Niki Patel , MD

Resident

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Surgery

Classification:

Resident

• MD, University of Mississippi School of Medicine

I was born in Texas and raised in the small town of Columbia, Mississippi. My undergraduate studies were completed at Mississippi College and my master's degree at the University of Mississippi. I received my medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. Prior to graduating from medical school, I left my home state to pursue the Clinical Pediatric Hand Surgery Research Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia under the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Oral Surgery. I now look forward to being at WVU for my plastic surgery training. 

What attracted me to WVU Residency?

The people. During my interview with WVU, I was most attracted to the level of dedication and support the faculty provides to the residents, including the early operative hands-on experience and research opportunities, garnering strong representation at local and national plastic surgery meetings. 

What makes our program unique?

I find the faculty and residents to be very personable. Additionally, being in a smaller program with no fellows at WVU means early opportunities to become involved in the operating room, as well as other aspects of patient care. 

What do I like about Morgantown?

Although I have no ties to West Virginia, the area seems beautiful with great outdoor activities! Additionally, the low cost of living and easy commute to work is a huge bonus, and city life is also only an hour away in Pittsburgh.  

Awards:

• 2023, Clinical Pediatric Hand Research Fellowship – Division of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Oral Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2022, Plastic Surgery Retreat Scholarship – California Society of Plastic Surgeons Women (CSPS)
• 2022, Winter Meeting Scholarship – American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS)

Professional Societies/Leadership:

• Member – American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS)
• Resident Member – American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)

Publications

• Patel NK, Tipps JA, Bartlett SP, Kovach SJ, Levin LS, Mendenhall SD. Expanding Indications of the Medial Femoral Condyle Free Flap: A Systematic Review in Head & Neck Reconstruction. In: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open. April 2023.
• Patel NK, Tipps JA, Reed E, Hendrycks R, Graham EM, Mendenhall SD. Novel Tendon Stapler Device in Wrist Level Hand Allotransplantation. In: Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA). 2023 January. 
• Patel NK, Hendrycks R, Reed E, Graham EM, Mendenhall SD. Learning Curve of Wrist Level Tendon Repairs using a Novel Tendon Stapler Device vs. Traditional Suture Methods. In: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open. 2023 February.
• Patel NK, Tipps JA, Graham EM, Taylor JA, Mendenhall SD. Reconstruction of a Nonreplantable Near-total Scalp Avulsion with NovoSorb Biodegradable Temporizing Matrix: Pediatric Case Report. In: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open. 2022 December 13.
• Patel NK, Horriat N, Brownlee P, Humphries L, Hoppe I. Inferiorly Based Alar Groove Flap for Correction of Alar Base Malposition and Nasal Stenosis. In: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open. 2022 March 31. 
• Patel NK, Brownlee P, Hoppe I. Cleft Rhinoplasty: A Novel Flap for Correcting Alar Base Malposition. In: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open. 2021 October.
• Iyengar RJ, Mercier M, Patel NK, Thompson JG, Walker ME. Analysis of Hand and Microsurgery Transfers to a Level I Trauma Center. In: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open. 2021 October.*ASPS Supplement 2021, Top 200 Tier 1 Abstracts at ASPS
• Horriat N, Patel NK, Dogar S, Kirmse B, Walker ME. Multigenerational Triphalangeal Thumb: Suspicion for a New Dominantly-Inherited Disorder of Hand Development. In: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open. 2021 October. 
• Patel NK, Patel AK, Wilkaitis J, Walker ME. Psychiatry Meets Plastic Surgery: A Review on the Importance of Psychiatry in Patients Seeking Cosmetic Plastic Surgery. In: Journal of the Mississippi Psychiatric Association. 2021 October 27.
• Patel NK, Patel SK, Sinning A, Cui D. Development of 3D Stereoscopic of the Cerebellum Model for Anatomic Virtual Learning. In: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 2021 April 27.
  Patel SK, Patel NK, Yang G, Cui D. Creating 3D Cerebral Cortex Stereoscopic Anatomic Model for Virtual Learning. In: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 2021 April 27 *Best of ACAPS Winter Retreat-Paper Session I
• Patel NK, Tipps JA, Reed E, Hendrycks R, Graham EM, Mendenhall SD. Novel Tendon Stapler Device in Wrist Level Hand Allotransplantation. In: Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA). 2023 January. ​​

Presentations: 

