University of Cincinnati student leads international nonprofit, conducts cancer research and explores public policy

Many students work a summer job between their high school graduation and starting college. Fewer begin conducting cancer research during the break in their studies. And even fewer start a nonprofit dedicated to supporting sustainable education and public health initiatives 8,000 miles from home.

Jay Patel did, and he’s continuing to use hands-on experiences to make a real-world impact as a second-year medical sciences student and Portman Fellow at the University of Cincinnati.

Family inspiration

Patel, of West Chester, Ohio, said he was initially drawn to medicine through seeing the difference it made for his sister, who was born with congenital glaucoma.

“I went with her all the time to physician’s offices, and when she was young she received a surgery that was able to restore her sight,” he said. “If she didn’t have that medical intervention, she would have surely lost her sight. So being able to see that in action and the continuous impact of those appointments afterwards, I really fell in love with the profession.”

He also developed an interest in international development, global health and public policy when visiting family and attending his grandfather’s funeral in India.

“I hadn’t been back to India in a long time, so when I saw the condition of those rural villages and how basically it was inaccessibility to health care that ultimately led to my grandfather’s passing, I really wanted to make a difference,” Patel said.

In July 2023, during the summer before his first year of college, Patel and other students founded the Dahyabhai Foundation, named in honor of his grandfather Dahyabhai Dharmabhai Patel. 

The elder Patel dedicated his life to serving others, first as a school teacher and then as the director of a government-funded food bank. He was known to stay at the food bank well after his shift ended, volunteering his personal time and finding ways to cut costs in order to help more people.

“There was a caste system during that time, so those in the lowest caste didn’t have as many resources or money,” Jay Patel recalled. “So my grandfather would save sugar for them for their weddings that would be coming up. He was very well known for being a community man and having a good heart.”

Collaborative approach drives sustainable development

The Dahyabhai Foundation is focused on uplifting underprivileged communities throughout India with a four-pronged approach: donating basic needs and educating village members about health literacy, environmental sustainability and access to sanitation resources.

“We want to grow in a way where we can create sustainable development, not something where our organization just gives, gives, gives,” Patel said. “We want to help people in these villages develop the resources and the knowledge to support themselves.”

The foundation takes a collaborative approach, meeting with village leaders, school principals and residents to determine a community’s most pressing needs. The team found the most urgent need was for filtered water coolers in schools, particularly during summer, when temperatures can reach up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

“There were videos from New Delhi where birds would be falling out of the sky, people were hospitalized in the masses, street signs would be melting,” Patel said. “And a lot of literature in the area cited that waterborne diseases were quite frequent, so that formed the basis of our inaugural mission, raising money to install filtered water coolers in various government-funded primary schools.”

Through fundraising and partnerships with FC Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Dahyabhai Foundation has raised more than $25,000 since March 2024, translating to filtered water coolers being installed in approximately 40 schools in India that serve around 5,000 students per year.

Under the guidance of UC telemedicine expert Charles Doarn, the foundation is expanding its focus to set up telemedicine infrastructure to provide the villages better access to health care . They are also collaborating  with Cincinnati nonprofit We Engage 4 Health to translate comic book-style public health materials about topics such as blood pressure and cancer into the villages’ native language.

“We have now an executive team of around 13 to 14 students who are so passionate about the work that we’re doing, and they’re so hard working,” Patel said. “A lot of the projects are spearheaded by other students that are so passionate about the work.” 

With the help of faculty mentor Michelle Burbage, the team is also conducting a community needs assessment to identify other pressing issues and tailor solutions to those needs. Burbage was connected to Patel and the foundation through a colleague due to her public and global health background.

“Jay is an inspiring and visionary leader, bringing both strategic thinking and hands-on approaches to global public health work in India,” said Burbage, PhD, associate professor and Master of Public Health program director in the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences in UC’s College of Medicine. “What stands out about him is his ability to connect with people from all backgrounds, fostering collaboration and driving meaningful impact — all qualities of a future health leader and global changemaker.”

Portman Fellowship provides new perspective

As he continues to deepen relationships with colleagues in India, Patel has learned more about how public policy affects public health and international development as part of the second cohort of fellows at UC’s Portman Center for Policy Solutions. The fellowship is designed to cultivate student civic leaders through a mentored scholarship program for undergraduates with demonstrated potential to make an impact on campus, in Cincinnati and across the country.

“A lot of our curriculum as medical sciences students is focused on the basic sciences, biochemical pathways and whatnot, and I realized that at the core essence of being a physician is helping others,” Patel said. “I wanted to develop personal traits apart from the basic science knowledge, so I applied to the Portman Fellowship and was lucky enough to receive it.”

His experiences as a fellow have introduced Patel to completely new ways to make change and an impact as a physician.

“I see ways that I can make systematic changes to policy that can truly affect the lives not just of people here, but all around the globe, which is something I’m really passionate about,” he said. “We just went to Washington, D.C., and learning how to navigate between differing opinions has been one of our main themes. It’s been a wonderful experience and has opened my eyes to public policy as well as navigating solutions between disagreeing parties.”

Summer program spawns long-term research 

In the summer of 2023, around the same time Patel was founding the Dahyabhai Foundation, he applied and was accepted to the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center’s Cancer Research Scholars Program (CRSP). The program offers cancer research and career training, field experiences and community engagement opportunities for rising undergraduate freshmen through recent graduates of undergraduate programs.

Patel was placed into Tom Cunningham’s lab and has continued to work in the lab for the past two years. His work focuses on cancer biology and molecular biology studies of specific enzymes called PRPS that are deregulated through various mechanisms in virtually all human cancers, with a specific focus on models that mimic mutations found in leukemias and other diseases.

Cunningham, PhD, noted Patel was one of two high school participants in the CRSP in 2023, and he has grown to become a valued member of the lab, working on projects that fill the gaps other lab members do not have time for, including creating “the next generation of tools to set the lab up for future success.”

“I’m utilizing CRISPR gene editing technology to try to alter that enzyme to discover potential therapeutic targets,” Patel said. “It’s very preliminary, a lot of basic science, but I’ve really enjoyed it — hence me being here for two years. We just sent one of our papers in for publication, and we have another one we’re working on right now.”

“Jay is a consummate professional who is dedicated and not easily distracted,” said Cunningham, a Cancer Center researcher and associate professor in the Department of Cancer Biology in UC’s College of Medicine. “He’s an incredibly quick learner. He’s fearless and devoted to understanding and getting things right. Whatever you throw at him he’s able to handle.”

Next steps

Even with his full plate, Patel continues to pursue additional opportunities to grow and learn. With the help of UC’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, he was recently accepted to the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship Program to study Hindi in Jaipur, India, this summer.

“One thing about UC is we have a strong community. The amount of support at UC is not something that I expected,” he said. “My mentors, Dr. Burbage and Dr. Cunningham, have been amazing for me in navigating what kind of career I want to pursue and also finding those experiences at UC, connecting me with so many other faculty members.”

Burbage and Cunningham said they look forward to seeing where Patel’s journey will take him.

“Over the course of the last few years I have worked with Jay, he has demonstrated tremendous motivation to make a positive impact in the public health field via innovative solutions to complex global health challenges,” Burbage said. “I am continually impressed by his commitment and desire to make a lasting impact in improving the health of underserved communities. His motivation to give back to communities is awe inspiring.”

“He’s a joy to mentor because he will do the heavy lifting himself, and he integrates well with the team,” Cunningham said. “I have mentored a few UC undergrads, and Jay is right at the top. He’s going far, and whatever med school accepts him will be lucky.”