Kane Patel, Mph Email & Phone Number

I’m a public health professional whose journey has seen myself grow into someone who can bridge the gap between the public health sector and the informatics/tech world.Over a half-decade ago, I delved into the world of public health and genomics as a researcher exploring the connections between populations genetics and risk of chronic diseases. I was part of a team that brought to light genetic risk scores for populations as it related to the likelihood of ascertaining certain diseases: from Alzheimer’s to different cancers. This direct impact on personalized treatments and disease predictions for years to come hooked me into the public health sector. This research integrated perfectly with my jump to enteric pathogen surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I helped the transition of surveillance for these pathogens from PFGE to whole genome sequencing (WGS), the new gold standard for detecting and monitoring foodborne and zoonotic outbreaks in the US. I managed surveillance databases for these pathogens and analyzed big data to detect multistate outbreaks, as well as interpret genetic relatedness of strains causing illnesses over time. I became a surveillance and laboratory workflow expert.But I wanted to solve the outbreaks I detected. I quickly transitioned into a role with the CDC as an epidemiologist focused on outbreak response and prevention, where I solved over 40 national level outbreaks in a two-year span, applying strong epidemiologic and statistical skills to studies and investigations. You’ve probably heard of a couple of those outbreaks the news: 2020’s outbreak with onions, 2019’s outbreak with romaine, etc. Working with state and federal partners to solve these outbreaks was an absolute joy. I took these skills with me for a short stint with the COVID Response on the Case Surveillance Task Force while at the CDC as well.What I soon learned from these experiences with the CDC however, was how vital and necessary the integration of technology and software tools was to advance surveillance, response, and public health workflows. To better serve the public, I made the jump into the tech sector where I currently identify gaps in the public health world that can benefit from new tech. I lead a team in my current role that implements these solutions to various partners, including the CDC, in addition to providing epidemiologic and public health consulting services. Join me as we protect the public’s health through upgraded tech and informatics workflows!

Listed skills include Research.