• Belardo ZE, Graham EM, Pehnke M, Patel NK, Chang B, Mendenhall SD, Shah AS. Revision Surgery following Primary Reconstruction for Congenital Syndactyly: Results from a Single United States Children’s Hospital. 13^th Congress of the Asian Pacific Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand (APFSSH 2023). May 31-June 3, 2023 (Singapore).
• Patel NK, Graham EM, Belardo ZE, Kota A, Chang B, Mendenhall SD, Shah AS. Outcomes of 683 Congenital Syndactyly Releases from a Large Academic Children’s Hospital Database. 2023 World Symposium on Congenital Malformations of the Hand and Upper Limb. May 17-20, 2023 (Minneapolis, MN).
• Cordray H, Graham EM, Patel NK, Belardo ZE, Shah AS, Chang B, Mendenhall SD. Clinical and Operative Factors Associated with Complications Following Apert Hand Syndactyly Release. 2023 World Symposium on Congenital Malformations of the Hand and Upper Limb. May 17-20, 2023 (Minneapolis, MN).
• Belardo ZE, Graham EM, Pehnke M, Patel NK, Chang B, Mendenhall SD, Shah AS. Revision Surgery following Primary Reconstruction for Congenital Syndactyly. World Symposium on Congenital Malformations of the Hand and Upper Limb. May 17-20, 2023 (Minneapolis, MN).
• Mendenhall SD, Graham EM, Belardo ZE, Kota A, Patel NK, Card EB, Shah AS, Chang B. Outcomes of the Skin Graftless Dorsal Metacarpal Island VY Advancement Flap vs. Dorsal Rectangular Flap with Skin Grafting in 213 Simple Syndactyly Releases. 2023 World Symposium on Congenital Malformations of the Hand and Upper Limb. May 17-20, 2023 (Minneapolis, MN).
• Belardo ZE, Graham EM, Pehnke M, Patel NK, Chang B, Mendenhall SD, Shah AS. Revision Surgery following Primary Reconstruction for Congenital Syndactyly. Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). 2023 April 26-28 (Nashville, TN).
• Patel NK, Hendrycks R, Reed E, Graham EM, Mendenhall SD. Learning Curve of Wrist Level Tendon Repairs using a Novel Tendon Stapler Device vs. Traditional Suture Methods. American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS) 10th Annual Winter Meeting. Feb 23-26, 2023 (New Orleans, LA).
• Patel NK, Kota A, Tipps JA, Graham EM, Belardo ZE, Shah AS, Mendenhall SD, Chang B. Variations in Apert Hand Treatment Outcomes by Upton Classification. American Association for Hand Surgery. 2023 January 19 (Miami, FL).
• Tipps JA, Kota A, Patel NK, Tipps JA, Graham EM, Belardo ZE, Chang B, Mendenhall SD, Shah AS. Outcomes of Syndactyly Release in the Management of Apert Syndrome. American Association for Hand Surgery. 2023 January 19 (Miami, FL).
• Kota A, Graham EM, Belardo ZE, Patel NK, Tipps JA, Shah AS, Chang B, Mendenhall SD. Apert Hand Syndactyly Presentation and Management: An Analysis of Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors in 106 Webspace Releases. American Association for Hand Surgery. 2023 January 19 (Miami, FL).
• Patel NK, Tipps JA, Reed E, Hendrycks R, Graham EM, Mendenhall SD. Novel Tendon Stapler Device in Wrist Level Hand Allotransplantation. The American Society for Reconstructive Transplantation. 2022 November 4 (Chicago, IL).
• Moss CA, Brown KW, Mukit M, Patel NK, Walker ME. The Scope of Plastic Surgery: The Unfortunately Narrow Public Perception of our Broad and Diverse Specialty. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 2022 October 29 (Boston, MA).
• Patel NK. Expanding Indications of the Medial Femoral Condyle Flap: Head & Neck Reconstruction. Cleft and Craniofacial Indications Conference. 2022 June 20 (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA).
• Moss CA, Brown KW, Mukit M, Patel NK, Walker ME. The Scope of Plastic Surgery as Seen Through the Eyes of the Average American: A Survey. 1st ICOPLAST World Congress. 2022 May 20 (Lima, Peru).
• Horriat N, Patel NK, Brownlee P, Humphries L, Hoppe I. A Novel, Inferiorly-Based Nasal Flap for Correction of Alar Base Malposition and Nasal Stenosis. Podium Presentation. American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. 2022 April 1 (Fort Worth, TX).
• Iyengar RJ, Mercier M, Patel NK, Thomson JG, Walker ME. Analysis of Hand and Microsurgery Transfers to a Level I Trauma Center: A Descriptive Analysis over 7 years. Podium Presentation. New England Hand Society. 2021 December 3 (Sturbridge, MA).
• Iyengar RJ, Mercier M, Patel NK, Thomson JG, Walker ME. Analysis of Hand and Microsurgery Transfers to a Level I Trauma Center: A Descriptive Analysis over 7 years. Podium Presentation. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 2021 October 31 (Atlanta, GA).*Top 200 Tier 1 Abstracts at ASPS
• Horriat N, Patel NK, Dogar S, Kirmse B, Walker ME. Multigenerational Triphalangeal Thumb: Suspicion for a New Dominantly-Inherited Disorder of Hand Development. Podium Presentation. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 2021 October 31 (Atlanta, GA). 

