Expertise
- Nutrition
- Health
- Community research
- AI Policy
- AI literacy and preparedness
- Education Technology
- AI research
Dhruti Patel has been a Family and Consumer Sciences Educator with the University of Maryland Extension since 2012 and has served Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties since 2022. Her expertise encompasses nutrition, health, mental health, food preservation, and education technologies. She uses research-based methodologies to identify community needs, develop targeted educational programs, and evaluate their impact. Her successful program portfolio includes initiatives addressing the Habit Shift Mindset, Alzheimer's Caregiver program, senior nutrition, and chronic disease management. Her current research focuses on developing multidisciplinary health programs and community research that integrate nutrition, physical health, and mental well-being through an intersectional lens, and on using technology in a pedagogical approach, including AI, to improve program expansion and accessibility.
In 2025, Patel earned her doctoral degree in education from Frostburg University in Maryland. Her area of doctoral research focuses on exploring the AI landscape to assess current AI policy, AI preparedness, and AI literacy within higher education. She also holds two master's degrees in Nutritional Sciences (Texas, US) and in Clinical Nutrition, Dietetics, and Hospitality Management (India), as well as a Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition (India). She brings 18 years of experience across clinical, research, and community education in nutrition and health.
