Robin Patel, M.D., is the director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory. In the research laboratory, she and her colleagues focus on biofilms. Biofilms cause a large number of infections in modern clinical practice, such as prosthetic joint infection and endocarditis.

Dr. Patel and her team are unraveling the process of biofilm formation and resistance of biofilms to antibiotics. They are developing new and improved diagnostic tools and treatment strategies for biofilm-associated infections. Her group uses in vitro studies as well as animal models of infection for their studies.

Dr. Patel is also the chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology and the director of its Bacteriology Laboratory. In this state-of-the-art clinical facility, she and her colleagues develop and deploy cutting-edge assays for clinical detection of bacteria, identification of bacteria, and characterization of antimicrobial resistance and susceptibility.