Sandeep Patel

Sandeep Patel is currently an independent consultant and entrepreneur with deep expertise at the intersection of science, business, and global health security. From 2020 until Mar 2024 he served as the first Director of BARDA’s Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe), within the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS), where he built and led a team that managed over $700M in investments in translational science and early stage companies to enhance our preparedness for future health security threats. He also built the US’s first public-private venture capital fund, into which over $250M was invested on behalf of BARDA.

In addition to his leadership role at BARDA, Sandeep was a key figure in the Immediate Office of the HHS Secretary, where he founded and led a public-private partnership, KidneyX, that catalyzed the development of breakthrough therapies for kidney disease, including renal replacement technologies. He spearheaded the Advancing American Kidney Health Initiative, aimed at reforming the nation's organ transplant system, getting more patients off dialysis, and increasing focus to prevent kidney failure. He led HHS' program to use novel methods, including incentive prizes and crowdsourcing, to solve complex health problems across the family of HHS agencies. He is the recipient of the American Society of Nephrology's President's Medal, and a Secretary's Distinguished Service award. Prior to that he was a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Patel holds a PhD in physical chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a BA in chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis.