English

    Overview

  • Dr. Shoba Narayanan Nair is a distinguished Senior Physician and academician with over three decades of experience spanning clinical care, teaching, and leadership across India and the United Kingdom. She is currently practicing as a Senior Consultant at Manipal Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru. Widely respected for her compassionate, patient-centred approach, Dr. Nair is a leading authority in Internal Medicine, with advanced expertise in Geriatrics and Palliative Care.

  • Her medical practice is deeply rooted in ethics, empathy, and evidence-based care, with a strong focus on enhancing quality of life for patients. Dr. Nair is especially known for her holistic approach to managing elderly patients and individuals living with chronic or life-limiting illnesses, ensuring dignity, comfort, and comprehensive clinical support at every stage of care.

  • Dr. Nair’s academic and professional credentials reflect her international training and depth of specialization. She holds an MBBS from Government Medical College, Alappuzha, an MD in Internal Medicine from St. John’s Medical College, Karnataka, and MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. She further strengthened her expertise with an MSc in Palliative Medicine from Edith Cowan University, Australia, along with certification in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. During her tenure in the UK, she served as a Specialist Registrar in Palliative Medicine. After returning to India, she assumed key academic leadership roles, including Professor and Head of the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine.

  • Clinically, Dr. Nair practices across the full spectrum of adult medicine, with special focus on geriatric care, chronic disease management, and pain and palliative medicine. Her expertise includes managing multi-morbidity in the elderly, cancer and non-cancer pain, advanced organ-system diseases, and end-of-life care. She is skilled in essential clinical procedures and is particularly adept at guiding patients and families through complex discussions on prognosis, goals of care, and advanced care planning, while also addressing psychosocial and spiritual needs.

  • In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Nair is a committed medical educator and researcher. She has served as National Faculty for the Indian Association of Palliative Care and has played a key role in curriculum development in palliative medicine. With numerous publications in international journals, she is also a regular moderator and invited speaker at major national and global conferences, including IAPCON and PULMICON. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and Tamil, Dr. Nair brings both clinical excellence and cultural sensitivity to her practice and teaching.

  • Field of Expertise

  • Pain and Symptom Management
  • Cancer and Non-Cancer Palliative Care
  • End-of-Life Care & Advance Care Planning
  • Geriatric and Chronic Illness Care
  • Medical Education & Curriculum Development
  • Fellowship & Membership

  • Indian Medical AssociationMember - Life member
  • Royal College of Physicians London - Annual membership
  • Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) - Life member
  • Indian Academy of Geriatrics - Life member
  • American society of Clinical Oncology - On line Membership
  • Languages Spoken

  • Kannada
  • Malayalam
  • Tamil
  • Hindi
  • English
  • Telugu (Limited)
  • Awards & Achievements

  • Palliative Care lead in C20 India as part of G20 program in India in 2023
  • Member of the first board, appointed by MCI for curriculum and guideline development for a post graduate course in Palliative Medicine (MD) – 2011 – 2014
  • Faculty, Indian Association of Palliative Care for conducting various courses in palliative care – 2008 till date
  • In- charge head, Department of Palliative Medicine at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore – 2009 -2012 One of the four Physicians selected from India for the second and final cohort of Leadership Development Initiative in Palliative Care by Ohio Health, USA 2012- 2014
  • Faculty, Department of Medical Education, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, 2013 -2017
  • Undergraduate research mentor, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2010- 2017
  • Coordinator Interns posting, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2016 – 2017
  • In-patient palliative care unit Lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, UK- January 2018 – June 2019
  • Professor and HOD, Department of Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi – 2019 - 2025
  • PhD guide at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences
  • Scientific committee member – Indian Association of Palliative Care conferences – 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2025
  • Organizing committee member – Amrita International Public Health Conference 2023
  • Amrita Annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Chairperson 2024
  • Amrita annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Co-chair 2025 o) Best poster prizes in National Conferences in 2003, 2011 and 2017
  • Talks & Publications

  • M S, B., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruyt, O., Venkateswaran, C., K C, R., K, R., B, S., & D K, V. (2025). Correlation between spiritual well-being and quality of life among patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care in a tertiary cancer centre in Northern Kerala, India: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 15(11), e107071. Click Here
  • Biji, M. S., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruijt, O., Venkateswaran, C., Rajashree, K. C., Ratheesan, K., & Balasubramanian, S. (2024). Linguistic Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual-Well-being-Expanded Version 4 Tool into Malayalam Language and its Feasibility in Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care. Indian journal of palliative care, 30(4), 358–365. Click Here
  • Ghoshal, A., Joad, A. K., Spruijt, O., Nair, S., Rajagopal, M. R., Patel, F., Damani, A., Deodhar, J., Goswami, D., Joshi, G., Butola, S., Singh, C., Rao, S. R., Bhatwadekar, M., Muckaden, M. A., & Bhatnagar, S. (2022). Situational analysis of the quality of palliative care services across India: a cross-sectional survey. Ecancermedicalscience, 16, 1486. Click Here
  • Fernando, G. V. M. C., & Nair, S. N. (2021). A Typical Perplexing Life-sustaining Therapy Decision at the End of life: A Case Report from Sri Lanka with Attributes Potentially worth Adopting from the UK Legislature. Indian journal of palliative care, 27(2), 345–348. Click Here
  • Nair, S. (2021). Incorporating palliative care principles to improve symptom control and quality of life in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. Pulmon, 23(3), 139-144.
  • Pai RS, Nair S N, Tarey SD (2021) Fatal tetanus in a patient with carcinoma of the breast- A case report. Indian J Palliative Care, doi :10.25259/IJPC_43_21
  • Daniel, S., Venkateswaran, C., Sunder, P., Nair, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Manuel, A. J., Raghavan, B., Kumar, M. M. S., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Rao, S., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., Spruijt, O., Rajagopal, M. R., & Leng, M. (2020). Responding to Palliative Care Training Needs in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era: The Context and Process of Developing and Disseminating Training Resources and Guidance for Low- and Middle-Income Countries from Kerala, South India. Indian journal of palliative care, 26(Suppl 1), S8–S16. Click Here
  • Rao, S. R., Spruijt, O., Sunder, P., Daniel, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Nair, S., Leng, M., Sunil Kumar, M. M., Raghavan, B., Manuel, A. J., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., & Venkateswaran, C. (2020). Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 in the Context of Palliative Care - A Quick Review. Indian journal of palliative care, 26 (Suppl 1), S116–S120. Click Here
  • Harding, R., Nair, S., & Ekstrand, M. (2019). Multilevel model of stigma and barriers to cancer palliative care in India: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 9(3), e024248. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024248
  • Lloyd, J., Pinto, A. M., Nair, S., & Tarey, S. (2019). A Qualitative Study on Palliative Needs of Stroke Patients in an Indian Tertiary Care Setting - Doctors' Perspective. Indian journal of palliative care, 25(1), 84–91. Click Here
  • Austine, J., Nair, S., & Mirza, K. (2016). Perspective of Orthopedists on Pain Management in Osteoarthritis: A Qualitative Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(4), 410–415.
  • Click Here
  • Krishnaswamy, P., & Nair, S. (2016). Effect of Music Therapy on Pain and Anxiety Levels of Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(3), 307–311. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.185042
  • Menezes, V. H., Nair, S. N., Soumya, M. S., & Tarey, S. D. (2016). Prescription Pattern of Analgesic Drugs for Patients Receiving Palliative Care in a Teaching Hospital in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 63–66. Click Here
  • Nair, S., Mary, T. R., Tarey, S. D., Daniel, S. P., & Austine, J. (2016). Prevalence of Hyponatremia in Palliative Care Patients. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 33–37. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.173954
  • Nair, S., Tarey, S. D., Barathi, B., Mary, T. R., Mathew, L., & Daniel, S. P. (2016). Experience in Strategic Networking to Promote Palliative Care in a Clinical Academic Setting in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 3–8. Click Here
  • Nair, S. N., Mary, T. R., Prarthana, S., & Harrison, P. (2009). Prevalence of Pain in Patients with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-sectional Survey in a South Indian State. Indian journal of palliative care, 15(1), 67–70. Click Here
  • Velayudhan, Y., Ollapally, M., Upadhyaya, V., Nair, S.N., & Aldo, M. (2004). Introduction of palliative care into undergraduate medical and nursing education in India: A critical evaluation. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 10, 55.
  • Book chapters
  • e- Book on Palliative Care in Covid -19, Palliative-Care-in-COVID-19-Resource-Tool-Kit-for-LMIC-V
  • Nair S. (2019). Palliative Care in Neurological Diseases. In: Prabhakar H., Ali Z. (eds) Textbook of Neuroanesthesia and Neurocritical Care. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3390-3_20. Currently working on the next edition.
  • Nair S. Management of Heart Failure. In: Handbook for Certificate course in Essentials of Palliative Care. (5th ed). 2017.P- 126-132. Published by Indian Association of Palliative Care
  • Nair S. Chapter on Pain and its Management, for a book titled, St. John’s Handbook of Rehabilitation. 2014 . P-345-355.Kindle Edition
  • Periodicals/ News papers
  • Pain – a Fearful enigma . Article in “ The New Indian Express, Kochi. September 21, 2021
  • Why Hospice studies needs prominence – Quoted under Course curriculum. Times of India. Delhi, Lucknow, Pune edition. 11th October, 2021
  • Health Action , periodical from Catholic Health Association of India, February 2012, on managing pain and an expert interview on Palliative Medicine
  • Accepted for publication
  • Perception About Palliative Medicine Among Other Specialty Trainees With the
  • Introduction of Postgraduate Training in Palliative Medicine in a South Asian Teaching
  • Hospital: An observational study – Amrita Journal of Medicine (DOAJ indexed journal)
  • Submitted for publication
  • A retrospective narrative review of DNI/DNR conversations and experiential learning using reflective methodology – Indian Journal of Palliative care (revised and resubmitted)
  • Audit
  • Audit of documentation of morphine prescription for cancer patients receiving palliative care in a teaching tertiary care hospital. St. John’s, Bangalore
  • Audit on prescription of laxatives for patients on opioids in a palliative care unit, Sheffield Teaching Hospital, UK
  • Current Research
  • Prevalence of insomnia and its pharmacologic management in cancer patients receiving palliative care: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary care teaching hospital in Kerala
  • Less is More: A prospective Interventional Study on Deprescribing co-morbidity medication in Palliative Cancer patients in EoL
  • Exploring Family Members’ Perceptions about collusion in Metastatic Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A cross-sectional survey
  • Guiding a PhD student a t Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences on validation of FACIT – Sp, spirituality tool and its feasibility to assess spiritual issues in advanced cancer patients
  • Caregiver burden among the primary caregivers of patients with stage 3 and 4 head and neck cancer in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala – A mixed method study
  • Utilization and Efficacy of Subcutaneous antibiotics in a Palliative Care Environment – A Case Series
  • Use of Dual Opioid for Enhanced Pain Relief - An Observational Study
  • An Ambi-spective observational study on Role of Inflammatory Biomarkers in
  • predicting survival outcomes in patients with Advanced Cancer receiving Palliative care
  • Working on a research proposal for PhD at Lancaster university
  • Innumerable International and National presentations

