Vikas Patel

Success is achieved with hard work, determination, and resiliency.

 

Vikas Patel was born and raised in central New Jersey. Patel attended Rutgers University where he earned his undergraduate degree in biological science when he then went on to enter medical school. After medical school, he completed his neurology residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia with a focus on cerebrovascular disease. He then went on to complete a fellowship in vascular neurology fellowship at University Hospital at New Jersey Medical School and endovascular neurosurgery fellowship at Westchester Medical Center. He has written a book chapter on endovascular stroke treatment and contributed to research publications regarding endovascular treatment for intracranial aneurysms. When he is not working, Patel enjoys partaking in his hobbies which include sports, running, traveling, and other outdoor activities.

Where did the idea for your career come from?

I decided that I wanted to become a doctor at a young age, and I have worked hard to achieve that goal since that point.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My typical day involves waking up early and doing extensive research throughout the day to find new techniques to implement into my profession.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I am always open to any ideas that would improve patient care and I will always look into the viability of implementing these ideas. I tremendously believe in endovascular treatment for cerebrovascular disease, but I also believe in treating the mind with positivity and placebo effect in certain cases.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The trend that excites me is more and more patients are benefitting from endovascular treatment for cerebrovascular disease vs open brain surgery. This trend is important as many patients can have diseases treated with minimally invasive procedures and be able to recover much faster than open brain surgery which can leave lifelong impairment.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

One habit of mine that makes me more productive as an entrepreneur is that I am very dedicated and determined to make a positive impact in my patients lives. This dedication and determination is what helps to push me forward even during the late nights or early mornings when I am researching.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to be selfless and give as much as you can to others who are less fortunate.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I believe that having a positive attitude, interacting with patients, giving them positive feedback can have tremendous effects in terms of curing their disease and helping them overcome the disability that comes with strokes and ruptured aneurysms.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I have a very positive attitude and have a goal to positively impact at least one person every day. I also work very hard and read as much as I can to be extremely knowledgeable in my profession. I believe that if everyone in the profession did these simple things every day, we would be able to treat significantly more issues.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Strategies that have helped me reach a high-end specialty in the medical field are dedication, hard work, communication skills, community outreach, and charity work. It is through these strategies that I have been able to not only connect with my community but also it has helped me to improve my social skills when talking with patients.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I failed at my first attempts to attend medical school but was extremely determined and continued to work and with my resiliency, I was able to get into medical school.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I think a very good business idea is to build a food cart service near a hospital as these services are extremely profitable due to the large number of workers in the hospital setting that only have short breaks to eat.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

The best $100 I spent was money I gave to feed a village in India, just to see the joy that those who are less fortunate get from just receiving food which we take for granted is priceless.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I think the internet in general is very useful to increase your knowledge base. Personally, the one webservice I like the most is PubMed as I’m an avid reader of research papers.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The Story of My Experiments with Truth, a story of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a very powerful person with very little resources. His strength came from his mind, and he was able to reach remarkable achievements because of his mind and attitude.

What is your favorite quote?

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” This is very powerful as positivity will give you the power to achieve anything including changing the world.

Key Learnings:

• Success is achieved with hard work, determination, and resiliency
• Positive thoughts and attitude are very powerful in terms of positively affecting the world
• Dedicate your life to helping others and giving.