Ankit Patel always knew he wanted to be a doctor, but originally thought he’d pursue a career in cardiology. “My dad had a heart attack when I was in high school, and I watched cardiologists quite literally save his life,” he said. “I wanted to do the same thing for other families that they had done for mine.” But when he got to medical school, he fell in love with neurology.
“I enjoy solving puzzles and quickly realized that diagnosing neurological conditions felt like puzzle solving,” he said. “I love sitting down with a patient and getting their medical history, performing a detailed examination, and seeing what we can do to solve their medical problem.” Out of all the tools he has in his tool kit as a neurologist, Dr. Patel credits listening as the most important. “The patients can usually tell me exactly what they need, if I just slow down and really listen.”
Praised by his patients as friendly and approachable, Dr. Patel often uses humor to put his patients at ease. “The best part of my job is forming relationships with my patients,” he said. “I have several patients that I’ve seen for nearly a decade. There are also some that even refer their children, parents, and siblings to my clinic. I feel quite humbled to be a doctor that the entire family trusts.”
Dr. Patel joined Dr. Jose Diaz in his practice a decade ago. “Dr. Diaz established Katy Neurology almost 30 years ago, and many of our staff have been here from the beginning,” Dr. Patel said. “We are blessed to have a long-time staff, including experienced physician assistants, that care as much about our patients as we do. They help us make Katy Neurology a friendly and welcoming place.” Additionally, they stay up to date with the latest neurological advances with frequent attendance of national and international conferences.
Meet Dr. Patel
Ankit Patel was born in India and relocated to Houston with his family as a boy. He graduated magna cum laude from The University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in biology and minor in philosophy. He then completed his medical school, internship, neurology residency, and fellowship in neurophysiology at McGovern Medical School UTHealth Houston.
Dr. Patel treats a variety of neurological conditions with special interest in stroke, epilepsy, and neuromuscular disorders. He is licensed by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. He has served as the stroke medical director and has been the chair of Neurology at Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital since 2015. He also works with the Memorial Hermann Health System to help improve the quality of acute stroke care across its campuses in the greater Houston area. When not on the job, he enjoys spending family time with his wife and two boys, aged 9 and 7. He also enjoys photography, astronomy, swimming, and all things Star Wars.