    Fellowship & Membership

  • Indian Medical AssociationMember - Life member
  • Royal College of Physicians London - Annual membership
  • Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) - Life member
  • Indian Academy of Geriatrics - Life member
  • American society of Clinical Oncology - On line Membership
  • Overview

  • Dr. Shoba Narayanan Nair is a distinguished Senior Physician and academician with over three decades of experience spanning clinical care, teaching, and leadership across India and the United Kingdom. She is currently practicing as a Senior Consultant at Manipal Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru. Widely respected for her compassionate, patient-centred approach, Dr. Nair is a leading authority in Internal Medicine, with advanced expertise in Geriatrics and Palliative Care.

  • Her medical practice is deeply rooted in ethics, empathy, and evidence-based care, with a strong focus on enhancing quality of life for patients. Dr. Nair is especially known for her holistic approach to managing elderly patients and individuals living with chronic or life-limiting illnesses, ensuring dignity, comfort, and comprehensive clinical support at every stage of care.

  • Dr. Nair’s academic and professional credentials reflect her international training and depth of specialization. She holds an MBBS from Government Medical College, Alappuzha, an MD in Internal Medicine from St. John’s Medical College, Karnataka, and MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. She further strengthened her expertise with an MSc in Palliative Medicine from Edith Cowan University, Australia, along with certification in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. During her tenure in the UK, she served as a Specialist Registrar in Palliative Medicine. After returning to India, she assumed key academic leadership roles, including Professor and Head of the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine.

  • Clinically, Dr. Nair practices across the full spectrum of adult medicine, with special focus on geriatric care, chronic disease management, and pain and palliative medicine. Her expertise includes managing multi-morbidity in the elderly, cancer and non-cancer pain, advanced organ-system diseases, and end-of-life care. She is skilled in essential clinical procedures and is particularly adept at guiding patients and families through complex discussions on prognosis, goals of care, and advanced care planning, while also addressing psychosocial and spiritual needs.

  • In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Nair is a committed medical educator and researcher. She has served as National Faculty for the Indian Association of Palliative Care and has played a key role in curriculum development in palliative medicine. With numerous publications in international journals, she is also a regular moderator and invited speaker at major national and global conferences, including IAPCON and PULMICON. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and Tamil, Dr. Nair brings both clinical excellence and cultural sensitivity to her practice and teaching.

  • Field of Expertise

  • Pain and Symptom Management
  • Cancer and Non-Cancer Palliative Care
  • End-of-Life Care & Advance Care Planning
  • Geriatric and Chronic Illness Care
  • Medical Education & Curriculum Development
  • Languages Spoken

  • Kannada
  • Malayalam
  • Tamil
  • Hindi
  • English
  • Telugu (Limited)
  • Awards & Achievements

  • Palliative Care lead in C20 India as part of G20 program in India in 2023
  • Member of the first board, appointed by MCI for curriculum and guideline development for a post graduate course in Palliative Medicine (MD) – 2011 – 2014
  • Faculty, Indian Association of Palliative Care for conducting various courses in palliative care – 2008 till date
  • In- charge head, Department of Palliative Medicine at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore – 2009 -2012 One of the four Physicians selected from India for the second and final cohort of Leadership Development Initiative in Palliative Care by Ohio Health, USA 2012- 2014
  • Faculty, Department of Medical Education, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, 2013 -2017
  • Undergraduate research mentor, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2010- 2017
  • Coordinator Interns posting, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2016 – 2017
  • In-patient palliative care unit Lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, UK- January 2018 – June 2019
  • Professor and HOD, Department of Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi – 2019 - 2025
  • PhD guide at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences
  • Scientific committee member – Indian Association of Palliative Care conferences – 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2025
  • Organizing committee member – Amrita International Public Health Conference 2023
  • Amrita Annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Chairperson 2024
  • Amrita annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Co-chair 2025 o) Best poster prizes in National Conferences in 2003, 2011 and 2017
  • Talks & Publications

