Kathleen Cooney, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine, announced that Chetan Patel, MD, will serve as Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine, effective January 1.
Dr. Patel is Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and currently medical director of the Cardiac Transplant Program and vice chief for clinical services in the Division of Cardiology. He is an advanced heart failure and transplant specialist who has clinically and scientifically led patient-centered care redesign efforts. Patel is well-respected by his colleagues in Cardiology and the Department, and he has been a strong advocate for improving our clinical practice.
"As vice chair for clinical affairs, Patel will be the clinician-leader for the Department, helping us to achieve our overarching goals of effectively and efficiently caring for our patients," said Dr. Cooney.
Dr. Patel will also support faculty members' clinical practice, engaging and influencing clinical partners.
This position reports to the chair of the Department of Medicine as well as the chief medical officer of the Private Diagnostic Clinic (PDC). Patel also will be a liaison and provide medical oversight to clinical operations that impact Medicine services within the Duke University Health System and the PDC.
Patel earned a B.A. in biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and his MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and served as chief resident there. He came to Duke for his fellowship in cardiovascular disease, and he joined the faculty in 2010.
In 2017, as a Duke Chancellor’s Leadership Fellow, Patel completed the Duke Clinical Leadership Program. In 2016 he was honored with the Department of Medicine Teaching Award, and in 2014 he received the Cardiology Edward S. Orgain MD Clinical Care Award. During his training, he received the Walter L. Floyd, MD Endowed Fellowship in Cardiology for Excellence In Clinical Cardiovascular Medicine.