One look at Dr. Sanjeev Tuli’s resume reveals an impressive history of clinical and educational leadership and advocacy for children’s health care. From one conversation with him, what becomes equally clear is his strong passion for this important work.
“I am deeply committed to children's health and well-being, advocating for innovative systems that prioritize integrated pediatric care across primary, subspecialty, and hospital settings. To be the best advocate for children and families in Southeast Texas, while also advocating for the teams and the health systems that take care of them,” Dr. Tuli says.
Dr. Tuli joined UTMB on Oct. 1 as Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. He previously served the University of Florida Health in Gainesville, FL for more than two decades, with the last 12 years as the Associate Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of General Academic Pediatrics leading a team of 62 general pediatric faculty, 38 APPs/lactation consultants/psychologists and psychotherapists.
His vision is informed by this extensive experience at UF, in which he helped drive the Department of Pediatrics’ evolution from a tertiary referral center to a more fully integrated health system.
“We had coordinated mental health services, social workers, psychologists, lactation specialists – everyone integrated into our primary care clinics that was a true a true medical home that provided high quality, comprehensive, continuous, coordinated, family-centered accessible care to over 70 percent of the children in Gainesville and surrounding counties”, he says.
Dr. Tuli places a high value on integration because it is a key component of high-quality care. When he considers what the community needs from his department, outstanding integrated accessible care is at the top of the list.
“Access is going to be the key driver. We need to provide patients from our primary care pediatricians the access to pediatric specialty services they need to best serve their patients," he says. At UTMB, he has pledged to address any access concerns, freely offering his phone number and encouraging referring physicians to reach out to him directly, if needed.
He also notes that there are opportunities to expand the use of telemedicine at UTMB so more patients can receive care – especially those who would have to travel a long distance to be seen otherwise.
Since arriving at UTMB, he has been energized by the passion and enthusiasm of his new team. He sees his commitment shared by the institution’s leadership and the faculty and staff in the department, and he looks forward to working together to deliver the best possible pediatric care at UTMB.
“I'm amazed at the passion, commitment and morale of our providers and staff. Everyone I've talked to is wanting to do what needs to be done to best take care of children we serve and their families. They take pride in being part of UTMB and everything that UTMB represents,” he says.
There is also prime opportunity for his continued advocacy to make an impact. Dr. Tuli has served as President of the Florida Association of Children’s Hospitals, and as a board member of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). At the national level, he has been the AAP Current Procedural Terminology Alternate Advisor to the American Medical Association, and he served on the AAP National Committee on Coding and Nomenclature, conducting policy work that directly affects reimbursement for pediatricians throughout the nation.
He has already begun to engage with the Texas Pediatric Society and looks forward to the opportunity to positively impact health care for children in Texas as he has for so many years in Florida.
“Advocating for pediatricians and children’s hospitals is a passion of mine,” Dr. Tuli says. “Because when we do that, we are not only best serving the children and their families but also best supporting the pediatricians, staff and health systems that serve them.
 | Sanjeev Tuli, MD, MEd, FAAP, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UTMB. Learn more about Pediatrics at UTMB Health. |