  • M S, B., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruyt, O., Venkateswaran, C., K C, R., K, R., B, S., & D K, V. (2025). Correlation between spiritual well-being and quality of life among patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care in a tertiary cancer centre in Northern Kerala, India: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 15(11), e107071. Click Here
  • Biji, M. S., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruijt, O., Venkateswaran, C., Rajashree, K. C., Ratheesan, K., & Balasubramanian, S. (2024). Linguistic Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual-Well-being-Expanded Version 4 Tool into Malayalam Language and its Feasibility in Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care. Indian journal of palliative care, 30(4), 358–365. Click Here
  • Ghoshal, A., Joad, A. K., Spruijt, O., Nair, S., Rajagopal, M. R., Patel, F., Damani, A., Deodhar, J., Goswami, D., Joshi, G., Butola, S., Singh, C., Rao, S. R., Bhatwadekar, M., Muckaden, M. A., & Bhatnagar, S. (2022). Situational analysis of the quality of palliative care services across India: a cross-sectional survey. Ecancermedicalscience, 16, 1486. Click Here
  • Fernando, G. V. M. C., & Nair, S. N. (2021). A Typical Perplexing Life-sustaining Therapy Decision at the End of life: A Case Report from Sri Lanka with Attributes Potentially worth Adopting from the UK Legislature. Indian journal of palliative care, 27(2), 345–348. Click Here
  • Nair, S. (2021). Incorporating palliative care principles to improve symptom control and quality of life in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. Pulmon, 23(3), 139-144.
  • Pai RS, Nair S N, Tarey SD (2021) Fatal tetanus in a patient with carcinoma of the breast- A case report. Indian J Palliative Care, doi :10.25259/IJPC_43_21
  • Daniel, S., Venkateswaran, C., Sunder, P., Nair, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Manuel, A. J., Raghavan, B., Kumar, M. M. S., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Rao, S., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., Spruijt, O., Rajagopal, M. R., & Leng, M. (2020). Responding to Palliative Care Training Needs in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era: The Context and Process of Developing and Disseminating Training Resources and Guidance for Low- and Middle-Income Countries from Kerala, South India. Indian journal of palliative care, 26(Suppl 1), S8–S16. Click Here
  • Rao, S. R., Spruijt, O., Sunder, P., Daniel, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Nair, S., Leng, M., Sunil Kumar, M. M., Raghavan, B., Manuel, A. J., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., & Venkateswaran, C. (2020). Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 in the Context of Palliative Care - A Quick Review. Indian journal of palliative care, 26 (Suppl 1), S116–S120. Click Here
  • Harding, R., Nair, S., & Ekstrand, M. (2019). Multilevel model of stigma and barriers to cancer palliative care in India: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 9(3), e024248. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024248
  • Lloyd, J., Pinto, A. M., Nair, S., & Tarey, S. (2019). A Qualitative Study on Palliative Needs of Stroke Patients in an Indian Tertiary Care Setting - Doctors' Perspective. Indian journal of palliative care, 25(1), 84–91. Click Here
  • Austine, J., Nair, S., & Mirza, K. (2016). Perspective of Orthopedists on Pain Management in Osteoarthritis: A Qualitative Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(4), 410–415.
  • Click Here
  • Krishnaswamy, P., & Nair, S. (2016). Effect of Music Therapy on Pain and Anxiety Levels of Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(3), 307–311. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.185042
  • Menezes, V. H., Nair, S. N., Soumya, M. S., & Tarey, S. D. (2016). Prescription Pattern of Analgesic Drugs for Patients Receiving Palliative Care in a Teaching Hospital in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 63–66. Click Here
  • Nair, S., Mary, T. R., Tarey, S. D., Daniel, S. P., & Austine, J. (2016). Prevalence of Hyponatremia in Palliative Care Patients. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 33–37. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.173954
  • Nair, S., Tarey, S. D., Barathi, B., Mary, T. R., Mathew, L., & Daniel, S. P. (2016). Experience in Strategic Networking to Promote Palliative Care in a Clinical Academic Setting in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 3–8. Click Here
  • Nair, S. N., Mary, T. R., Prarthana, S., & Harrison, P. (2009). Prevalence of Pain in Patients with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-sectional Survey in a South Indian State. Indian journal of palliative care, 15(1), 67–70. Click Here
  • Velayudhan, Y., Ollapally, M., Upadhyaya, V., Nair, S.N., & Aldo, M. (2004). Introduction of palliative care into undergraduate medical and nursing education in India: A critical evaluation. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 10, 55.
  • Book chapters
  • e- Book on Palliative Care in Covid -19, Palliative-Care-in-COVID-19-Resource-Tool-Kit-for-LMIC-V
  • Nair S. (2019). Palliative Care in Neurological Diseases. In: Prabhakar H., Ali Z. (eds) Textbook of Neuroanesthesia and Neurocritical Care. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3390-3_20. Currently working on the next edition.
  • Nair S. Management of Heart Failure. In: Handbook for Certificate course in Essentials of Palliative Care. (5th ed). 2017.P- 126-132. Published by Indian Association of Palliative Care
  • Nair S. Chapter on Pain and its Management, for a book titled, St. John’s Handbook of Rehabilitation. 2014 . P-345-355.Kindle Edition
  • Periodicals/ News papers
  • Pain – a Fearful enigma . Article in “ The New Indian Express, Kochi. September 21, 2021
  • Why Hospice studies needs prominence – Quoted under Course curriculum. Times of India. Delhi, Lucknow, Pune edition. 11th October, 2021
  • Health Action , periodical from Catholic Health Association of India, February 2012, on managing pain and an expert interview on Palliative Medicine
  • Accepted for publication
  • Perception About Palliative Medicine Among Other Specialty Trainees With the
  • Introduction of Postgraduate Training in Palliative Medicine in a South Asian Teaching
  • Hospital: An observational study – Amrita Journal of Medicine (DOAJ indexed journal)
  • Submitted for publication
  • A retrospective narrative review of DNI/DNR conversations and experiential learning using reflective methodology – Indian Journal of Palliative care (revised and resubmitted)
  • Audit
  • Audit of documentation of morphine prescription for cancer patients receiving palliative care in a teaching tertiary care hospital. St. John’s, Bangalore
  • Audit on prescription of laxatives for patients on opioids in a palliative care unit, Sheffield Teaching Hospital, UK
  • Current Research
  • Prevalence of insomnia and its pharmacologic management in cancer patients receiving palliative care: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary care teaching hospital in Kerala
  • Less is More: A prospective Interventional Study on Deprescribing co-morbidity medication in Palliative Cancer patients in EoL
  • Exploring Family Members’ Perceptions about collusion in Metastatic Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A cross-sectional survey
  • Guiding a PhD student a t Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences on validation of FACIT – Sp, spirituality tool and its feasibility to assess spiritual issues in advanced cancer patients
  • Caregiver burden among the primary caregivers of patients with stage 3 and 4 head and neck cancer in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala – A mixed method study
  • Utilization and Efficacy of Subcutaneous antibiotics in a Palliative Care Environment – A Case Series
  • Use of Dual Opioid for Enhanced Pain Relief - An Observational Study
  • An Ambi-spective observational study on Role of Inflammatory Biomarkers in
  • predicting survival outcomes in patients with Advanced Cancer receiving Palliative care
  • Working on a research proposal for PhD at Lancaster university
  • Innumerable International and National presentations

    Languages Spoken

  • Kannada
  • Malayalam
  • Tamil
  • Hindi
  • English
  • Telugu (Limited)
  • Overview

  • Dr. Shoba Narayanan Nair is a distinguished Senior Physician and academician with over three decades of experience spanning clinical care, teaching, and leadership across India and the United Kingdom. She is currently practicing as a Senior Consultant at Manipal Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru. Widely respected for her compassionate, patient-centred approach, Dr. Nair is a leading authority in Internal Medicine, with advanced expertise in Geriatrics and Palliative Care.

  • Her medical practice is deeply rooted in ethics, empathy, and evidence-based care, with a strong focus on enhancing quality of life for patients. Dr. Nair is especially known for her holistic approach to managing elderly patients and individuals living with chronic or life-limiting illnesses, ensuring dignity, comfort, and comprehensive clinical support at every stage of care.

  • Dr. Nair’s academic and professional credentials reflect her international training and depth of specialization. She holds an MBBS from Government Medical College, Alappuzha, an MD in Internal Medicine from St. John’s Medical College, Karnataka, and MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. She further strengthened her expertise with an MSc in Palliative Medicine from Edith Cowan University, Australia, along with certification in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. During her tenure in the UK, she served as a Specialist Registrar in Palliative Medicine. After returning to India, she assumed key academic leadership roles, including Professor and Head of the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine.

  • Clinically, Dr. Nair practices across the full spectrum of adult medicine, with special focus on geriatric care, chronic disease management, and pain and palliative medicine. Her expertise includes managing multi-morbidity in the elderly, cancer and non-cancer pain, advanced organ-system diseases, and end-of-life care. She is skilled in essential clinical procedures and is particularly adept at guiding patients and families through complex discussions on prognosis, goals of care, and advanced care planning, while also addressing psychosocial and spiritual needs.

  • In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Nair is a committed medical educator and researcher. She has served as National Faculty for the Indian Association of Palliative Care and has played a key role in curriculum development in palliative medicine. With numerous publications in international journals, she is also a regular moderator and invited speaker at major national and global conferences, including IAPCON and PULMICON. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and Tamil, Dr. Nair brings both clinical excellence and cultural sensitivity to her practice and teaching.

