Dr. Patel was born in Detroit, MI and raised in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. She successfully completed General Psychiatry Residency from St. Elizabeth Hospital Washington, DC in 1988. She completed her training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD in 1990. She received her board certification from the “American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology” in 1992. Her areas of expertise are Psychopharmacology, Attention Deficit disorder, Mood disorders, Anxiety disorder, Bipolar disorders, Eating disorders, Disruptive Behavior disorders, Learning disorders and Autism/Pervasive developmental disorders.

After completing her training, she joined Taylor Manor Hospital (now Shepherd-Pratt) in Ellicott City, Maryland as a staff psychiatrist. Her 20 years of professional tenure as a Board Certified Psychiatrist , serving the Montgomery County, comprise of a full time Clinician along with educator and speaker. As an educator, she has given numerous CME lectures, grand rounds and teaching seminars to educate and mentor fellow psychiatrists, medical students and non-psychiatrist (social workers, psychologist and nurses) alike.

Since 1999, Dr. Patel has been serving as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. In the past she has served as a Director of Adolescent Services in area hospitals. She was a Physician adviser as well as a consultant to Healthcare Management Organization (HMO) such as Value Behavioral Health Services and Magellan Health. She is a member and fellow of American Psychiatric Association (APA), American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), American Medical Association (AMA), Montgomery County Medical Association, and American Association of Physician from India (AAPI), Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Society of Greater Washington (CAPS-GW).