Dr. Patel obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biological Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, followed by completion of a Medical Scientist Training Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed his clinical residency in Adult Psychiatry and thereafter joined the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he held the position of Blakemore Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Division of General Psychiatry.

He joined the Feinberg School of Medicine as the Lizzie Gilman Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in January 2022. His clinical interests center around the treatment of patients with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental illnesses in the inpatient and residential treatment settings and has contributed to the education of residents and clinical fellows at the didactic and practice level.

Dr. Patel’s research has focused on understanding how endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitters regulate neuro-behavioral processes relevant to affective disorders, and the pharmacology of cannabis constituents as it relates to pathophysiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders. His research has been recognized by national and international agencies, associations, and research societies. His research papers are consistently highlighted in national media outlets and published in high impact journals including Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Molecular Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, eLife, Nature Communications, and others. Moreover, Dr. Patel’s research program has been continuously supported by federal, non-profit and industrial sources. Dr. Patel has served as a content expert for National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s committee and report on the Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids and is a member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, American Society for Clinical Investigating, and as served in national society leadership roles throughout his career.