Thomas S. Nesbitt, M.D., M.P.H.
Emeritus Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Technologies and Alliances
Founding Director, Center for Health and Technology
Thomas S. Nesbitt is not currently accepting new patients. For assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Specialties
Family and Community Medicine
Rural Health Care
Locations and Contact
Additional Numbers
Phone
Clinical Interests
As associate vice chancellor for strategic technologies and alliances, Dr. Nesbitt advanced UC Davis Health's excellence in clinical outreach and technology-enabled models of care. He also served as interim vice chancellor for human health sciences and dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine from June 2013 to February 2014, and again as interim vice chancellor from spring 2017 to summer 2018.
Dr. Nesbitt is internationally known and highly regarded as a pioneer in using telecommunications technology to deliver a broad spectrum of health-care services and health professional education in rural areas. He established UC Davis' first telehealth link in 1992. Today, thanks to his work, UC Davis (with its Center for Health and Technology) is recognized as a global leader in using telehealth and distance learning to meet the needs of populations in remote and underserved regions.
Together with leaders of the National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, Dr. Nesbitt launched the UC Davis Cancer Care Network, bringing advanced cancer care and the latest clinical research to Northern California's rural communities, as well as a robust telehealth program that brings UC Davis clinical expertise to patients in dozens of hospitals, clinics and even farm-labor camps throughout the state.
Research/Academic Interests
Dr. Nesbitt has led development of UC Davis' PRIME programs, which prepare physicians to serve in rural and underserved urban areas, and played a significant role in establishing UC Davis' Center for Virtual Care, a training resource for students and working professionals throughout the region.
Dr. Nesbitt has authored or co-authored more than 60 journal articles, abstracts and book chapters on the use of telecommunications technology in health care and education, and has received numerous awards for his innovation and leadership.
Center/Program Affiliation
Center for Health and Technology
Center for Healthcare Policy and Research
Northern California Center for AIDS Research
Undergraduate School
B.A., UC Davis, Davis, California, 1975
Medical School
M.D., UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, 1979
Other School
M.P.H., University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 1988
Residency
University of Washington, Spokane, Washington, 1979-1982
Fellowship
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 1986-1988
Justin Ford Kimball Innovators Award, American Hospital Association, 2012
Distinguished Achievement Award, Cal Aggie Alumni Association, 2012
Leadership Award for the Advancement of Telemedicine, American Telemedicine Association, 2010
Transformational Leadership Award, UC Davis, School of Medicine, 2009
President's Award, American Telemedicine Association (accepted award on behalf of the UC Davis Center for Health and Technology), 2006
Community Service Award, Serotonin Surge Charity, 2005
Nesbitt T, Dharmar M, Katz-Bell J, Hartvigsen G, Marcin J, Telehealth at UC Davis - A 20-year experience. Telemedicine and e-Health. 2013;19(5):357-362.
Dracup K, Moser D, Pelter M, Nesbitt T, Southard J, Paul S, Robinson S, Zègre Hemsey J, Cooper L. Rural patients' knowledge about heart failure. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. 2013.
Dharmar M, Sadorra C, Leigh P, Yang N, Nesbitt T, Marcin J. The financial impact of a pediatric telemedicine program: A children's hospital's perspective. Telemedicine and e-Health. 2013;19(7):502-508.
Meyers F, Hales R, Young H, Nesbitt T, Pomeroy C. Restructuring academic health centers to advance interdisciplinary collaborations: Opportunities for psychiatry departments. Academic Psychiatry. 2013;37(2):72-75.
Dharmar M, Romano P, Kuppermann N, Nesbitt T, Cole S, Andrada E, Vance C, Harvey D, Marcin J. Impact of critical care telemedicine consultations on children in rural emergency departments. Critical Care Medicine. 2013;41(10):2388-2395.
Armstrong A, Kwong M, Chase E, Ledo L, Nesbitt T, Shewry S. Why some dermatologists do not practice store-and-forward teledermatology. Archives of Dermatology. 2012;148(5):649-650.
Cole S, Grubbs J, Din C, Nesbitt T. Rural inpatient telepharmacy consultation demonstration for after-hours medication review. Telemedicine and e-Health. 2012;18(7):530-537.
Armstrong A, Kwong M, Chase E, Ledo L, Nesbitt T, Shewry S. Teledermatology operational considerations, challenges, and benefits: The referring providers' perspective. Telemedicine and e-Health. 2012;18(8):580-584.
Everett W, Kvedar J, Nesbitt T. Telemonitoring in patients with heart failure. New England Journal of Medicine. 2011;364(11):1079.
Robinson S, Moser D, Pelter M, Nesbitt T, Paul S, Dracup K. Assessing health literacy in heart failure patients. Journal of Cardiac Failure. 2011;17(11):887-8