Kamlesh Patel, MD, MSCI

Kamlesh Patel, MD, MSCI

Associate Professor of Surgery (Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery)

After completing a pediatric craniofacial fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital,
Kamlesh Patel, MD, MSCI, joined the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Currently, he is a craniofacial surgeon at Saint Louis Children’s Hospital. This involves treating patients with craniosynostosis or other craniofacial abnormalities (congenital or traumatic). In addition, he provides care for adult patients with more complex facial trauma at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

He has presented at national meetings and published in topics related to craniosynostosis, cleft and facial trauma. Furthermore, he has been invited to provide courses at national meetings such as “Endoscopic Craniosynostosis” and “Anatomy of the Unilateral Cleft Lip Nasal Deformity”. He is an active member of cleft, craniofacial and maxillofacial societies.

In addition to his clinical and research interests, he has mentored multiple students. As medical student clerkship director for the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and faculty sponsor of the Plastic Surgery Interest Group, he has significant interactions with students. In addition, multiple students have spent their summer research in his craniofacial lab. His focus has been on mentoring students entering plastic surgery and ensuring they match in a competitive residency program. He has also mentored many plastic surgery residents and has been voted resident teacher of the year in two of his five years.

Patel was the clinical effectiveness lead for the Division of Plastic Surgery at Barnes-Jewish and is now leading projects at Children’s Hospital to help improve patient care. He is also broadening his education with a focus on clinical effectiveness. A stellar student in the Postdoctoral Mentored Training Program in Clinical Investigation, he received the program’s Outstanding Citizenship Award in 2016. His thesis examined the use of MRI in creating 3D-reconstructed images of the cranium as an alternative to CT scanning, in order to reduce radiation exposure in children. He obtained his master’s of science in clinical investigation in 2017.