  • Fellowship & Membership

  • Indian Medical AssociationMember - Life member
  • Royal College of Physicians London - Annual membership
  • Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) - Life member
  • Indian Academy of Geriatrics - Life member
  • American society of Clinical Oncology - On line Membership
  • Field of Expertise

  • Pain and Symptom Management
  • Cancer and Non-Cancer Palliative Care
  • End-of-Life Care & Advance Care Planning
  • Geriatric and Chronic Illness Care
  • Medical Education & Curriculum Development
  • Awards & Achievements

  • Palliative Care lead in C20 India as part of G20 program in India in 2023
  • Member of the first board, appointed by MCI for curriculum and guideline development for a post graduate course in Palliative Medicine (MD) – 2011 – 2014
  • Faculty, Indian Association of Palliative Care for conducting various courses in palliative care – 2008 till date
  • In- charge head, Department of Palliative Medicine at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore – 2009 -2012 One of the four Physicians selected from India for the second and final cohort of Leadership Development Initiative in Palliative Care by Ohio Health, USA 2012- 2014
  • Faculty, Department of Medical Education, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, 2013 -2017
  • Undergraduate research mentor, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2010- 2017
  • Coordinator Interns posting, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2016 – 2017
  • In-patient palliative care unit Lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, UK- January 2018 – June 2019
  • Professor and HOD, Department of Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi – 2019 - 2025
  • PhD guide at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences
  • Scientific committee member – Indian Association of Palliative Care conferences – 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2025
  • Organizing committee member – Amrita International Public Health Conference 2023
  • Amrita Annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Chairperson 2024
  • Amrita annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Co-chair 2025 o) Best poster prizes in National Conferences in 2003, 2011 and 2017
  • Talks & Publications

  • M S, B., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruyt, O., Venkateswaran, C., K C, R., K, R., B, S., & D K, V. (2025). Correlation between spiritual well-being and quality of life among patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care in a tertiary cancer centre in Northern Kerala, India: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 15(11), e107071. Click Here
  • Biji, M. S., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruijt, O., Venkateswaran, C., Rajashree, K. C., Ratheesan, K., & Balasubramanian, S. (2024). Linguistic Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual-Well-being-Expanded Version 4 Tool into Malayalam Language and its Feasibility in Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care. Indian journal of palliative care, 30(4), 358–365. Click Here
  • Ghoshal, A., Joad, A. K., Spruijt, O., Nair, S., Rajagopal, M. R., Patel, F., Damani, A., Deodhar, J., Goswami, D., Joshi, G., Butola, S., Singh, C., Rao, S. R., Bhatwadekar, M., Muckaden, M. A., & Bhatnagar, S. (2022). Situational analysis of the quality of palliative care services across India: a cross-sectional survey. Ecancermedicalscience, 16, 1486. Click Here
  • Fernando, G. V. M. C., & Nair, S. N. (2021). A Typical Perplexing Life-sustaining Therapy Decision at the End of life: A Case Report from Sri Lanka with Attributes Potentially worth Adopting from the UK Legislature. Indian journal of palliative care, 27(2), 345–348. Click Here
  • Nair, S. (2021). Incorporating palliative care principles to improve symptom control and quality of life in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. Pulmon, 23(3), 139-144.
  • Pai RS, Nair S N, Tarey SD (2021) Fatal tetanus in a patient with carcinoma of the breast- A case report. Indian J Palliative Care, doi :10.25259/IJPC_43_21
  • Daniel, S., Venkateswaran, C., Sunder, P., Nair, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Manuel, A. J., Raghavan, B., Kumar, M. M. S., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Rao, S., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., Spruijt, O., Rajagopal, M. R., & Leng, M. (2020). Responding to Palliative Care Training Needs in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era: The Context and Process of Developing and Disseminating Training Resources and Guidance for Low- and Middle-Income Countries from Kerala, South India. Indian journal of palliative care, 26(Suppl 1), S8–S16. Click Here
  • Rao, S. R., Spruijt, O., Sunder, P., Daniel, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Nair, S., Leng, M., Sunil Kumar, M. M., Raghavan, B., Manuel, A. J., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., & Venkateswaran, C. (2020). Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 in the Context of Palliative Care - A Quick Review. Indian journal of palliative care, 26 (Suppl 1), S116–S120. Click Here
  • Harding, R., Nair, S., & Ekstrand, M. (2019). Multilevel model of stigma and barriers to cancer palliative care in India: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 9(3), e024248. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024248
  • Lloyd, J., Pinto, A. M., Nair, S., & Tarey, S. (2019). A Qualitative Study on Palliative Needs of Stroke Patients in an Indian Tertiary Care Setting - Doctors' Perspective. Indian journal of palliative care, 25(1), 84–91. Click Here
  • Austine, J., Nair, S., & Mirza, K. (2016). Perspective of Orthopedists on Pain Management in Osteoarthritis: A Qualitative Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(4), 410–415.
  • Click Here
  • Krishnaswamy, P., & Nair, S. (2016). Effect of Music Therapy on Pain and Anxiety Levels of Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(3), 307–311. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.185042
  • Menezes, V. H., Nair, S. N., Soumya, M. S., & Tarey, S. D. (2016). Prescription Pattern of Analgesic Drugs for Patients Receiving Palliative Care in a Teaching Hospital in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 63–66. Click Here
  • Nair, S., Mary, T. R., Tarey, S. D., Daniel, S. P., & Austine, J. (2016). Prevalence of Hyponatremia in Palliative Care Patients. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 33–37. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.173954
  • Nair, S., Tarey, S. D., Barathi, B., Mary, T. R., Mathew, L., & Daniel, S. P. (2016). Experience in Strategic Networking to Promote Palliative Care in a Clinical Academic Setting in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 3–8. Click Here
  • Nair, S. N., Mary, T. R., Prarthana, S., & Harrison, P. (2009). Prevalence of Pain in Patients with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-sectional Survey in a South Indian State. Indian journal of palliative care, 15(1), 67–70. Click Here
  • Velayudhan, Y., Ollapally, M., Upadhyaya, V., Nair, S.N., & Aldo, M. (2004). Introduction of palliative care into undergraduate medical and nursing education in India: A critical evaluation. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 10, 55.
  • Book chapters
  • e- Book on Palliative Care in Covid -19, Palliative-Care-in-COVID-19-Resource-Tool-Kit-for-LMIC-V
  • Nair S. (2019). Palliative Care in Neurological Diseases. In: Prabhakar H., Ali Z. (eds) Textbook of Neuroanesthesia and Neurocritical Care. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3390-3_20. Currently working on the next edition.
  • Nair S. Management of Heart Failure. In: Handbook for Certificate course in Essentials of Palliative Care. (5th ed). 2017.P- 126-132. Published by Indian Association of Palliative Care
  • Nair S. Chapter on Pain and its Management, for a book titled, St. John’s Handbook of Rehabilitation. 2014 . P-345-355.Kindle Edition
  • Periodicals/ News papers
  • Pain – a Fearful enigma . Article in “ The New Indian Express, Kochi. September 21, 2021
  • Why Hospice studies needs prominence – Quoted under Course curriculum. Times of India. Delhi, Lucknow, Pune edition. 11th October, 2021
  • Health Action , periodical from Catholic Health Association of India, February 2012, on managing pain and an expert interview on Palliative Medicine
  • Accepted for publication
  • Perception About Palliative Medicine Among Other Specialty Trainees With the
  • Introduction of Postgraduate Training in Palliative Medicine in a South Asian Teaching
  • Hospital: An observational study – Amrita Journal of Medicine (DOAJ indexed journal)
  • Submitted for publication
  • A retrospective narrative review of DNI/DNR conversations and experiential learning using reflective methodology – Indian Journal of Palliative care (revised and resubmitted)
  • Audit
  • Audit of documentation of morphine prescription for cancer patients receiving palliative care in a teaching tertiary care hospital. St. John’s, Bangalore
  • Audit on prescription of laxatives for patients on opioids in a palliative care unit, Sheffield Teaching Hospital, UK
  • Current Research
  • Prevalence of insomnia and its pharmacologic management in cancer patients receiving palliative care: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary care teaching hospital in Kerala
  • Less is More: A prospective Interventional Study on Deprescribing co-morbidity medication in Palliative Cancer patients in EoL
  • Exploring Family Members’ Perceptions about collusion in Metastatic Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A cross-sectional survey
  • Guiding a PhD student a t Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences on validation of FACIT – Sp, spirituality tool and its feasibility to assess spiritual issues in advanced cancer patients
  • Caregiver burden among the primary caregivers of patients with stage 3 and 4 head and neck cancer in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala – A mixed method study
  • Utilization and Efficacy of Subcutaneous antibiotics in a Palliative Care Environment – A Case Series
  • Use of Dual Opioid for Enhanced Pain Relief - An Observational Study
  • An Ambi-spective observational study on Role of Inflammatory Biomarkers in
  • predicting survival outcomes in patients with Advanced Cancer receiving Palliative care
  • Working on a research proposal for PhD at Lancaster university
  • Innumerable International and National presentations

    Field of Expertise

  • Pain and Symptom Management
  • Cancer and Non-Cancer Palliative Care
  • End-of-Life Care & Advance Care Planning
  • Geriatric and Chronic Illness Care
  • Medical Education & Curriculum Development
  • Fellowship & Membership

