Pooja Patel, M.D., M.P.H., M.M.S., FACOG, is Director of OBGYN Clerkship and associate professor for the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. A board-certified obstetrician gynecologist, she is responsible for the delivery of obstetrical services at the UH Health Family Care Center. Patel is responsible for training medical students in obstetrics and gynecological care at the Fertitta Family College of Medicine.

Her work focuses on supervising the delivery of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) services at the UH Health Family Care Center and her primary research interest is dissemination of contraceptive education among vulnerable populations. This dissemination focuses on education regarding LARC as the most effective form of contraceptive services available to women.

Previously, she trained at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as a Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) scholar where she also obtained NIH funding to develop an educational intervention aimed to educate vulnerable adolescents and young adults (AYA) about LARC. Following her time with UTMB, Patel served as the medical director of the Baylor Teen Health Clinics at the Baylor College of Medicine, where she continued to work on her research and supervised the medical services, serving AYA through nine inner-city Houston clinics.

Patel obtained her undergraduate degrees in Spanish and biochemistry from Rice University. She received her doctorate of medicine degree from Baylor College of Medicine, where she also completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency program. Patel’s master’s of medical science degree was received from UTMB, while her master’s of public health degree was granted from The University of Texas School of Public Health. She is a member of several prestigious national and international societies, and has presented her research at numerous conferences. Patel has been the recipient of many awards, having received the UTMB Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence on multiple occasions.