Arun Patel, M.D., J.D.

Arun R. Patel, MD, JD, MBE is a highly accomplished physician, attorney, and healthcare executive dedicated to improving patient safety, quality of care, and compliance in the healthcare industry. He currently serves as the System Director of Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS), the second largest municipal healthcare system in the United States. In this position, Dr. Patel oversees innovative system-wide patient safety initiatives, safety data collection and reporting, and responses to claims and liability matters.
During his time at the DHS, Dr. Patel has also served as the System Director of Quality Improvement, the System Director of Pharmacy Services, the System Chief Compliance Officer, and the Associate Chief Medical Officer of LAC+USC Medical Center. In addition to his administrative duties, Dr. Patel continues clinical practice by seeing newborns in the nursery at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center.
Dr. Patel is a passionate advocate for patient safety and has been instrumental in developing and implementing high reliability practices based on a culture of trust, support, and transparency to foster collaboration and continuous improvement among staff and clinicians.
During his time as a RWJF Health Policy Fellow, Dr. Patel served on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, advising on reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, and in the Policy Counselor’s Office of the Secretary of the Dept. of Health and Human Services, advising on various public health and health care delivery issues. Prior to those roles, Dr. Patel spent nearly a decade as a healthcare transactions and compliance attorney.
Dr. Patel received his Bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.D. from the University of Mississippi, and J.D. from Stanford University. He also holds a Master’s of Bioethics degree from the University of Pennsylvania. His unique perspective and expertise have made him a sought-after speaker, having presented at national conferences on topics related to healthcare quality, patient safety, and risk management, and a thought leader in the healthcare industry.