Pragna I. Patel

Pragna I. Patel serves as Professor of Cancer Biology in the Department of Cancer Biology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, and holds the leadership role of Director of Instructional Practices and Curriculum. Previously, she was Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at USC until March 2025, following a 16-year tenure as faculty at Baylor College of Medicine from 1987 to 2003.

Her educational credentials include:

• Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Learning Design and Technology, USC Rossier School of Education, 2019

Dr. Patel's research centers on the molecular genetics of inherited disorders including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A, Friedreich ataxia, and congenital generalized hypertrichosis, with her laboratory pioneering DNA-based diagnostic tests and therapeutic development. She concurrently investigates population genetics through extensive studies of Asian Indian populations across 15 languages, examining genetic structure and the impact of endogamous marital practices. Her educational scholarship focuses on innovative pedagogy, having created USC's first asynchronous graduate course in biochemistry methods and directing active-learning master's programs.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2006-2020) reveals consistent themes in genetic mechanisms of disease, population diversity, and molecular diagnostics, with particular emphasis on congenital disorders, dental anomalies, and spinal cord pathologies. Her work bridges basic science and clinical translation through animal models and human population studies.

No specific scientific awards were documented in the source material.

Dr. Patel has spearheaded curricular innovation through her M.Ed.-informed development of graduate-level biochemistry methodology courses, though grant funding details remain unspecified. Her leadership in instructional design complements her laboratory research in genetic disease mechanisms.

Her research laboratory employs cell culture and animal models to investigate gene regulation in inherited disorders while advancing population genetics research on Asian Indian communities, maintaining a dual focus on disease mechanism discovery and therapeutic development.