  • Indian Medical AssociationMember - Life member
  • Royal College of Physicians London - Annual membership
  • Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) - Life member
  • Indian Academy of Geriatrics - Life member
  • American society of Clinical Oncology - On line Membership
  • Languages Spoken

  • Kannada
  • Malayalam
  • Tamil
  • Hindi
  • English
  • Telugu (Limited)
  • Awards & Achievements

  • Palliative Care lead in C20 India as part of G20 program in India in 2023
  • Member of the first board, appointed by MCI for curriculum and guideline development for a post graduate course in Palliative Medicine (MD) – 2011 – 2014
  • Faculty, Indian Association of Palliative Care for conducting various courses in palliative care – 2008 till date
  • In- charge head, Department of Palliative Medicine at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore – 2009 -2012 One of the four Physicians selected from India for the second and final cohort of Leadership Development Initiative in Palliative Care by Ohio Health, USA 2012- 2014
  • Faculty, Department of Medical Education, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, 2013 -2017
  • Undergraduate research mentor, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2010- 2017
  • Coordinator Interns posting, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2016 – 2017
  • In-patient palliative care unit Lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, UK- January 2018 – June 2019
  • Professor and HOD, Department of Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi – 2019 - 2025
  • PhD guide at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences
  • Scientific committee member – Indian Association of Palliative Care conferences – 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2025
  • Organizing committee member – Amrita International Public Health Conference 2023
  • Amrita Annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Chairperson 2024
  • Amrita annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Co-chair 2025 o) Best poster prizes in National Conferences in 2003, 2011 and 2017
  • Talks & Publications

  • M S, B., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruyt, O., Venkateswaran, C., K C, R., K, R., B, S., & D K, V. (2025). Correlation between spiritual well-being and quality of life among patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care in a tertiary cancer centre in Northern Kerala, India: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 15(11), e107071. Click Here
  • Biji, M. S., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruijt, O., Venkateswaran, C., Rajashree, K. C., Ratheesan, K., & Balasubramanian, S. (2024). Linguistic Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual-Well-being-Expanded Version 4 Tool into Malayalam Language and its Feasibility in Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care. Indian journal of palliative care, 30(4), 358–365. Click Here
  • Ghoshal, A., Joad, A. K., Spruijt, O., Nair, S., Rajagopal, M. R., Patel, F., Damani, A., Deodhar, J., Goswami, D., Joshi, G., Butola, S., Singh, C., Rao, S. R., Bhatwadekar, M., Muckaden, M. A., & Bhatnagar, S. (2022). Situational analysis of the quality of palliative care services across India: a cross-sectional survey. Ecancermedicalscience, 16, 1486. Click Here
  • Fernando, G. V. M. C., & Nair, S. N. (2021). A Typical Perplexing Life-sustaining Therapy Decision at the End of life: A Case Report from Sri Lanka with Attributes Potentially worth Adopting from the UK Legislature. Indian journal of palliative care, 27(2), 345–348. Click Here
  • Nair, S. (2021). Incorporating palliative care principles to improve symptom control and quality of life in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. Pulmon, 23(3), 139-144.
  • Pai RS, Nair S N, Tarey SD (2021) Fatal tetanus in a patient with carcinoma of the breast- A case report. Indian J Palliative Care, doi :10.25259/IJPC_43_21
  • Daniel, S., Venkateswaran, C., Sunder, P., Nair, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Manuel, A. J., Raghavan, B., Kumar, M. M. S., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Rao, S., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., Spruijt, O., Rajagopal, M. R., & Leng, M. (2020). Responding to Palliative Care Training Needs in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era: The Context and Process of Developing and Disseminating Training Resources and Guidance for Low- and Middle-Income Countries from Kerala, South India. Indian journal of palliative care, 26(Suppl 1), S8–S16. Click Here
  • Rao, S. R., Spruijt, O., Sunder, P., Daniel, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Nair, S., Leng, M., Sunil Kumar, M. M., Raghavan, B., Manuel, A. J., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., & Venkateswaran, C. (2020). Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 in the Context of Palliative Care - A Quick Review. Indian journal of palliative care, 26 (Suppl 1), S116–S120. Click Here
  • Harding, R., Nair, S., & Ekstrand, M. (2019). Multilevel model of stigma and barriers to cancer palliative care in India: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 9(3), e024248. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024248
  • Lloyd, J., Pinto, A. M., Nair, S., & Tarey, S. (2019). A Qualitative Study on Palliative Needs of Stroke Patients in an Indian Tertiary Care Setting - Doctors' Perspective. Indian journal of palliative care, 25(1), 84–91. Click Here
  • Austine, J., Nair, S., & Mirza, K. (2016). Perspective of Orthopedists on Pain Management in Osteoarthritis: A Qualitative Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(4), 410–415.
  • Click Here
  • Krishnaswamy, P., & Nair, S. (2016). Effect of Music Therapy on Pain and Anxiety Levels of Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(3), 307–311. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.185042
  • Menezes, V. H., Nair, S. N., Soumya, M. S., & Tarey, S. D. (2016). Prescription Pattern of Analgesic Drugs for Patients Receiving Palliative Care in a Teaching Hospital in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 63–66. Click Here
  • Nair, S., Mary, T. R., Tarey, S. D., Daniel, S. P., & Austine, J. (2016). Prevalence of Hyponatremia in Palliative Care Patients. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 33–37. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.173954
  • Nair, S., Tarey, S. D., Barathi, B., Mary, T. R., Mathew, L., & Daniel, S. P. (2016). Experience in Strategic Networking to Promote Palliative Care in a Clinical Academic Setting in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 3–8. Click Here
  • Nair, S. N., Mary, T. R., Prarthana, S., & Harrison, P. (2009). Prevalence of Pain in Patients with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-sectional Survey in a South Indian State. Indian journal of palliative care, 15(1), 67–70. Click Here
  • Velayudhan, Y., Ollapally, M., Upadhyaya, V., Nair, S.N., & Aldo, M. (2004). Introduction of palliative care into undergraduate medical and nursing education in India: A critical evaluation. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 10, 55.
  • Book chapters
  • e- Book on Palliative Care in Covid -19, Palliative-Care-in-COVID-19-Resource-Tool-Kit-for-LMIC-V
  • Nair S. (2019). Palliative Care in Neurological Diseases. In: Prabhakar H., Ali Z. (eds) Textbook of Neuroanesthesia and Neurocritical Care. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3390-3_20. Currently working on the next edition.
  • Nair S. Management of Heart Failure. In: Handbook for Certificate course in Essentials of Palliative Care. (5th ed). 2017.P- 126-132. Published by Indian Association of Palliative Care
  • Nair S. Chapter on Pain and its Management, for a book titled, St. John’s Handbook of Rehabilitation. 2014 . P-345-355.Kindle Edition
  • Periodicals/ News papers
  • Pain – a Fearful enigma . Article in “ The New Indian Express, Kochi. September 21, 2021
  • Why Hospice studies needs prominence – Quoted under Course curriculum. Times of India. Delhi, Lucknow, Pune edition. 11th October, 2021
  • Health Action , periodical from Catholic Health Association of India, February 2012, on managing pain and an expert interview on Palliative Medicine
  • Accepted for publication
  • Perception About Palliative Medicine Among Other Specialty Trainees With the
  • Introduction of Postgraduate Training in Palliative Medicine in a South Asian Teaching
  • Hospital: An observational study – Amrita Journal of Medicine (DOAJ indexed journal)
  • Submitted for publication
  • A retrospective narrative review of DNI/DNR conversations and experiential learning using reflective methodology – Indian Journal of Palliative care (revised and resubmitted)
  • Audit
  • Audit of documentation of morphine prescription for cancer patients receiving palliative care in a teaching tertiary care hospital. St. John’s, Bangalore
  • Audit on prescription of laxatives for patients on opioids in a palliative care unit, Sheffield Teaching Hospital, UK
  • Current Research
  • Prevalence of insomnia and its pharmacologic management in cancer patients receiving palliative care: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary care teaching hospital in Kerala
  • Less is More: A prospective Interventional Study on Deprescribing co-morbidity medication in Palliative Cancer patients in EoL
  • Exploring Family Members’ Perceptions about collusion in Metastatic Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A cross-sectional survey
  • Guiding a PhD student a t Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences on validation of FACIT – Sp, spirituality tool and its feasibility to assess spiritual issues in advanced cancer patients
  • Caregiver burden among the primary caregivers of patients with stage 3 and 4 head and neck cancer in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala – A mixed method study
  • Utilization and Efficacy of Subcutaneous antibiotics in a Palliative Care Environment – A Case Series
  • Use of Dual Opioid for Enhanced Pain Relief - An Observational Study
  • An Ambi-spective observational study on Role of Inflammatory Biomarkers in
  • predicting survival outcomes in patients with Advanced Cancer receiving Palliative care
  • Working on a research proposal for PhD at Lancaster university
  • Innumerable International and National presentations
  • Overview

  • Dr. Shoba Narayanan Nair is a distinguished Senior Physician and academician with over three decades of experience spanning clinical care, teaching, and leadership across India and the United Kingdom. She is currently practicing as a Senior Consultant at Manipal Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru. Widely respected for her compassionate, patient-centred approach, Dr. Nair is a leading authority in Internal Medicine, with advanced expertise in Geriatrics and Palliative Care.