 Poster Presentations:

• Buttrick E, Patel NK, Mendenhall SD, Goodbody C, Horn BD, Chang B, Shah AS. Clinical Presentation and Treatment of Foot Syndactyly in Children. Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) Annual Meeting. 2023 April 26-28 (Nashville, TN).
• Patel NK, Graham EM, Tipps JT, Leeflang E, Mendenhall SM. NovoSorb™ Biodegradable Temporizing Matrix – A Novel Bilayer Skin Substitute for Hand and Upper Extremity Reconstruction. American Association for Hand Surgery Annual Meeting. 2023 January 19 (Miami, FL).
• Patel NK, Graham EM, Tipps JT, Leeflang E, Mendenhall SM. NovoSorb™ Biodegradable Temporizing Matrix – A Novel Dermal Scaffold for Reconstructive Surgery. American Medical Association Research Challenge. 2022 October 21 (Virtual).
• Kota A, Graham EM, Belardo ZE, Patel NK, Tipps JA, Shah AS, Chang B, Mendenhall SD. Apert Hand Syndactyly Presentation and Management: An Analysis of Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors in 106 Webspace Releases. American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress. 2022 October 18 (San Diego, CA). *First Place Poster in Clinical Research category
• Brown K, Moss C, Patel NK, Walker ME. The Scope Of Plastic Surgery As Seen Through The Eyes Of The Average American: A Survey. Plastic Surgery Research Council. 2022 June (Toronto, CA).
• Horriat N, Patel NK, Dogar S, Kirmse B, Walker ME. Multigenerational Triphalangeal Thumb: Suspicion for a New Dominantly-Inherited Disorder of Hand Development. American Association for Hand Surgery. 2022 January (Carlsbad, CA).
• Patel NK, Brownlee P, Hoppe I. Cleft Rhinoplasty: A Novel Flap for Correcting Alar Base Malposition. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 2021 October 30 (Atlanta, GA).*Top 25 Tier 1 Abstracts at ASPS *Top Poster in Craniomaxillofacial/Head & Neck track
• Horriat N, Patel NK, Fortin T, Dogar S, Vazquez H, Walker ME. A Coastal Fisherman’s Biggest Catch: Hand Salvage & Functional Recovery Following Marine Flesh-eating Bacterial Infection. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 2021 October 30 (Atlanta, GA). 
• Patel NK, Horriat N, Fortin T, Dogar S, Vazquez H, Walker ME. A Coastal Fisherman’s Biggest Catch: Hand Salvage & Functional Recovery Following Marine Flesh-eating Bacterial Infection. American Medical Association Research Challenge. 2021 October 22 (Virtual).
• Iyengar RJ, Mercier M, Patel NK, Thompson JG, Walker ME. Analysis of Hand and Microsurgery Transfers to a Level I Trauma Center. American Society for Surgery of the Hand 76th Annual Meeting. 2021 September (San Francisco, CA).
• Horriat N, Patel NK, Dogar S, Kirmse B, Walker ME. Multigenerational Triphalangeal Thumb: Suspicion for a New Dominantly-Inherited Disorder of Hand Development. Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2021 June (Hilton Head Island, SC). 
• Patel NK, Patel SK, Sinning A, Cui D. Development of 3D Stereoscopic of the Cerebellum Model for Anatomic Virtual Learning. American Association for Anatomy Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology. 2021 April 28 (Virtual)
• Patel NK, Patel SK, Cui D. 3D Stereoscopic Virtual Anatomic Model of the Cerebellum from Computed Tomography Angiography. 2020 Physician Scientist Interest Day for Underrepresented Students. 2020 February 29 (Jackson, MS).

Personal Interests:  Long walks, hiking, bike rides, traveling, brunch, happy hours, drawing, arts/crafts.