Marvin A. Dewar, M.D., J.D., has been appointed senior associate dean, chief executive officer and chief medical officer of University of Florida Physicians, the faculty group practice of the UF College of Medicine.
Dewar, a long-time faculty member in the department of community health and family medicine, is an accomplished physician, educator and mentor. His leadership has helped guide UF’s faculty practice through several key initiatives designed to improve quality of care and patient safety, including the systemwide transition to electronic medical records, the addition of a nationally unique four-year patient safety course for UF medical students and the recent GatorAdvantage program.
He joined the College of Medicine in 1988 and previously served as director of the Family Practice Residency Program. He was recognized for his teaching and mentoring skills by being named the program’s Teacher of the Year on five different occasions. He has been selected to “The Best Doctors in America” for 11 consecutive years. Dewar previously served in a variety of leadership roles within Shands HealthCare, including vice president for affiliations and medical affairs and vice president for network development and corporate planning.
Dewar earned his medical degree at the University of South Florida, where he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and his law degree at UF, where he was a member of the Law Review and Order of the Coif. He holds membership in many professional societies, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physician Executives, and the American College of Legal Medicine. In 2005, he was appointed associate dean of continuing medical education for the College of Medicine. He was appointed chief medical officer of University of Florida Physicians in 2008 and became the practice’s interim chief executive officer in the same year. During this time, he has actively championed numerous quality improvement and patient safety initiatives in the clinics and provided executive leadership for the practice and the implementation of the Epic ambulatory electronic medical record.
His extensive record of community and academic service includes work with many regional, state and national organizations. He has served as a member of the board of directors of the American Heart Association and the Alachua County Medical Society as well as leadership positions with Alachua General Hospital and the American Cancer Society. He is a member of the board of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians and a member of the Florida Bar Association.
Dewar has published more than 50 academic papers, book chapters and monographs and given hundreds of academic presentations. His book, titled “Health Care Crisis: Search for Answers,” was published in 1995. He has successfully garnered grant funding for numerous continuing medical education activities as well as for research in the Insurance Implications of a Complete Genome Map and quality assurance and risk management education in primary care residency programs.
“Dr. Dewar continues to play a key leadership role in helping us move forward together in our work to improve the health and well-being of our patients,” said Dr. Michael L. Good, dean of the UF College of Medicine. “He has significantly improved physician medical direction in the clinics and has better aligned clinic administration with the clinical departments in our college.” And it was Dewar who recently created, organized and named the new GatorAdvantage program.