Mihir R. Patel, MD

P5024739

Titles and Roles

Professor, Department of Otolaryngology
Emory University School of Medicine
Chief, Division of Head and Neck, Department of Otolaryngology
Emory University School of Medicine
Co-Chair, Head and Neck Working Group
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Head and Neck Surgeon
Head and Neck Cancer
Research Program
Cell and Molecular Biology

Biography

Mihir R. Patel, MD, is professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Patel started practicing at Emory in 2014.

An otolaryngologist, Dr. Patel focuses on minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat head and neck cancers. His interest in preserving functional outcomes for patients led to fellowship training in transoral robotic surgery (TORS) at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to receiving TORS training, Dr. Patel completed a fellowship in minimally invasive, endoscopic skull base surgery at The Ohio State University Skull Base Center.

Prior to entering the medical field, he was a chemistry teacher in Brooklyn, New York where he taught low-income students and offered free after-school tutoring lessons. Dr. Patel was inspired to become a doctor by a student he tutored who died from cancer.

Dr. Patel is an active member of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS). Within AHNS, he is honored to be a part of the TORS committee responsible for developing the curriculum for head and neck fellows. This course focuses on the nuances of TORS, including patient selection, intra-operative decision making, and managing complications.

Education

Dr. Patel is a graduate of Duke University and received his Medical Degree from University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He completed a seven-year surgical residency at the University of North Carolina Department of Otolaryngology with a focus in translational research. Dr. Patel then pursued fellowship training in extended endoscopic approaches to the skull base at The Ohio State University Wexner Center followed by a year of fellowship training at the University of Pennsylvania Head and Neck Oncology program.

Research

Dr. Patel's area of interest includes clinical trials that advance personalized cancer care. He is an active member of the ECOG-ACRIN head and neck committee where he has helped developed national trials, one of which is currently open at Winship. In addition, Dr. Patel has helped develop a trial based on circulating tumor DNA levels that may reduce the adjuvant radiation dose by 60% after TORS for human papilloma virus (HPV) driven oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. In part, this trial stemmed from the knowledge gained working with Dr. Rafi Ahmed's laboratory at the Emory Vaccine Center to better understand the immune system in the setting of HPV that led to two manuscripts in the prestigious journal Nature. Dr. Patel and colleagues Dr. Nabil Saba and Dr. Ahmed are in the process of developing a trial that incorporates immunotherapy prior to TORS.

Dr. Patel is dedicated to research efforts in head and neck cancer clinical trials. He was a member of the Winship team that participated in the pivotal ECOG-ACRIN 3311 HPV oropharyngeal de-escalation trial. Dr. Patel currently serves on the National Cancer Institute Previously Untreated Locally Advanced Committee as a surgical expert. The committee evaluates proposed clinical trials presented from head and neck leaders and provides feedback in hopes of helping these investigators advance head and neck cancer care.

  • Below is a listing of current federal grants for the above principal investigator.

    GrantNumberTitle

Publications

  • PublicationsPublication Date

Awards

Dr. Patel has received the following awards and honors:

  • Atlanta Magazine's "Top Doctors", 2022
  • Emory Department of Otolaryngology Scholar of the Year, 2021
  • William J. Grist, MD Teaching Award, 2018
  • Triological Society Research Career Development Award, 2017
  • The John E. Bordley Research Award, 2011 Triologic Society Combined Section
  • The Lloyd Storrs Resident Research Award, 2009 Triologic Society Southern Section
  • Young Investigator Award – Core Grant, American Academy of Otolaryngology/American Head & Neck Surgery, 2007

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