It is a long way from his home town of Baroda, Gujarat, on the northwestern coast of India to the University of South Carolina, but Dhyanesh 'Dan' Patel has made the journey in grand fashion. He arrived seven years ago in Greer, SC, where his family established a successful business, owned and operated by Dan's parents, Arvind and Daksha Patel. Dan had the opportunity to attend Southside High School in Greenville, SC where he participated in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. It was in the IB program that he developed his interest in chemistry and medicine and set his sights on USC.

Dan began his career at USC in 2004 as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Honors College. His long range goals are to attend medical school and become a neurologist, and in order to prepare himself he has expanded his academic scope in a variety of ways that give him opportunities and experiences well beyond the classroom. In particular, he has developed an interest in two unique minors offered by the College, one in the Neurosciences and other in Medical Humanities. It is in these areas that he has undertaken a number of independent projects to better his understanding of the roles of a medical researcher and a medical practitioner.

The range of Dan's activities is daunting, and includes ongoing work on fetal rat brain development with Dr. Rosemarie Booze from the Department of Psychology, evaluation of antipsychotic drugs in a shadowing experience with Dr. Meera Narasimahan of the Bryan Psychiatric Hospital in Columbia SC, acting as a Supplemental Instructor (SI) in Chemistry working with Dr. Michael Dukes, the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and peer reviewing for the USC international student online neurosciences journal "Impulse", where he will take over as executive editor in Fall 2007.

This unique combination of challenging activities has been made possible by the tremendous diversity of programs for undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dan has taken advantage of the depth and breadth of opportunities that the College offers all students who want to apply the fundamental knowledge of their disciplines to the real world of research, often guided by a mentor who is in turn part of the strong research faculty at USC. Perhaps the most compelling experience Dan has had in advance of a career in medicine is his participation with patients at Bryan Psychiatric Hospital, where research on new drugs meets the practical constraints of how to determine their effects on individuals. Complementing his courses in the Medical Humanities minor, his real life encounters with patients has stirred authentic feelings of empathy and understanding of how a physician and patient must often interact synergistically to resolve serious medical problems.

Dhyanesh Patel continues to strive for excellence in all he does academically, in his research and in his willingness to help others. We are glad to name him our Student of the Month for March 2007.

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