  • Her medical practice is deeply rooted in ethics, empathy, and evidence-based care, with a strong focus on enhancing quality of life for patients. Dr. Nair is especially known for her holistic approach to managing elderly patients and individuals living with chronic or life-limiting illnesses, ensuring dignity, comfort, and comprehensive clinical support at every stage of care.

  • Dr. Nair’s academic and professional credentials reflect her international training and depth of specialization. She holds an MBBS from Government Medical College, Alappuzha, an MD in Internal Medicine from St. John’s Medical College, Karnataka, and MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. She further strengthened her expertise with an MSc in Palliative Medicine from Edith Cowan University, Australia, along with certification in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. During her tenure in the UK, she served as a Specialist Registrar in Palliative Medicine. After returning to India, she assumed key academic leadership roles, including Professor and Head of the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine.

  • Clinically, Dr. Nair practices across the full spectrum of adult medicine, with special focus on geriatric care, chronic disease management, and pain and palliative medicine. Her expertise includes managing multi-morbidity in the elderly, cancer and non-cancer pain, advanced organ-system diseases, and end-of-life care. She is skilled in essential clinical procedures and is particularly adept at guiding patients and families through complex discussions on prognosis, goals of care, and advanced care planning, while also addressing psychosocial and spiritual needs.

  • In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Nair is a committed medical educator and researcher. She has served as National Faculty for the Indian Association of Palliative Care and has played a key role in curriculum development in palliative medicine. With numerous publications in international journals, she is also a regular moderator and invited speaker at major national and global conferences, including IAPCON and PULMICON. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and Tamil, Dr. Nair brings both clinical excellence and cultural sensitivity to her practice and teaching.

    Awards & Achievements

  • Palliative Care lead in C20 India as part of G20 program in India in 2023
  • Member of the first board, appointed by MCI for curriculum and guideline development for a post graduate course in Palliative Medicine (MD) – 2011 – 2014
  • Faculty, Indian Association of Palliative Care for conducting various courses in palliative care – 2008 till date
  • In- charge head, Department of Palliative Medicine at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore – 2009 -2012 One of the four Physicians selected from India for the second and final cohort of Leadership Development Initiative in Palliative Care by Ohio Health, USA 2012- 2014
  • Faculty, Department of Medical Education, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, 2013 -2017
  • Undergraduate research mentor, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2010- 2017
  • Coordinator Interns posting, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2016 – 2017
  • In-patient palliative care unit Lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, UK- January 2018 – June 2019
  • Professor and HOD, Department of Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi – 2019 - 2025
  • PhD guide at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences
  • Scientific committee member – Indian Association of Palliative Care conferences – 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2025
  • Organizing committee member – Amrita International Public Health Conference 2023
  • Amrita Annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Chairperson 2024
  • Amrita annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Co-chair 2025 o) Best poster prizes in National Conferences in 2003, 2011 and 2017
  • Fellowship & Membership

  • Indian Medical AssociationMember - Life member
  • Royal College of Physicians London - Annual membership
  • Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) - Life member
  • Indian Academy of Geriatrics - Life member
  • American society of Clinical Oncology - On line Membership
  • Field of Expertise

  • Pain and Symptom Management
  • Cancer and Non-Cancer Palliative Care
  • End-of-Life Care & Advance Care Planning
  • Geriatric and Chronic Illness Care
  • Medical Education & Curriculum Development
  • Languages Spoken

  • Kannada
  • Malayalam
  • Tamil
  • Hindi
  • English
  • Telugu (Limited)
  • Talks & Publications

  • M S, B., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruyt, O., Venkateswaran, C., K C, R., K, R., B, S., & D K, V. (2025). Correlation between spiritual well-being and quality of life among patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care in a tertiary cancer centre in Northern Kerala, India: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 15(11), e107071. Click Here
  • Biji, M. S., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruijt, O., Venkateswaran, C., Rajashree, K. C., Ratheesan, K., & Balasubramanian, S. (2024). Linguistic Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual-Well-being-Expanded Version 4 Tool into Malayalam Language and its Feasibility in Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care. Indian journal of palliative care, 30(4), 358–365. Click Here
  • Ghoshal, A., Joad, A. K., Spruijt, O., Nair, S., Rajagopal, M. R., Patel, F., Damani, A., Deodhar, J., Goswami, D., Joshi, G., Butola, S., Singh, C., Rao, S. R., Bhatwadekar, M., Muckaden, M. A., & Bhatnagar, S. (2022). Situational analysis of the quality of palliative care services across India: a cross-sectional survey. Ecancermedicalscience, 16, 1486. Click Here
  • Fernando, G. V. M. C., & Nair, S. N. (2021). A Typical Perplexing Life-sustaining Therapy Decision at the End of life: A Case Report from Sri Lanka with Attributes Potentially worth Adopting from the UK Legislature. Indian journal of palliative care, 27(2), 345–348. Click Here
  • Nair, S. (2021). Incorporating palliative care principles to improve symptom control and quality of life in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. Pulmon, 23(3), 139-144.
  • Pai RS, Nair S N, Tarey SD (2021) Fatal tetanus in a patient with carcinoma of the breast- A case report. Indian J Palliative Care, doi :10.25259/IJPC_43_21
  • Daniel, S., Venkateswaran, C., Sunder, P., Nair, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Manuel, A. J., Raghavan, B., Kumar, M. M. S., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Rao, S., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., Spruijt, O., Rajagopal, M. R., & Leng, M. (2020). Responding to Palliative Care Training Needs in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era: The Context and Process of Developing and Disseminating Training Resources and Guidance for Low- and Middle-Income Countries from Kerala, South India. Indian journal of palliative care, 26(Suppl 1), S8–S16. Click Here
  • Rao, S. R., Spruijt, O., Sunder, P., Daniel, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Nair, S., Leng, M., Sunil Kumar, M. M., Raghavan, B., Manuel, A. J., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., & Venkateswaran, C. (2020). Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 in the Context of Palliative Care - A Quick Review. Indian journal of palliative care, 26 (Suppl 1), S116–S120. Click Here
  • Harding, R., Nair, S., & Ekstrand, M. (2019). Multilevel model of stigma and barriers to cancer palliative care in India: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 9(3), e024248. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024248
  • Lloyd, J., Pinto, A. M., Nair, S., & Tarey, S. (2019). A Qualitative Study on Palliative Needs of Stroke Patients in an Indian Tertiary Care Setting - Doctors' Perspective. Indian journal of palliative care, 25(1), 84–91. Click Here
  • Austine, J., Nair, S., & Mirza, K. (2016). Perspective of Orthopedists on Pain Management in Osteoarthritis: A Qualitative Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(4), 410–415.
  • Click Here
  • Krishnaswamy, P., & Nair, S. (2016). Effect of Music Therapy on Pain and Anxiety Levels of Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(3), 307–311. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.185042
  • Menezes, V. H., Nair, S. N., Soumya, M. S., & Tarey, S. D. (2016). Prescription Pattern of Analgesic Drugs for Patients Receiving Palliative Care in a Teaching Hospital in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 63–66. Click Here
  • Nair, S., Mary, T. R., Tarey, S. D., Daniel, S. P., & Austine, J. (2016). Prevalence of Hyponatremia in Palliative Care Patients. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 33–37. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.173954
  • Nair, S., Tarey, S. D., Barathi, B., Mary, T. R., Mathew, L., & Daniel, S. P. (2016). Experience in Strategic Networking to Promote Palliative Care in a Clinical Academic Setting in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 3–8. Click Here
  • Nair, S. N., Mary, T. R., Prarthana, S., & Harrison, P. (2009). Prevalence of Pain in Patients with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-sectional Survey in a South Indian State. Indian journal of palliative care, 15(1), 67–70. Click Here
  • Velayudhan, Y., Ollapally, M., Upadhyaya, V., Nair, S.N., & Aldo, M. (2004). Introduction of palliative care into undergraduate medical and nursing education in India: A critical evaluation. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 10, 55.
  • Book chapters
  • e- Book on Palliative Care in Covid -19, Palliative-Care-in-COVID-19-Resource-Tool-Kit-for-LMIC-V
  • Nair S. (2019). Palliative Care in Neurological Diseases. In: Prabhakar H., Ali Z. (eds) Textbook of Neuroanesthesia and Neurocritical Care. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3390-3_20. Currently working on the next edition.
  • Nair S. Management of Heart Failure. In: Handbook for Certificate course in Essentials of Palliative Care. (5th ed). 2017.P- 126-132. Published by Indian Association of Palliative Care
  • Nair S. Chapter on Pain and its Management, for a book titled, St. John’s Handbook of Rehabilitation. 2014 . P-345-355.Kindle Edition
  • Periodicals/ News papers
  • Pain – a Fearful enigma . Article in “ The New Indian Express, Kochi. September 21, 2021
  • Why Hospice studies needs prominence – Quoted under Course curriculum. Times of India. Delhi, Lucknow, Pune edition. 11th October, 2021
  • Health Action , periodical from Catholic Health Association of India, February 2012, on managing pain and an expert interview on Palliative Medicine
  • Accepted for publication
  • Perception About Palliative Medicine Among Other Specialty Trainees With the
  • Introduction of Postgraduate Training in Palliative Medicine in a South Asian Teaching
  • Hospital: An observational study – Amrita Journal of Medicine (DOAJ indexed journal)
  • Submitted for publication
  • A retrospective narrative review of DNI/DNR conversations and experiential learning using reflective methodology – Indian Journal of Palliative care (revised and resubmitted)
  • Audit
  • Audit of documentation of morphine prescription for cancer patients receiving palliative care in a teaching tertiary care hospital. St. John’s, Bangalore
  • Audit on prescription of laxatives for patients on opioids in a palliative care unit, Sheffield Teaching Hospital, UK
  • Current Research
  • Prevalence of insomnia and its pharmacologic management in cancer patients receiving palliative care: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary care teaching hospital in Kerala
  • Less is More: A prospective Interventional Study on Deprescribing co-morbidity medication in Palliative Cancer patients in EoL
  • Exploring Family Members’ Perceptions about collusion in Metastatic Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A cross-sectional survey
  • Guiding a PhD student a t Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences on validation of FACIT – Sp, spirituality tool and its feasibility to assess spiritual issues in advanced cancer patients
  • Caregiver burden among the primary caregivers of patients with stage 3 and 4 head and neck cancer in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala – A mixed method study
  • Utilization and Efficacy of Subcutaneous antibiotics in a Palliative Care Environment – A Case Series
  • Use of Dual Opioid for Enhanced Pain Relief - An Observational Study
  • An Ambi-spective observational study on Role of Inflammatory Biomarkers in
  • predicting survival outcomes in patients with Advanced Cancer receiving Palliative care
  • Working on a research proposal for PhD at Lancaster university
  • Innumerable International and National presentations
  • Overview

