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Kaushik Patel, Ph.D. |
NOTE: This profile is part of a series highlighting the 26 researchers who were named UNMC Distinguished Scientists or New Investigators for 2007. Each of these researchers will be profiled in UNMC Today leading up to a Thursday ceremony to recognize their achievements.
- Name: Kaushik Patel, Ph.D.
- Title: Professor
- Joined UNMC: 1991
- Hometown: Citizen of the world
Briefly describe your research in laymen terms, please.
The role of the central nervous system in the regulation of the circulation in normal and disease conditions, such as diabetes and heart failure.
What led you to pursue this area of research?
The pursuit of this area has its origins in the work I did as a graduate student. It has been a progression of questions over the past 25 years that have led me to my current area of research. My personal interest in tennis and exercise physiology has led to the recent amalgamation of these two interests in my work.
How do you see your research contributing to science?
I believe that the work we do adds a small piece of information or piece of the puzzle to the overall picture in this area of research. Each little piece of information then clarifies and forms the basis for the overall picture for future research.
Why did you become a scientist?
I have been in search of “the truth” since my teenage years and what better way to do this than to become a scientist.
What is your hope for the next generation of scientists?
Opportunity to pursue independent inquiry without the baggage of doing safe and trendy science.
Beyond grant funding, how do you measure success?
Doing solid and concrete work that stands the test of time and scrutiny of scientific criticism.
What would you tell a student interested in a research career?
Pursue your passion for inquiry and love for puzzle solving unequivocally.
Do you have a hero/role model? If so, what do you admire most about this
person?
Personally, my father was a great teacher who patiently answered my endless questions as a child and instilled the seed of “searching for the truth” with uncompromising discipline and resolve. Professionally, my Ph.D. mentor, Professor Robert L. Kline, is an outstanding, insightful scientist. He is humble, reflective, patient and tremendously intelligent pursuer of the “whole truth.”
Tell us about your family and hobbies outside of the lab.
My wife, Rekha, has been supporting my addiction to science and tennis for the past 25 years. My son, Sheeva, is about to graduate from college (Notre Dame) and he is a world-class tennis player. My daughter is a junior in high school and she is among the top female tennis players in the Midwest region of six states. When I am not in the lab, I am on the tennis court. My other interests include love for travel, meeting people from different cultures, photography and music.
List three things few people know about you.
- I was born in Uganda, East Africa and can speak Kiswahilli (Swahili).
- I like hiking in remote mountains.
- I am interested in theoretical physics and spirituality.