Welcome to the Academy of Master Teachers

Sharon Petronella Croisant, PhD
Professor 
Department of Epidemiology
School of Public and Population Health

Sharon Petronella Croisant, MS, PhD is a tenured Professor in the Department of Epidemiology in the UTMB School of Public and Population Health. has > 20 years of experience in leading community-engaged research and outreach. She is heavily involved in building interfaces between and among environmental research, education, and community health, emphasizing a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. Community-based research is an important focus of her work, primarily in response to emergent environmental health issues experienced by Gulf Coast communities, including natural and manmade disasters. She is the Director of Community Engagement Core for the Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH), which is a P30 Environmental Health Sciences Core Center funded by the national Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The GC-CPEH, a partnership between UTMB, Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, is the focal point and catalyst for environmental health research in the Texas Medical Center, driving collaborative and multidisciplinary research and serving the community engagement and policy needs of the Gulf Coast region. She further directs community engagement for the Baylor-Rice Superfund Research Program, also funded by the NIEHS. 

Chilvana Patel, MD, MBBS, FANA
Associate Professor
Director, Neurology Residency Program
Director, Neurophysiology Fellowship Program
Department of Neurology 
John Sealy School Medicine

Chilvana Patel is an Associate Professor of Neurology at University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston since 2019. She has also been the Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Training Director since 2017 and Neurology Residency Training Director since 2022. Dr. Patel completed her medical training at Smt. Nathiba Hargovandas Lakhmichand (NHL) Municipal Medical College, India, and medicine residency at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College (BJMC), India with highest rank (Gold Medal). She completed her residency in preliminary medicine at Maimonides Medical Center, New York. From 2009-2013, she successfully completed her neurology residency and clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Hofstra -NSLIJ School of Medicine in Manhasset, New York through the Northwell Health care system and served as an academic chief during the neurology residency. During both her residency and fellowship, she received scholarships from American Academy of Neurology. Before her UTMB employment, she served as an assistant professor in neurology in Northwell Health System from 2013-2015.

In addition, Dr. Patel has distinguished background in academic medicine as a clinical- educator, scholar, and mentor. Dr. Patel has been actively involved in providing clinical care and training medical students, neurology residents and clinical neurophysiology fellows. She received the John R. Calverley Faculty Teacher of the Year Award in 2017 and the A B Baker Teacher Recognition Award by American Academy of Neurology in 2020-2021. She is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in neurology and clinical neurophysiology. She has served as the Resident and Fellowship Education Committee member of American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS). Currently, she serves as a Section Lead for Maintenance of Certification committees for ACNS and Podcast Editorial Committee member for American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. She specializes in the field of Clinical Neurophysiology and provides treatment for the full spectrum of neurology disorders with special focus for Epilepsy and Neuromuscular Disorders, including neuropathy, muscle disorder, Myasthenia Gravis, and seizures. Her other major interest is developing a course to educate residents and fellows about issues which are specific for women with neurological disorders.

Dr. Patel was inducted into the Academy of Master Teachers in 2022.