Dr. Kavita Patel is a Nonresident Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a primary care physician in Washington, DC. She also serves as an advisor to the Bipartisan Policy Center and a member of Health and Human Services Physician Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee.
Previously, Dr. Patel was managing director of clinical transformation at the Center for Health Policy at Brookings. She also served in the Obama Administration as director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement. As senior aide to Valerie Jarrett, President Obama’s senior advisor, Dr. Patel played a critical role in policy development and evaluation of policy initiatives connected to health reform, financial regulatory reform and economic recovery issues. Dr. Patel also has a deep understanding of Capitol Hill from her time spent on late Senator Edward Kennedy’s staff as deputy staff director on health. She served as a policy analyst and trusted aide to the Senator and was part of the senior staff of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Dr. Patel also has an extensive research and clinical background, having worked as a researcher at RAND Corporation and as a practicing physician in both California and Oregon. She currently advises health care technology and services organizations through New Enterprise Associates.
Current role