitioning from acute care hospital to skilled nursing facility
  3. Study the current gaps contributing to lower utilization of palliative care services leading to end-of-life care in obese older adults

Published Articles or Reviews

Publications:

Non-Peer-Reviewed Journals and Publications/Other Media-Press release

  1. Shenbagam Dewar: Bigger Patients, Bigger Challenges: For Patients of Size, Proper Care Can Be Elusive, Caring for the Ages, 2019. 

Peer-Reviewed Journals and Publications

  1. Dewar S, Dewar R: Complexities in Caregiving: Comforts, Cultures, Countries, Conversations, and Contracts. J Clin Ethics 28(1): 70-73, 2017. PM28436932
  2. Shenbagam Dewar, MD and Theodore Suh, MD: Successful screening and treatment of Latent Tuberculosis infection of older adults in a PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly) Program- A Case series Ann Longterm Care 26(6): 27-32, 2018. PMC6957578
  3. Shenbagam Dewar and Marcos Montagnini: The Role of Palliative Care in Morbid Obesity- A Case Report Annals of Long-Term Care 27(7): e11-e14, 2019.
  4. Shenbagam Dewar, MD, Julie Bynum, MD, MPH, and John A. Batsis, MD: Uptake of Obesity Intensive Behavioral Treatment Codes in Medicare Beneficiaries, 2012–2015 JGIM 35(1): 368–370, 2019. PM31641993
  5. Shenbagam Dewar, Pearl G. Lee, Theodore T. Suh, Lillian Min: Uptake of Virtual Visits in A Geriatric Primary Care Clinic During the COVID‐19 Pandemic jgs 00000: 0000, 2020. PMC7267610

 

Behind the Scenes with Dr. Shenbagam Dewar