Kunal Patel, MD, PhD, has been named assistant dean for student affairs in Office of Medical Student Education. He will begin work in this new role July 1, 2026.
Dr. Patel currently serves as assistant professor in department of medicine’s division of pulmonary and critical care medicine. He is a member of the UNC Interstitial Lung Disease Program and UNC Center for Bronchiectasis.
Dr. Patel’s academic interests center on medical education. As a Foundation Phase Academic Coach in the Office of Academic Excellence, he helps first- and second-year medical students build effective study strategies, mindset and time management skills. He is also interested in supporting trainee well-being in demanding clinical settings such as critical care medicine.
Dr. Patel is a highly regarded educator whose honors include the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award from The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the Internal Medicine Inpatient Faculty Teaching Award and induction into Alpha Omega Alpha. In 2025, the medical students selected him as a 2025 UNC Pearls Day speaker and in 2026 he was selected him as their invited Match Day speaker.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Patel on this new leadership role. We look forward to his continued contributions to the school’s educational mission and his work supporting students as they prepare to become the next generation of physicians.