Phoenix Children’s today announced the appointment of Ashish S. Patel, MD, as physician-in-chief of the rapidly expanding health system.
In his new role, Dr. Patel leads four of Phoenix Children’s eight clinical centers including Emergency and Diagnostic Medicine, the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, the Aerodigestive Clinic and Medical Subspecialties. In addition, he oversees hospitalist medicine, mental and behavioral health, and Phoenix Children’s Pediatrics practices. Beyond his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Patel is now part of the health system’s Executive Physician Leadership team and the Phoenix Children’s Medical Group Governance Council.
“Dr. Patel is a true leader whose efforts to strengthen education and research, expand and develop his team, enhance quality of care and increase Phoenix Children’s community involvement have made a significant difference for our health system and the families we serve,” said Jared Muenzer, MD, MBA, chief physician executive at Phoenix Children’s. “His open leadership style and commitment to his teams have earned him the trust and respect of our entire physician group.”
Prior to his promotion to physician-in-chief, Dr. Patel served as division chief of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Phoenix Children’s for four years. During that time, he grew the faculty to 25 physicians while also expanding the team to more than 55 specialists, dieticians, nurses and medical assistants providing care throughout the health system.
“I’ve seen the health system’s steadfast commitment to scaling the care we provide, and it’s one of the reasons I am so proud to work for Phoenix Children’s. I look forward to taking on new challenges in my expanded role,” said Dr. Patel. “I’m honored to help lead efforts to provide the very best care to each child and family who comes through our doors.”
Training the next generation of physicians is also a passion for Dr. Patel, who regularly mentors medical students, residents and fellows as they embark on careers in research and medicine. Dr. Patel and his team launched Phoenix Children’s first Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship Program, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Dr. Patel received his medical degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center. He completed his pediatric residency at Texas A&M Health, followed by a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
He currently serves on the board of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Arizona Chapter and has published dozens of papers on critical topics related to pediatric GI advancements.
A search is currently underway to fill Dr. Patel’s vacated role of division chief of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Phoenix Children’s.
