Bio
Deepa Sannidhi, MD, is board-certified family medicine, obesity medicine and lifestyle medicine physician. Trained in preventive medicine, Dr. Sannidhi provides chronic disease management and also helps people prevent and treat disease through lifestyle and integrative medicine. Her expertise includes women's health, integrative medicine, and lifestyle medicine, which uses evidence-based therapeutic approaches such as nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep and other non-drug modalities, to decrease disease risk and illness. She is also trained and proficient in using medications in the management of overweight and obesity, and practices obesity medicine at the UCSD Center for Digestive Diseases Weight Management Clinic.
Dr. Sannidhi created and runs a shared medical appointment program called the Supervised Lifestyle and Integrative Medicine Program, or SLIM Program for Weight Management and Lifestyle Related Disease, which is offered by the UCSD Center for Integrative Medicine in partnership with UCSD Weight Management Clinic. Patients are able to see her individually and in groups to get assistance with managing their disease through evidence-based integrative treatments and lifestyle management that is individualized to their needs. The SLIM Program is a structured weight management program consisting of 17 group medical visits and five one-on-one visits.
As an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Sannidhi enjoys teaching residents and medical students at UC San Diego School of Medicine about lifestyle medicine and nutrition. Her research interests include obesity and behavior change, as well as the implementation of clinical models of care that allow physicians to practice in line with their values within the confines of today's healthcare system.
Dr. Sannidhi completed her family medicine residency training at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, N.J., one of the first six family medicine residencies in the country, and trained as a resident in the UCSD/SDSU General Preventive Medicine Residency program, where she also served as chief resident and now serves as core faculty. She earned her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
She is a member of many professional organizations including the California Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Preventive Medicine, the Obesity Medicine Association, The Obesity Society and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, where she serves as chair of the research committee.
Dr. Sannidhi is married to her high school sweetheart and they have a young daughter. Outside of work, she enjoys eating at healthy restaurants and finding new ways to cook healthy and delicious food.
In addition to English, Dr. Sannidhi is fluent in Telugu and conversational in Hindi and medical Spanish.
Clinical Philosophy
My philosophy focuses on a "person first" approach - meaning taking care of you as a person, remembering that you are much more than a number on the scale. The SLIM program maintains a non-judgemental approach. You are the person that is in the drivers seat.
What to Expect
Patients that go through SLIM should expect a whole person approach rather than using medical therapy
There are surveys that are recommended
SLIM provides group visits in which patients are seen in a group, in the presence of others and provided both individual counseling and group education.
The education focuses on diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and social connection.
In group visits, other patients may discuss personal things and are often prompted to reflect on their goals, values, inner dialogue to help them move out of black and white thinking and move toward a process oriented and compassionate approach toward themselves.
Since no one plan works for everyone, individual visits are geared toward taking a detailed history and understanding your weight journey, understanding your barriers and your assets, your triggers (including people, places and emotions) and tailoring a plan that works for you.