March 12, 2023

Patel appointed Ingram Chair in Surgical Sciences

Mayur Patel, MD, MPH

by Jill Clendening

Mayur Patel, MD, MPH, associate professor of Surgery in the Division of Acute Care Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named to hold the Ingram Chair in Surgical Sciences.

Patel also holds appointments as associate professor of Neurological Surgery and associate professor of Hearing and Speech Sciences. He serves as an acute care surgeon at the main VUMC campus in Nashville.

“I am incredibly thankful for the kind sponsorship from our Department and Section of Surgical Sciences and remain indebted to Vanderbilt for this recognition,” said Patel. “I hope to pay it forward by helping others grow through the achievement of their academic goals and reinforcing Vanderbilt’s status as a premier place for science in surgery.”

Patel helps oversee the Department of Surgery’s Junior Faculty INVEST Program to support professional development, mentorship, sponsorship and promotion. He is director of research for the Division of Acute Care Surgery. He also is active in clinical practice, research and leadership for the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) where he serves as division chief of the Section of General Surgery and deputy chief of Surgical Services for the Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Murfreesboro Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

“Mayur’s demonstrated strengths as an academic surgeon, scientist, educator and mentor make him an ideal choice for the Ingram Chair in Surgical Sciences,” said Carmen Solórzano, MD, chair of the Department of Surgery, John L. Sawyers Professor of Surgical Sciences. “I’m confident that his talents will contribute significantly to further enhancing faculty development, enriching education, ensuring exceptional patient outcomes and advancing research.”

“Dr. Patel has excelled in all aspects of our academic mission, and it is wonderful to recognize him with this prestigious honor,” said Seth Karp, MD, H. William Scott Jr. Professor, chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences.

Patel received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree and Master of Public Health degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed a research fellowship in trauma at Duke University Medical Center and Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, Florida, with a focus on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and protein metabolism after trauma. He completed fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at VUMC. Patel is board certified in general surgery, surgical critical care and neurocritical care.

He is a member of many professional societies and organizations, including the American Surgical Association, American College of Surgeons, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Association for Academic Surgeons, Society for University Surgeons (SUS), Association for VA Surgeons, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Society of Clinical Surgery.

His research focuses on brain dysfunction and critical illness related to traumatic brain injury, long-term cognitive impairment, dementia and other aspects of intensive care unit survivorship. His investigations have been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, Eastern Association Surgery of Trauma Foundation Research Scholarship, the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and the Vanderbilt Faculty Scholars Program.

For more than a decade, Patel has been an active member of Vanderbilt’s Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS) Center, an interprofessional group of medical providers and trainees who work with patients who have suffered from delirium and are at risk for long-term cognitive, functional and neuropsychological impairments. He currently serves on the strategy and senior investigator components for the CIBS Center.

Patel is a member of the Surgery, Anesthesia and Trauma study section for the NIH Center for Scientific Review. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles, invited reviews and book chapters, and he is an editor for the 22nd edition of the Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. He has presented his work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.