Kramay Patel

Kramay Patel named a UTAA Graduate Scholar

Originally published in U of T Alumni News by Allyson Rowley

Kramay Patel is a true polymath, remarkable for his academic and research excellence, passion for knowledge translation and dedication to community service.

Patel is an MD/PhD candidate, whose research focuses on using neurofeedback to understand how the human brain learns. He hopes to eventually use his research to help treat neurological conditions such as epilepsy and dementia. He has received many awards, including the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from 2017 to 2020.

Patel led the inaugural CRANIA Conference, which featured internationally recognized speakers and more than 300 participants from academia and industry, and he co-chaired the 2020 Toronto Biomedical Engineering Conference. He developed new summer student recruitment initiatives at his labs, and has served as a mentor, teaching assistant, judge and guest lecturer. He currently serves on the Integrated Physician Scientist Program Working Group.

In March 2020, Patel founded and led Stitch4Corona, a community effort of more than 700 volunteers who sewed 15,000 fabric face masks, which were donated to food banks, hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities across the GTA.

A dedicated volunteer at the Toronto Western Hospital and in the community, Patel educates the public about epilepsy and spinal cord injuries. He also contributes to classical Indian dance productions to showcase the beauty of his Indian heritage.

Patel was chosen as one of two University of Toronto Ambassadors who welcomed the 2020 graduating class to their virtual convocation.

His supervisors praise Patel as a positive mentor to the next generation, an exemplary scientist-scholar with a genuine gift to help, lead and educate.