Dr. Kiran C. Patel and Dr. Pallavi Patel to be Honored
FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – This year, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) will honor Tampa Bay cardiologist, entrepreneur, community leader and philanthropist Dr. Kiran C. Patel and his wife, pediatrician and philanthropist Dr. Pallavi Patel with the President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service during the university’s Celebration of Excellence event. The Patels join an impressive list of honorees that includes Jim and Jan Moran, Claire and Dan Marino, Wayne and Marti Huizenga and Guy Harvey, just to name a few.
Dr. Kiran C. Patel and Dr. Pallavi Patel
Each year at Celebration of Excellence, NSU President Dr. George Hanbury commends an individual, group or family whose good works are making the world a better place to live. The award supports NSU’s “community” core value and encourages the ongoing pursuit of community service.
“If you’re looking for a great example of what it means to give back to the community, look no further than Drs. Kiran C. and Pallavi Patel,” said Dr. Hanbury. “Their impact goes well beyond NSU – they are making a difference in the lives of people across the globe. No one is more deserving of this award than the Patels.”
The 2018 Celebration of Excellence, which is an invitation-only event, will be held Saturday, January 27 on NSU’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus, 3300 S. University Drive. The reception will begin at 6 p.m.,with the dinner program immediately following. Sponsors of the gala are: Great HealthWorks, Inc., PRH Fairwinds, I. Lorraine Thomas, ACAI Associates, GRYCON LLC, Jim and Summer Robertson, JM Family Enterprises, Moss and Associates, ANF, Barnes & Noble, Hill York, JD Backhoe and NSU Health Professions Division Foundation.
The Patels hope to help advance human health care in medically underserved communities in Florida, 
across the country and abroad. Their priority, which aligns with that of NSU’s Health Professions Division, puts the patient first and integrates medical and health care expertise.
Their involvement with NSU is recent, but their impact has been immediate and transformational. In September, the Drs. Kiran C. and Pallavi Patel Family Foundation, Inc. provided the largest philanthropic gift in the history of the university. The commitment included a $50 million gift and an additional $150 million real estate and facility investment in a future 325,000 square-foot medical education complex, which will serve as the new site for NSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as house the existing programs offered in the Tampa area.
In recognition of their gift to NSU, the university named two colleges in their honor: the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences.
“This gift and real estate commitment will enrich NSU’s ability to educate highly-qualified physicians and health care professionals who understand how the medical disciplines can and must work together,” Dr. Hanbury said. “These future leaders will further represent the cultural diversity of our region, our nation and our world so that they can better serve their patients and communities.”
The Patel’s commitment to the community and their willingness to help those in need was never more evident than when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. NSU has a regional campus on the island, and our students, faculty and staff were hit hard, like everyone else who calls Puerto Rico home. Knowing NSU had a regional campus on the island, Dr. Kiran C. Patel he contacted Dr. Hanbury to see how he could help.
“Seeing what was happening in Puerto Rico, I knew I had to do something to help,” he said. “I’m part of the NSU family and they were hurting; as a physician, a husband, a father – as a person – how could I not help?”
As Drs. Hanbury and Patel talked they came up with the idea of flying much-needed supplies to the island to be distributed to NSU’s students, faculty and staff who were in desperate need. In roughly 36 hours, NSU officials worked to determine what essentials were needed, and then made arrangements for Dr. Patel to have his private jet fly to Fort Lauderdale so it could be loaded with those items and taken to the island.
“Without question the impact of Dr. Patel’s kindness was felt by hundreds on the island in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria,” Dr. Hanbury said. “Giving back to the community is at the core of everything Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel do, and it coincides with NSU’s Core Value of Community. We’re so thankful for the Patels for not only coming onboard as a member of the SharkNation, but to set an example of what it means to help those in need.”
NSU’s Celebration of Excellence also recognizes donors whose cumulative giving to NSU reaches $1 million or more. Each of these benefactors is welcomed into the NSU Fellows Society “Shark Circle” and receives a limited edition maquette replica of the mako shark statue located in front of the Don Taft University Center. This year, the donors NSU welcomes into the Shark Circle are: Dr. Kiran C. Patel and Dr. Pallavi Patel; Mr. and Mrs. Walter Banks, Sr.; Mr. Martin R. and Mrs. Gail S. Press; Mr. Frank Buscaglia and the Sansom Foundation; and Mr. Michael Dezer.
BACKGROUND on The Patels
Dr. Kiran C. Patel and Dr. Pallavi Patel met while studying medicine in Ahmedabad, India. After marrying and practicing medicine in Zambia, the Patels moved to New York to earn advanced specializations from Columbia University – he in cardiology and she in pediatrics. In 1982, the couple relocated to Tampa with their three young children.
Illustrious careers in medicine, business and real estate today allow the Patels to focus on bettering the world through health, education, and culture. The impact of the couple’s philanthropic commitments are evident across the globe, and particularly in Florida, India, and Africa.
Additional information about the Patels, their involvement with NSU and more can be found online (nova.edu/patelgift).
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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is ranked among US News & World Report’s Top 200 National Research Universities and is a dynamic, private research university providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. Established in 1964, NSU now includes 16 colleges, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, a private JK-12 grade school, the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development with specialists in Autism, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, which is Florida’s largest public library. NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information about NSU and realizingpotential.nova.edu for more information on the largest fundraising campaign in NSU history.
Joe Donzelli | Office of Public Relations
954-262-2159 (o) | 954-661-4571 (c)
jdonzelli@nova.edu | www.nova.edu | @NSU_Joe
