By the close of 2025, Dr. Kiran C. Patel and Dr. Pallavi Patel had emerged as one of the most influential Indian-American couples shaping education, healthcare, and philanthropy in the United States and India. Trained as physicians and driven by a long-term vision, the couple’s work went far beyond donations, focusing instead on building institutions designed to create impact for generations.
A defining moment came on December 11, 2025, when Orlando Health Sciences University was officially renamed Drs. Kiran & Pallavi Patel Global University. The renaming marked a historic first, as a large American university took the name of an Indian-American couple. This change reflected not only their financial support but also their deep involvement in shaping academic strategy, research priorities, and global medical training.
The university now anchors a broader mission in healthcare education and workforce development. As the parent institution of the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine, which opened in 2024, it plays a central role in addressing physician shortages through structured and purpose-driven education. The Patels have outlined a multi-decade goal under which institutions they support across the United States and India could collectively produce more than 50,000 doctors by 2076, potentially benefiting over one billion people every year. With full accreditation and the first graduating class expected by 2028, that vision is steadily becoming operational.
Their influence also expanded within Nova Southeastern University. In mid-2025, several healthcare programs were reorganized into colleges named after the Patels, strengthening academic integration and improving training across key medical disciplines. A newly formed school brought together programs focused on physician assistants, anesthesiology support, and respiratory care, fields considered critical to the future of healthcare delivery in the United States.
Beyond American campuses, the Patels continued strengthening educational ties with India. Their university in Vadodara earned an A-plus national accreditation grade in 2025 and signed agreements to increase global student mobility and international testing access. They also extended support to entrepreneurship through funding programs aimed at technology startups in smaller Indian cities.
By the end of 2025, their total philanthropic commitments were estimated at nearly $1,000 million. What sets the Patels apart is not just the scale of giving, but its structure. Their approach focuses on building systems that grow, adapt, and serve long after individual contributions are made, redefining Indian-American influence as lasting and institution-driven.