  • Dr. Shoba Narayanan Nair is a distinguished Senior Physician and academician with over three decades of experience spanning clinical care, teaching, and leadership across India and the United Kingdom. She is currently practicing as a Senior Consultant at Manipal Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru. Widely respected for her compassionate, patient-centred approach, Dr. Nair is a leading authority in Internal Medicine, with advanced expertise in Geriatrics and Palliative Care.

  • Her medical practice is deeply rooted in ethics, empathy, and evidence-based care, with a strong focus on enhancing quality of life for patients. Dr. Nair is especially known for her holistic approach to managing elderly patients and individuals living with chronic or life-limiting illnesses, ensuring dignity, comfort, and comprehensive clinical support at every stage of care.

  • Dr. Nair’s academic and professional credentials reflect her international training and depth of specialization. She holds an MBBS from Government Medical College, Alappuzha, an MD in Internal Medicine from St. John’s Medical College, Karnataka, and MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. She further strengthened her expertise with an MSc in Palliative Medicine from Edith Cowan University, Australia, along with certification in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. During her tenure in the UK, she served as a Specialist Registrar in Palliative Medicine. After returning to India, she assumed key academic leadership roles, including Professor and Head of the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine.

  • Clinically, Dr. Nair practices across the full spectrum of adult medicine, with special focus on geriatric care, chronic disease management, and pain and palliative medicine. Her expertise includes managing multi-morbidity in the elderly, cancer and non-cancer pain, advanced organ-system diseases, and end-of-life care. She is skilled in essential clinical procedures and is particularly adept at guiding patients and families through complex discussions on prognosis, goals of care, and advanced care planning, while also addressing psychosocial and spiritual needs.

  • In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Nair is a committed medical educator and researcher. She has served as National Faculty for the Indian Association of Palliative Care and has played a key role in curriculum development in palliative medicine. With numerous publications in international journals, she is also a regular moderator and invited speaker at major national and global conferences, including IAPCON and PULMICON. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and Tamil, Dr. Nair brings both clinical excellence and cultural sensitivity to her practice and teaching.

