Ashish Patel, MD, serves as Physician-in-Chief at Phoenix Children’s, providing comprehensive clinical and administrative leadership for critical areas of the health system including Emergency and Diagnostic Medicine, the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, the Aerodigestive Clinic, and Medical Subspecialties. Additionally, Dr. Patel supervises hospitalist medicine, mental and behavioral health services and Phoenix Children’s Pediatrics practices. He also contributes to the Executive Physician Leadership team and the Phoenix Children’s Medical Group Governance Council, while maintaining an active practice as a pediatric gastroenterologist.
Dr. Patel joined Phoenix Children’s in 2020 as the division chief of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, a role he held until his promotion to Physician-in-Chief in April 2024. During his tenure as division chief, he significantly expanded the division’s clinical team, growing the faculty to 25 physicians and the overall staff to more than 55 specialists, dietitians, nurses and medical assistants. A key achievement was launching Phoenix Children’s first-ever Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship Program, which was also the first of its kind in Arizona.
He is highly respected for his open leadership style and dedication to his teams. Dr. Patel is committed to training the next generation of physicians, regularly mentoring medical students, residents and fellows, and has significantly contributed to strengthening education, research and quality of care within the health system. Dr. Patel also serves on the board of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Arizona Chapter and has published dozens of papers on advancements in pediatric gastroenterology.
Dr. Patel received his medical degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center. He completed his pediatric residency at Texas A&M Health, where he also served as chief resident, followed by a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.