Kunal S. Patel, MD
(he/him)
- Neurosurgery
About
For direct scheduling please contact Dr. Patel’s coordinator, Vanessa Rodriguez at 310-794-4097.
Dr. Kunal Patel is a board-certified neurosurgeon and expert in neurosurgical oncology and surgery for brain tumors within the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine.
He earned his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, graduating at the top of his class with the John Metcalf Polk Prize and Alpha Omega Alpha honors. Dr. Patel pursued neurosurgical residency training at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he also completed a CAST certified fellowship in neurosurgical oncology. Dr. Patel has an excellent academic track record, receiving special recognition for his performance on the American Board of Neurologic Surgery Examination. Dr. Patel specializes in cutting edge surgery for brain tumors including: awake brain surgery, minimally invasive brain surgery, and outpatient brain surgery.
Dr. Patel is also world expert in research on brain tumors and principal investigator of his own laboratory studying glioblastoma and cerebrospinal fluid disorders. His scholarly contributions include authorship of more than 75 peer-reviewed scientific publications. His word has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, McKnight Foundation, Tower Cancer Research Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the American Brain Tumor Association. He was recently awarded a multimillion dollar grant for his Phase I trial on pH based resections of glioblastoma (NCT06176066).
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certification
Fellowship
Residency
Degree
Recognitions
- Super Doctors® Southern California Rising Stars 2025
- Resident Performance Award Teaching, UCLA Neurosurgery, 2022
- Resident Research Day Award, UCLA Neurosurgery, 2022
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Locations
Palos Verdes Primary & Specialty Care
Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
Medical Services
Areas of Focus
Research
Interests
Dr. Patel's research interests include advanced imaging for brain tumors.
Dr. Patel is funded by the following grants/organizations:
- VA IK2RD00098
- NIH/NCATS KL2TR001882
- NIH/NCI P30CA016042
- NIH/NCI P50CA211015
- VA S&PC
- JAM Council
- McKnight Endowment
- Tower Cancer Research Foundation
- Eli & Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine
- Jonasson Cancer Center
- Neurosurgical Research and Education Fund
Publications
Dr. Patel's recent publications in peer reviewed medical journals include:
- Harper SD, Perryman T, Dudley LA, Prabhu AS, Carson A, Delgadillo A, Oduro ES, Sparks O, Gor A, Baisiwala S, Zhang T, Rodriguez F, Patel KS. Molecular charaterization of benign intracranial glioependymal and arachnoid cysts suggest heterogenous mechanisms of action. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2025 Jul 1; 84(7):617-625 PMID 40197611 Link
- Baisiwala S, Ko M, Zubair H, Li K, Vivas AC, Everson R, Liau L, Bari A, Patel KS. Metastatic secondary gliosarcoma: patient series. J Neurosurg Case Lessons. 2023 May 22;5(21) PMID 37218733 Link
- Patel KS, Tessema KK, Kawaguchi R, Dudley L, Alvarado AG, Muthukrishann SD, Perryman T, Hagiwara A, Swarup V, Liau LM, Wang AC, Yong W, Geschwind DH, Nakano I, Godlman SA, Everson RG, Ellingson BM, Kornblum HI. Single-nucleus expression characterization of non-enhancing region of recurrent high-grade glioma. Neurooncol Adv. 2024 Jan 25;6(1):vdae005 PMID 38616896 Link
- Patel KS, Yao J, Cho NS, Sanvito F, Fessema K, Alvarado A, Dudley L, Rodriguez F, Everson R, Cloughesy TF, Salamon N, Liau LM, Kornblum HI, Ellingson BM. pH-Weighted amine chemical exchange saturation transfer echo planar imaging visualizes infiltrating glioblastoma cells. Neuro Oncol. 2024 Jan 5;26(1):115-126 PMID 37591790 Link
- Patel KS, Yao J, Raymond C, Yong W, Everson R, Liau LM, Nathanson D, Kornblum H, Wang C, Oughourlian T, Lai A, Nghiemphu PL, Pope WB, Cloughesy TF, Ellingson BM. Decorin expression is associated with predictive diffusion MR phenotypes of anti-VEGF efficacy in glioblastoma. Sci Rep. 2020 Sep 9;10(1):14819. PMCID: PMC7481206. Link
- Patel KS, Everson RG, Yao J, Raymond C, Goldman J, Schlossman J, Tsung J, Tan C, Pope WB, Ji MS, Nguyen NT, Lai A, Nghiemphu PL, Liau LM, Cloughesy TF, Ellingson BM. Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging Phenotypes Predict Overall Survival Benefit From Bevacizumab or Surgery in Recurrent Glioblastoma With Large Tumor Burden. Neurosurgery. 2020 Oct 15;87(5):931-938. PMCID: PMC7566341. Link
- Patel KS, Laiwalla AN, DiCesare JA, Garrett MC, Wang AC. Subcutaneous sumatriptan: association with decreases in postoperative pain and opioid use after elective cranial surgery. Journal of Neurosurgery. 2020;134(2):401–9.
- Patel KS, Kejriwal S, Thammachantha S, Duong C, Murillo A, Gordon LK, et al. Increased epithelial membrane protein 2 expression in glioblastoma after treatment with bevacizumab. Neuro-oncology advances. 2020;2(1):vdaa112.
- Patel KS, Kejriwal S, Sun MM, Thammachantha S, Duong C, Chan A, et al. Identification of epithelial membrane protein 2 (EMP2) as a molecular marker and correlate for angiogenesis in meningioma. Journal of neuro-oncology. 2020;147(1):15–24.
- Patel KS, Sun MZ, Willis SL, Alemnew M, De Jong R, Evans AS, et al. Selective scalp block decreases short term post-operative pain scores and opioid use after craniotomy: A case series. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2021;93:183–7.
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
Please contact your benefits coordinator or health insurance company directly to verify coverage.
Visit our health insurance information page for more details.
Recognitions
- Super Doctors® Southern California Rising Stars 2025
- Resident Performance Award Teaching, UCLA Neurosurgery, 2022
- Resident Research Day Award, UCLA Neurosurgery, 2022
- Resident Performance Award - ABNS Primary Examination, UCLA Neurosurgery, 2021
- Resident Performance Award Research, UCLA Neurosurgery, 2021
- Best Basic Science Abstract, North American Skull Base Society, 2020
- Resident Performance Award ABNS Primary Examination, UCLA Neurosurgery, 2019
- John Metcalf Polk Prize, Highest Scholastic Performance at Graduation, Weill Cornell Medical College, 2016