When West Tennessee Gastro hired Mihir Patel, MD, MSc, in July, there was more than a new doctor in the area. Patel’s addition to the gastroenterology staff meant patients would have access to new technology and new treatments.
Born in the Western part of India, where he also received his medical school training, it was Patel’s passion for caring for people that put him on the path to a career in medicine. It was marrying his wife, who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, after medical school that landed him in Atlanta.
“In India, your undergraduate work and medical school are combined and it takes almost six years to complete. You have the option of staying there for residency or going to another country. After considering several options, including staying in India, it was the reputation of the American healthcare system that led to my decision to come to the United States,” said Patel, who completed his medical education in 2005. “The practice of medicine is top notch in America, not only in terms of patient care but also in terms of the technology, innovation and research conducted. Once here, I knew it was where I wanted to practice medicine.”
Coming from a foreign country meant Patel had to spend a little more than a year and a half taking exams and getting certified to start his residency training. While completing this requirement, he worked at Emory Hospital as a volunteer health assistant in the emergency department and as a research fellow in microbiology developing influenza vaccines.
For his residency in internal medicine, Patel headed to the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Since he also had an interest in public health and clinical investigation, he took on the arduous task of pursuing his Master of Science in Clinical Investigation while completing his residency. “My days were spent as a resident and in the evenings I was a graduate student working towards my Master’s degree,” said Patel.
By the time Patel completed his residency, he had developed a strong interest in endoscopy as well as continued research, some of which was award winning. Based on those achievements he matched with a gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
While at the Mayo Clinic from 2010 through 2013, Patel was involved with research in pancreatic cancer. Using advanced technology, specifically identifying pancreatic cancer from examining the small bowel. “This generated quite an interest in the medical community worldwide and even led to presenting the findings in an international conference,” said Patel. “My interest in pancreatic cancer led me to get advanced endoscopic training on more complex endoscopy procedures.”
Patel’s training at the Mayo Clinic as well as during his one year advanced endoscopy fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio included endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). This procedure utilizes a combination of endoscopy and ultrasound to evaluate the surrounding organs. He also received training in complex endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) that combines upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and x-rays to treat problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts. He is also trained in balloon endoscopy, which is a technique that allows for better visualization of the small bile in evaluating malignancies and small bile lesions.
With his advanced procedure training complete, Patel knew he wanted be in a place where he could nurture not only the skills and training he had honed but also be a help to the community. His search led him to of all places, Jackson and the West Tennessee Gastro group in July. “There was a strong need for the type of advanced procedures I was trained to do,” said Patel. “My wife and I liked Jackson and while we had offers other places, it was the people of Jackson that made it the place for us. We really liked the people and the community.”
Since coming to Jackson, Patel has been busy. Bringing procedures such as EUS, Barrett’s ablation and balloon enteroscopy, to Jackson means patients who would otherwise had to have go to Memphis or Nashville can be treated at home. “Just increasing the awareness of what all we can now do here in Jackson is so important,” said Patel. “And there is so much more we can do, from collaborating with surgeons, oncologists and interventional radiologists to building programs for community health and providing more cancer screenings. I want to see us come up with a plan to be a part of community wide health initiative that goes beyond just treating patients in the hospital.”
Patel’s research and training has caught the eye of the American College of Gastroenterologists. He was recently invited to serve on the College’s Training Committee, a position he is humbled to fill for the next three years.
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