In October 2022, Jitesh Patel, MD, MBA, FASCRS begins serving as the new division chief of colon and rectal surgery at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Patel will be stepping into the leadership position as the former chief, Dr. Sandra Beck, assumes her new role as vice chair of education in the UK Department of Surgery.
For over 10 years, Dr. Beck served as head of colon and rectal surgery while it was a section of general surgery and through its first two years as its own division. In 2022, a re-organization of the department of surgery's leadership structure included the installation of vice-chairs to manage various aspects of the department's foundational pillars. In anticipation of the demands of her new position combined with those of her surgical practice and role as program director of the general surgery residency, Dr. Beck announced her intention to relinquish being division chief.
Following that development, Dr. William B. Inabnet, the Johnston-Wright Professor and chair of surgery, called for self-nominations from the colorectal faculty to assure equal opportunity for career advancement and alignment with the College of Medicine leadership equity initiative. Dr. Patel expressed an interest and was promoted to the position soon afterward.
Dr. Patel, who was promoted to professor of surgery in 2021, has led a very distinguished career at the University of Kentucky. In just seven years as a member of the UK HealthCare faculty, he has achieved numerous honors in clinical service, teaching, and research.
Dr. Patel served as associate program director (APD) for the general surgery residency and has previously served as director of 3rd and 4th year medical school surgery clerkships for the UK College of Medicine. He stepped down from his role as APD this year to focus on his role of program director for the colon rectal fellowship and to take on his new responsibilities as division chief. He is also the medical director for the general surgery clinic in the Kentucky Clinic.
He is a recipient of most of the top teaching awards available in the department of surgery. At the national level, Dr. Patel was inducted simultaneously with Dr. Beck into the American College of Surgery's (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in October 2020.
As a researcher and surgeon, Dr. Patel was part of a multi-disciplinary team that succeeded in reducing surgical site infection rates in colon surgeries to among the lowest in the nation. He also completed a master's in business administration from the Gatton School of Business and Economics in 2019.