Meera Patel, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile

Biography

Dr. Meera J. Patel, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Science at the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Her research spans the translational continuum from the molecular basis of disease to clinical care, population health, and health systems improvement. Trained as a molecular scientist, she began her career studying the genetic and biochemical mechanisms underlying human disease before expanding her work to community-engaged and patient-centered research.

Her current research focuses on advancing health equity through innovative approaches that integrate biological, clinical, behavioral, and social determinants of health. She leads and collaborates on studies involving chronic kidney disease, food-as-medicine interventions, clinical trial participation, cancer care, and community health improvement. Using methods that range from metabolomics and clinical research to mixed-methods and implementation science, Dr. Patel seeks to translate scientific discoveries into meaningful improvements for patients and communities. Through her leadership in community-engaged research and translational science, Dr. Patel works to strengthen connections between laboratory discoveries, clinical practice, and population health, with the goal of improving outcomes and reducing health disparities.

Dr. Patel is dedicated to education, mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She serves as a Course Director courses in the MPH and MSCI programs, mentors trainees across multiple disciplines and career stages, and plays a leadership role in UT Southwestern's Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program and Office of Community Health and Research Engagement. Her work emphasizes team-based approaches that connect researchers, clinicians, and community partners to improve health outcomes and promote health equity.

Education

Graduate School: University of Delaware (2021), Medical Sciences

Publications

Featured Publications

Patient Perspectives on Electronic Communication of Cancer Diagnoses.: Bhalla S, Patel MJ, Abruzzo L, Christie A, Garg R, Xie D, Louissaint J, Zhang S, Kitzman H, Gerber DE, JAMA Netw Open 2026 Jun 9 6 e2619977
Metabolic syndrome and immune-related adverse events.: Lei K, Patel MJ, Liu J, Rathod RA, von Itsztein MS, Fattah FJ, Mu-Mosley H, SoRelle JA, Park JY, Xie Y, Hughes AE, Kitzman H, Gerber DE, Cancer Immunol Immunother 2026 Jan 75 2 39
Mapping the path to diversity in clinical trials: a qualitative study of community member and stakeholder perspectives.: Patel MJ, Tamirisa K, Ruiz E, Griggs Z, Huan E, Kitzman H, BMC Public Health 2025 Dec 25 1 4238
Metabolomic and Physiological Effects of a Cardiorenal Protective Diet Intervention in African American Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease.: Patel MJ, Emerenini C, Wang X, Bottiglieri T, Kitzman H, Metabolites 2024 May 14 6
Functional significance of the conserved C-Terminal VFVNFA motif in the retina-specific ABC transporter, ABCA4, and its role in inherited visual disease.: Patel MJ, Biswas SB, Biswas-Fiss EE, Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019 Oct 519 1 46-52
Multiple conformational states of DnaA protein regulate its interaction with DnaA boxes in the initiation of DNA replication.: Patel MJ, Bhatia L, Yilmaz G, Biswas-Fiss EE, Biswas SB, Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2017 Sep 1861 9 2165-2174
Genetic Testing for APOL1 in Adults With Hypertension: The GUARDD-US Randomized Clinical Trial.: Eadon MT, Cavanaugh KL, She L, Steen-Burrell KA, Mohottige D, Nadkarni GN, Kitzman H, Chakraborty H, Empey PE, Limdi NA, Singh R, Beasley CM, Parker AS, Cicali EJ, Ramos MA, Clermont S, Dodgen L, Elwood EN, Robinson M, Umeukeje EM, Garcia Ortega A, Shroff N, Rosenman MB, Nguyen KA, Volpi S, Rider R, Dexter PR, Skaar TC, Peterson JF, Cavallari LH, Johnson JA, Wyatt CM, Orlando LA, Cooper-DeHoff RM, Horowitz CR, JAMA Netw Open 2026 Mar 9 3 e260528
Patient Perspectives on a Polypill Strategy for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Convergent-Parallel Mixed Methods Study Embedded in a Randomized Clinical Trial.: Keshvani N, Coellar JD, Patel MJ, Bustillo-Rubio M, Ruiz E, Gracia L, Agarwal A, Wang TJ, Kitzman H, Pandey A, Circ Popul Health Outcomes 2026 Feb 19 2 e012834
Community health worker navigation to improve allostatic load: The Integrated Population Health (IPOP) study.: Kitzman H, Dodgen L, Vargas C, Khan M, Montgomery A, Patel M, Ajoku B, Allison P, Strauss AM, Bowen M, Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2023 Dec 36 101235
Pragmatic evaluation of events and benefits of lipid lowering in older adults (PREVENTABLE): Trial design and rationale.: Joseph J, Pajewski NM, Dolor RJ, Sellers MA, Perdue LH, Peeples SR, Henrie AM, Woolard N, Jones WS, Benziger CP, Orkaby AR, Mixon AS, VanWormer JJ, Shapiro MD, Kistler CE, Polonsky TS, Chatterjee R, Chamberlain AM, Forman DE, Knowlton KU, Gill TM, Newby LK, Hammill BG, Cicek MS, Williams NA, Decker JE, Ou J, Rubinstein J, Choudhary G, Gazmuri RJ, Schmader KE, Roumie CL, Vaughan CP, Effron MB, Cooper-DeHoff RM, Supiano MA, Shah RC, Whittle JC, Hernandez AF, Ambrosius WT, Williamson JD, Alexander KP, J Am Geriatr Soc 2023 Apr