He obtained his medical degree in India, and then completed his internal medicine residency training at the McGraw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago, and a clinical nephrology fellowship and a basic science fellowship sponsored by the National Institutes of Health at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Patel has received numerous awards for academic achievement during medical school and a career development award from the NIH. He was also named a "rising star" in Nephrology by Texas Monthly magazine.