New medical school funded by Indian American Dr. Kiran Patel opens in Orlando

Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine is part of Dr. Kiran Patel’s vision to provide quality medical education in India and Zambia

By Aziz Haniffa

ORLANDO, FL: In yet another tangible manifestation of his purposeful philanthropy and deep commitment to education, especially in the medical field, billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Kiran Patel has catalyzed the launch of Orlando’s newest medical school.

Patel, a cardiologist by training, along with his wife Dr. Pallavi Patel, a trained pediatrician—and a key protagonist behind her husband’s massive philanthropic ventures—were on hand in Winter Garden, Florida, a suburb of Orlando, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (OCOM).

The celebratory launch coincided with the 75th birthday of Zambia-born Patel.

READ: NSU opens Tampa Bay campus built with mega donation from Indian American Dr. Kiran Patel (September 27, 2019)

In an interview with the American Bazaar, Patel said OCOM is part of his plan to establish a medical school under the banner of Patel University, with the degrees awarded bearing the Patel University.

The entrepreneur, cardiologist, and philanthropist said he is laying the groundwork for expansion to extend Patel University’s presence to Zambia and India.

In his keynote address to the several thousand guests, including scores of Indian Americans from Florida and across the country, Patel said:

“Today, we gather to celebrate the extraordinary power of human determination, diligence, and grit with OCOM’s official commencement.” He continued, “When the first class of OCOM students walk through these doors this fall, they will join 800 others from Patel universities in the USA, India, and Zambia. In total, one thousand future physicians will be receiving an education that is unparalleled to their counterparts. Sure, they will learn the fundamentals of medicine, but we will ensure their education goes well beyond that point with the inclusion of a cutting-edge curriculum and resources, rigorous standards, interpersonal communications, practice, and systems-based learning.”

Speaking on the occasion, Chad Toujague, chair of the board of trustees at the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine, highlighted the significance of OCOM as a testament to Dr. Kiran C. Patel’s legacy achievements.

READ: Indian Americans Kiran and Pallavi Patel pledge $200 million to Florida’s NSU (September 25, 2017)

“I remember when we started, with myself, Trustee Phil, Dean Hasty, our goal was to make Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel, Sonali, Sheetal and Shilen and the Patel Family Proud,” he said. “To do something that would make our families and loved ones proud. To deliver a medical school that looks into the future and cares for the patient of tomorrow.”

Toujague emphasized the Patels’ profound impact on medicine, stating, “The contribution of Dr. Kiran C. Patel and the Patel family to medicine is a weight that may never be matched. The seeds that have been sown by the Patel family have already blossomed into the ivy that surrounds the history of medical education.”

Dr. Pallavi Patel led a prayer to Goddess Saraswati, seeking blessings for the educational institute.

After the ribbon cutting, Patel’s grandchildren unveiled a sculpture of the couple to sustained applause from the guests, who then mobbed the Patels reminiscent of celebrity rock stars and posed for pictures. The couple patiently acquiesced to the requests of each and every guest, a gesture that lasted several hours.

The inauguration of OCOM comes after nearly four and a half years since the establishment of the Tampa Bay Regional Campus of Nova Southeastern University in Florida, housing both the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences.

The establishment of the regional campus was made possible by the extraordinary $200 million donation from the Patels to Nova Southeastern University in Florida. This contribution was the largest ever received by the institution in its five-decade history and ranked as the seventh-largest philanthropic gift recorded in Florida’s history. Moreover, it represented the most substantial philanthropic commitment made by individuals or organizations of Indian American descent, both within the United States and internationally.

READ: Dr. Kiran Patel: For philanthropy to be successful, it has to be impactful, replicable, scalable and sustainable (January 27, 2019)

In the interview with the American Bazaar, Patel spoke about how his previous experience with the NOVA campus facilitated a more efficient replication process.

“Once you have done something, you are able to probably replicate it more efficiently,” he said. “So now I have had the experience, I found a strong team, and the difference now is it’s going to be a medical school under the banner of Patel University. So the degree awarded will be by Patel University, and I’m setting that up so that as I expand, I can be going to Zambia and India with Patel University making it happen.”

(Aziz Haniffa, a former Executive Editor of India Abroad, is the co-founder of DesiMax.)

READ MORE:

Dr. Kiran Patel’s next philanthropic mission: getting bang for his $200 million (January 12, 2018)

Florida’s Nova Southeastern University names its medical school after Dr. Kiran Patel (September 25, 2017)

New elite Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School in Florida to offer tuition-free education (December 25, 2018)

Ground broke for new $20 million charter school named after Indian American Dr. Kiran C. Patel (December 14, 2018)

Indian American Dr. Kiran Patel crowns Lexi Thompson, winner of ShopRite LPGA Classic (June 10, 2019)

Indian American Dr. Kiran Patel’s Seaview Golf Club hosting 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic (June 07, 2019)

Philanthropist Dr. Kiran Patel, International Monteary Fund chief economist Gita Gopinath among four Indian American recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (January 23, 2019)