    Talks & Publications

  • M S, B., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruyt, O., Venkateswaran, C., K C, R., K, R., B, S., & D K, V. (2025). Correlation between spiritual well-being and quality of life among patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care in a tertiary cancer centre in Northern Kerala, India: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 15(11), e107071. Click Here
  • Biji, M. S., Nair, S., Shenoy, P. K., Spruijt, O., Venkateswaran, C., Rajashree, K. C., Ratheesan, K., & Balasubramanian, S. (2024). Linguistic Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual-Well-being-Expanded Version 4 Tool into Malayalam Language and its Feasibility in Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care. Indian journal of palliative care, 30(4), 358–365. Click Here
  • Ghoshal, A., Joad, A. K., Spruijt, O., Nair, S., Rajagopal, M. R., Patel, F., Damani, A., Deodhar, J., Goswami, D., Joshi, G., Butola, S., Singh, C., Rao, S. R., Bhatwadekar, M., Muckaden, M. A., & Bhatnagar, S. (2022). Situational analysis of the quality of palliative care services across India: a cross-sectional survey. Ecancermedicalscience, 16, 1486. Click Here
  • Fernando, G. V. M. C., & Nair, S. N. (2021). A Typical Perplexing Life-sustaining Therapy Decision at the End of life: A Case Report from Sri Lanka with Attributes Potentially worth Adopting from the UK Legislature. Indian journal of palliative care, 27(2), 345–348. Click Here
  • Nair, S. (2021). Incorporating palliative care principles to improve symptom control and quality of life in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. Pulmon, 23(3), 139-144.
  • Pai RS, Nair S N, Tarey SD (2021) Fatal tetanus in a patient with carcinoma of the breast- A case report. Indian J Palliative Care, doi :10.25259/IJPC_43_21
  • Daniel, S., Venkateswaran, C., Sunder, P., Nair, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Manuel, A. J., Raghavan, B., Kumar, M. M. S., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Rao, S., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., Spruijt, O., Rajagopal, M. R., & Leng, M. (2020). Responding to Palliative Care Training Needs in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era: The Context and Process of Developing and Disseminating Training Resources and Guidance for Low- and Middle-Income Countries from Kerala, South India. Indian journal of palliative care, 26(Suppl 1), S8–S16. Click Here
  • Rao, S. R., Spruijt, O., Sunder, P., Daniel, S., Chittazhathu, R. K., Nair, S., Leng, M., Sunil Kumar, M. M., Raghavan, B., Manuel, A. J., Rijju, V., Vijay, G., Prabhu, A. V., Parameswaran, U., & Venkateswaran, C. (2020). Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 in the Context of Palliative Care - A Quick Review. Indian journal of palliative care, 26 (Suppl 1), S116–S120. Click Here
  • Harding, R., Nair, S., & Ekstrand, M. (2019). Multilevel model of stigma and barriers to cancer palliative care in India: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 9(3), e024248. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024248
  • Lloyd, J., Pinto, A. M., Nair, S., & Tarey, S. (2019). A Qualitative Study on Palliative Needs of Stroke Patients in an Indian Tertiary Care Setting - Doctors' Perspective. Indian journal of palliative care, 25(1), 84–91. Click Here
  • Austine, J., Nair, S., & Mirza, K. (2016). Perspective of Orthopedists on Pain Management in Osteoarthritis: A Qualitative Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(4), 410–415.
  • Click Here
  • Krishnaswamy, P., & Nair, S. (2016). Effect of Music Therapy on Pain and Anxiety Levels of Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(3), 307–311. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.185042
  • Menezes, V. H., Nair, S. N., Soumya, M. S., & Tarey, S. D. (2016). Prescription Pattern of Analgesic Drugs for Patients Receiving Palliative Care in a Teaching Hospital in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 63–66. Click Here
  • Nair, S., Mary, T. R., Tarey, S. D., Daniel, S. P., & Austine, J. (2016). Prevalence of Hyponatremia in Palliative Care Patients. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 33–37. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.173954
  • Nair, S., Tarey, S. D., Barathi, B., Mary, T. R., Mathew, L., & Daniel, S. P. (2016). Experience in Strategic Networking to Promote Palliative Care in a Clinical Academic Setting in India. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 3–8. Click Here
  • Nair, S. N., Mary, T. R., Prarthana, S., & Harrison, P. (2009). Prevalence of Pain in Patients with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-sectional Survey in a South Indian State. Indian journal of palliative care, 15(1), 67–70. Click Here
  • Velayudhan, Y., Ollapally, M., Upadhyaya, V., Nair, S.N., & Aldo, M. (2004). Introduction of palliative care into undergraduate medical and nursing education in India: A critical evaluation. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 10, 55.
  • Book chapters
  • e- Book on Palliative Care in Covid -19, Palliative-Care-in-COVID-19-Resource-Tool-Kit-for-LMIC-V
  • Nair S. (2019). Palliative Care in Neurological Diseases. In: Prabhakar H., Ali Z. (eds) Textbook of Neuroanesthesia and Neurocritical Care. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3390-3_20. Currently working on the next edition.
  • Nair S. Management of Heart Failure. In: Handbook for Certificate course in Essentials of Palliative Care. (5th ed). 2017.P- 126-132. Published by Indian Association of Palliative Care
  • Nair S. Chapter on Pain and its Management, for a book titled, St. John’s Handbook of Rehabilitation. 2014 . P-345-355.Kindle Edition
  • Periodicals/ News papers
  • Pain – a Fearful enigma . Article in “ The New Indian Express, Kochi. September 21, 2021
  • Why Hospice studies needs prominence – Quoted under Course curriculum. Times of India. Delhi, Lucknow, Pune edition. 11th October, 2021
  • Health Action , periodical from Catholic Health Association of India, February 2012, on managing pain and an expert interview on Palliative Medicine
  • Accepted for publication
  • Perception About Palliative Medicine Among Other Specialty Trainees With the
  • Introduction of Postgraduate Training in Palliative Medicine in a South Asian Teaching
  • Hospital: An observational study – Amrita Journal of Medicine (DOAJ indexed journal)
  • Submitted for publication
  • A retrospective narrative review of DNI/DNR conversations and experiential learning using reflective methodology – Indian Journal of Palliative care (revised and resubmitted)
  • Audit
  • Audit of documentation of morphine prescription for cancer patients receiving palliative care in a teaching tertiary care hospital. St. John’s, Bangalore
  • Audit on prescription of laxatives for patients on opioids in a palliative care unit, Sheffield Teaching Hospital, UK
  • Current Research
  • Prevalence of insomnia and its pharmacologic management in cancer patients receiving palliative care: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary care teaching hospital in Kerala
  • Less is More: A prospective Interventional Study on Deprescribing co-morbidity medication in Palliative Cancer patients in EoL
  • Exploring Family Members’ Perceptions about collusion in Metastatic Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A cross-sectional survey
  • Guiding a PhD student a t Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences on validation of FACIT – Sp, spirituality tool and its feasibility to assess spiritual issues in advanced cancer patients
  • Caregiver burden among the primary caregivers of patients with stage 3 and 4 head and neck cancer in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala – A mixed method study
  • Utilization and Efficacy of Subcutaneous antibiotics in a Palliative Care Environment – A Case Series
  • Use of Dual Opioid for Enhanced Pain Relief - An Observational Study
  • An Ambi-spective observational study on Role of Inflammatory Biomarkers in
  • predicting survival outcomes in patients with Advanced Cancer receiving Palliative care
  • Working on a research proposal for PhD at Lancaster university
  • Innumerable International and National presentations
  • Overview

  • Dr. Shoba Narayanan Nair is a distinguished Senior Physician and academician with over three decades of experience spanning clinical care, teaching, and leadership across India and the United Kingdom. She is currently practicing as a Senior Consultant at Manipal Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru. Widely respected for her compassionate, patient-centred approach, Dr. Nair is a leading authority in Internal Medicine, with advanced expertise in Geriatrics and Palliative Care.

  • Her medical practice is deeply rooted in ethics, empathy, and evidence-based care, with a strong focus on enhancing quality of life for patients. Dr. Nair is especially known for her holistic approach to managing elderly patients and individuals living with chronic or life-limiting illnesses, ensuring dignity, comfort, and comprehensive clinical support at every stage of care.

  • Dr. Nair’s academic and professional credentials reflect her international training and depth of specialization. She holds an MBBS from Government Medical College, Alappuzha, an MD in Internal Medicine from St. John’s Medical College, Karnataka, and MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. She further strengthened her expertise with an MSc in Palliative Medicine from Edith Cowan University, Australia, along with certification in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. During her tenure in the UK, she served as a Specialist Registrar in Palliative Medicine. After returning to India, she assumed key academic leadership roles, including Professor and Head of the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine.

  • Clinically, Dr. Nair practices across the full spectrum of adult medicine, with special focus on geriatric care, chronic disease management, and pain and palliative medicine. Her expertise includes managing multi-morbidity in the elderly, cancer and non-cancer pain, advanced organ-system diseases, and end-of-life care. She is skilled in essential clinical procedures and is particularly adept at guiding patients and families through complex discussions on prognosis, goals of care, and advanced care planning, while also addressing psychosocial and spiritual needs.

  • In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Nair is a committed medical educator and researcher. She has served as National Faculty for the Indian Association of Palliative Care and has played a key role in curriculum development in palliative medicine. With numerous publications in international journals, she is also a regular moderator and invited speaker at major national and global conferences, including IAPCON and PULMICON. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and Tamil, Dr. Nair brings both clinical excellence and cultural sensitivity to her practice and teaching.

  • Fellowship & Membership

  • Indian Medical AssociationMember - Life member
  • Royal College of Physicians London - Annual membership
  • Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) - Life member
  • Indian Academy of Geriatrics - Life member
  • American society of Clinical Oncology - On line Membership
  • Field of Expertise

  • Pain and Symptom Management
  • Cancer and Non-Cancer Palliative Care
  • End-of-Life Care & Advance Care Planning
  • Geriatric and Chronic Illness Care
  • Medical Education & Curriculum Development
  • Languages Spoken

  • Kannada
  • Malayalam
  • Tamil
  • Hindi
  • English
  • Telugu (Limited)
  • Awards & Achievements

  • Palliative Care lead in C20 India as part of G20 program in India in 2023
  • Member of the first board, appointed by MCI for curriculum and guideline development for a post graduate course in Palliative Medicine (MD) – 2011 – 2014
  • Faculty, Indian Association of Palliative Care for conducting various courses in palliative care – 2008 till date
  • In- charge head, Department of Palliative Medicine at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore – 2009 -2012 One of the four Physicians selected from India for the second and final cohort of Leadership Development Initiative in Palliative Care by Ohio Health, USA 2012- 2014
  • Faculty, Department of Medical Education, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, 2013 -2017
  • Undergraduate research mentor, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2010- 2017
  • Coordinator Interns posting, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, 2016 – 2017
  • In-patient palliative care unit Lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, UK- January 2018 – June 2019
  • Professor and HOD, Department of Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi – 2019 - 2025
  • PhD guide at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences
  • Scientific committee member – Indian Association of Palliative Care conferences – 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2025
  • Organizing committee member – Amrita International Public Health Conference 2023
  • Amrita Annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Chairperson 2024
  • Amrita annual review in Palliative Medicine – AARPM – Co-chair 2025 o) Best poster prizes in National Conferences in 2003, 2011 and 2017

FAQ's

Patients visit Dr. Shoba N Nair, a leading Senior Consultant – Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Pain & Palliative Medicine at Manipal Hospitals Sarjapur Road - Bengaluru, for expert care and advanced treatments. Known for accurate diagnoses and patient centric care, Dr. Shoba N Nair is a trusted choice for exceptional medical support.

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