Dr. Kiran C. Patel Chairman, Patel Foundation for Global Understanding Tampa, Florida

Born in Zambia, Africa, Dr. Kiran C. Patel is the son of Asian-Indian parents. After obtaining his diploma from Cambridge University and The University of London, Dr. Patel attended medical school at Gujarat University in India. Dr. Patel completed his residency in Internal Medicine in New Jersey as well as a fellowship with a Cardiology program affiliated with Columbia University. In 1982, Dr. Patel started a physicians’ practice ownership and management company. Years later, as a result of his successful work in the industry, Dr. Patel was able to build the WellCare Management Group with revenues of over $1 billion, serving over 400,000 members, and employing more than 1200 people.

Today, Dr. Patel serves as the Chairman of the Patel Foundation for Global Understanding, a non-profit organization that develops and funds a wide variety of programs in health, education, and arts and culture. The Foundation also supports a yearly U.S. scholarship fund for underprivileged youth and the IMAGINE Project, which teaches philanthropic entrepreneurism to young leaders. CHART/India, another innovative Foundation project, works aggressively to provide HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and education programs throughout India’s rural and urban populations. Dr. Patel and his wife have made possible the Charter School at the University of South Florida, as well as the highly celebrated Tampa Bay Performing Arts Conservatory. In 2003, Dr. Patel was appointed by Florida’s governor to the University of South Florida Board of Trustees.