Nisha P D'Souza, MD, MPH

My name is Dr. Nisha Patel, and I am an assistant professor of medicine in the University of Florida College of Medicine’s Division of General Internal Medicine and a provider at UF Health Internal Medicine – Tower Hill.

I love my career in medicine because it allows me the flexibility to explore multiple passions at once. In academic medicine, I am able to serve patients as a primary care physician while also teaching the next generation of doctors and conducting scientific research that contributes to advancing medicine.

Nonetheless, I find the role as physician to be the most humbling of these. I want my patients to know that I am their teammate in helping them reach their health goals. My clinical interests include preventive health, women’s health and chronic disease management for conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. I like to develop treatment plans in partnership with my patients that balance lifestyle changes and natural remedies with traditional medicine.

My research interest is in public health and health policy. My area of study is focused on the structures and functions of local health departments, as they are the sometimes forgotten but essential platforms for many crucial public health interventions – such as tracking, testing and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. I am currently studying state-level variation in the financial support and resourcing of local public health departments.

I earned my Master’s in Public Health from the Jefferson College of Population Health and my medical degree from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. My residency in internal medicine and primary care was completed at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

I have been a dancer my whole life, mainly performing Indian styles of dance such as Bharatanatyam and folk dance. And, as a true Floridian, I love to be outdoors as much as possible.