Dr. Kunal Patel, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, has been named assistant dean for student affairs in the school’s Office of Medical Student Education. The appointment was reported on June 26, 2026, with Patel expected to begin the role on July 1 while continuing his clinical and academic responsibilities at UNC.

Patel is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. His clinical work includes care through the UNC Interstitial Lung Disease Program and the UNC Center for Bronchiectasis, along with general pulmonology and intensive care. That combination places him in both highly specialized outpatient care and high-acuity hospital medicine, giving him direct experience with the pressures and expectations that medical trainees must learn to navigate.

His academic path reflects extensive medical and scientific training. Patel earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington University in St. Louis before completing a combined MD/PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania. He later completed internal medicine residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and returned to the University of Pennsylvania for fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care medicine.

At UNC, Patel’s work has extended beyond patient care into undergraduate medical education and student development. He has served as a Foundation Phase Academic Coach in the university’s Office of Academic Excellence, supporting first- and second-year medical students as they build study strategies, time management habits, and resilient approaches to demanding coursework. A 2024 article in Education for Health lists Patel among the UNC faculty authors describing a longitudinal academic support system for medical students across a large, multi-campus medical school.

That student-support work is central to the importance of the appointment. Assistant deans for student affairs help shape how medical schools advise, support, and guide students through academic, professional, and personal challenges. At a time when medical education faces growing concern over burnout, test pressure, and student well-being, a physician-educator with Patel’s coaching background brings practical experience to a role that affects the day-to-day lives of future doctors.

Patel has also been recognized by students and colleagues for teaching and humanistic care. Coverage of the appointment notes that he has received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the Internal Medicine Inpatient Faculty Teaching Award, and induction into Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society. He was also selected by students as the 2025 UNC Pearls Day speaker and the 2026 graduating class Match Day speaker.

For UNC School of Medicine, the appointment adds a clinician-educator whose work bridges patient care, academic coaching, and institutional student support. For South Asian Americans in academic medicine, Patel’s new role is a meaningful leadership milestone inside one of the country’s major public medical schools. His next chapter will focus not only on treating patients, but also on helping medical students build the skills, confidence, and judgment required for the profession they are preparing to enter.

Key Takeaways About Kunal Patel

• Dr. Kunal Patel has been named assistant dean for student affairs at UNC School of Medicine.
• He is an assistant professor in pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine.
• Patel earned his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and completed an MD/PhD at the University of Pennsylvania.
• His clinical work includes interstitial lung disease, bronchiectasis, general pulmonology, and intensive care.
• He has been involved in UNC’s Office of Academic Excellence as a Foundation Phase Academic Coach.