Diana Patel, Ph.D., is a project coordinator in the Center for Public Policy and Health. Patel currently serves as project director for the Center鈥檚 Northeast Ohio Mental Health Awareness Training (NEOMHAT) grant. In addition to her role on the NEOMHAT grant, she completes the annual evaluation for the SPARK kindergarten readiness program and assists with community health assessment (CHA) and community health needs assessment (CHNA) reports.
Although Patel recently started at the Center, she has a legacy as a Golden Flash. After completing her undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science at the University of Akron, she started her Master of Public Health (MPH) while working as a research associate at the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. Patel then enrolled in the doctoral program in Prevention Science at Kent State in 2012. She graduated with her Ph.D. in 2017 and started a postdoctoral fellowship at Northeast Ohio Medical University. She then returned to Kent State for additional postdoctoral experience from 2019-2020 and is now happy to be back at Kent State working alongside the College of Public Health in her current role.
A passion for public health and genuine interest are what inspire Patel鈥檚 commitment to the practice. 鈥淗ealth has always been a personal interest of mine, along with studying topics and issues that impact people and society as a whole. When I started in public health, I found that the ways of studying and looking at problems really fit how I viewed the world. It was just a natural fit for me,鈥 said Patel.
Patel is a Cleveland native currently living in Concord Township and seems to always be on the go with her two little ones. Although, in her free time, she most recently enjoyed watching Ted Lasso for the heart and great storyline. This year, she looks forward to her daughter Priya鈥檚 first birthday, running her third half-marathon, and enjoying fall in Kent.
Diana Patel can be reached at dkingsb2@kent.edu.