Amy Patel, MD

Motivated by a desire to elevate the state of rural breast care, Dr. Patel left Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for the Heartland in 2018.

Seven years later, working out of Kansas City for three organizations—the University of Missouri, 204-bed Liberty Hospital and 30-physician Alliance Radiology—her noteworthy accomplishments include building a comprehensive breast program with subspecialty expertise in not only breast imaging and oncology but also surgery, genetics, plastic surgery and nurse navigation.

Her present titles include associate professor of radiology at the university, medical director at the hospital’s breast care center and chair of its cancer program.

Dr. Patel also spearheaded breast imaging legislation in the state of Missouri, helping secure mandated coverage for screening mammography, diagnostic breast imaging and high-risk imaging without co-pays or deductibles. These efforts led to her being awarded the Kansas City Medical Society’s Patient and Community Advocate Award.

As the current chair of the American College of Radiology’s Radiology Advocacy Network (RAN), Dr. Patel leads 40,000 radiologists and radiation oncologists as they work—often on their own time—for equitable care access. She was the first woman and youngest radiologist to receive RAN’s Advocate of the Year Award.

Her other major decorations include the Kansas City Medical Society’s Patient and Community Advocate of the Year Award and the inaugural ACR Changemaker Award.

As if all that were not enough, Dr. Patel was recognized by the Kansas City Chiefs as their 2022 Fan of the Year. The NFL team, which is the reigning Super Bowl champion, also named her a Lamar Hunt Legacy honoree for her work advancing equity in breast care.