Neela Patel, MD, MPH, CMD

Personal Statement:

Neela K. Patel, MD, MPH, CMD, has developed a superb reputation in geriatric care for the care. Dr. Patel and her team have developed a model of integrated care for older adults across all clinical settings including acute care inpatient elder care, skilled nursing care and long-term custodial care, rehabilitation center care and  palliative and hospice care called the CARINO Approach. This approach is linked to community resources such as home health agencies, the Alzheimer’s association, senior centers, hospital, consultants and other community resources.

At the Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dr. Patel’s role is to develop and implement closely integrated, seamless care patterns across clinicians– ranging from screening in primary care offices, personalized preventive advice, diagnosis and differential diagnosis and developing integrated care plans. She collaborates with team members for supporting community care providers and family caregivers, as behavioral, medical and neurological issues arise, to manage severe dementia, discussion of advance directives and palliative care/hospice care support. 

Dr. Patel serves on the Community Advisory Board for the UT Health San Antonio School of NursingCaring for the Caregiver Program. She is also the co-primary investigator with Dr. Carole White on a PCORI – Grant to enhance palliative care and end of life care for persons with dementia where she is an integral part of the grant’s stakeholder advisory council.