Sunita Patel, Ph.D.

(800) 826-4938
Sunita Patel
Psychologist
Clinical Expertise
Neuropsychology
Clinical Psychology
Behavioral Medicine
Research Area
Risk and Protective Factors of Neurocognitive and Behavioral Outcomes in Cancer Patients
Inflammatory Biomarkers of Behavioral Symptoms
Interventions to Improve Cancer-related Neurocognitive Late Effects
Validation of Psychosocial and Neurocognitive Screening Tools
Parent and Family Functioning in Childhood Cancer
Appointments
Associate Professor, Department of Population Sciences and Department of Supportive Care Medicine
Research Teams
Population Sciences
Pediatrics
Sunita Patel, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist whose research focuses on the risk and protective factors of cancer-related neurocognitive morbidities. Her research has been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society and California Breast Cancer Research Program. She has conducted interdisciplinary projects to identify inflammatory biomarkers of behavioral symptoms in adult-onset cancer patients, examined functional outcomes into long-term survivorship, and evaluated interventions to improve health-related quality of life in children with cancer. She has collaborated on funded multicenter studies focused on cancer treated neurocognitive effects in older patients treated for cancer, web-based caregiver interventions, neurocognitive late effects and neuroimaging correlates of treatment-associated cognition.
 
Education & Experience
Board Certifications

  • California Board of Psychology

Degrees

  • 1996, Ph.D. in clinical psychology, Alliant University, Los Angeles, CA

  • 1989, M.A. in clinical psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

  • 1985, B.S. in psychology, Barton College, Wilson, NC

Fellowship

  • 1995-1996, Neuropsychology fellowship (adult focus), Reed Neurological Research Center, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine

  • 1997-1998, Neuropsychology fellowship (pediatric focus), Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Department of Pediatrics, USC School of Medicine

Internship

  • 1994-1995, Health Psychology Intern (APA Accredited), Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry

  • 1993-1994, Neuropsychology Intern, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Professional Experience

  • 2015-present, Associate Professor, Division of Psychology, Department of Supportive Care Medicine, and Department of Population Sciences, City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2008-2015, Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Psychology, Department of Supportive Care Medicine, and Department of Population Sciences, City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2003-present, Staff Psychologist, Department of Supportive Care Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, CA

Research

Research Grants Since 2019

  • R01CA26193 (Patel) 07/05/2022 to 06/30/2027  
    National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute
    Leveraging Digital Solutions to Reduce Learning and Functional Disparities in Children with Cancer
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • RSG-17-023-01 (Patel) 7/1/2017 to 6/30/2022
    American Cancer Society
    Reducing Learning and HRQOL Disparities in Latino Children With Cancer
    To conduct a randomized clinical trial across three pediatric centers comparing a parent-training intervention to standard of care services to improve learning and HRQOL outcomes in Latino children with CNS-directed therapies.
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • R01 CA129769 Mandelblatt (PI) 12/01/2018 to 11/30/2022
    NIH NCI
    Older Breast Cancer Patients: Rick for Cognitive Decline
    The overall goal of this study is to evaluate the risk of cognitive decline in older patients with breast cancer.
    Role: Co-Investigator/Site Principal Investigator
  • 2UG1CA189955-06 COG Work Order for NCORP Adamson (PI) 08/01/2019 to 12/31/2020
    National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute
    ACNS1123: Phase 2 Trial of Response-Based Radiation Therapy for Patients with Localized Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors
    The overall goal is to evaluate reduced cranial radiation on survival and neurocognitive outcomes.
    Role: Study Chair for Neurocognitive Component
  • R01 CA172119 (PI: Hurria & Ahles) 09/01/13 to 08/30/19
    Cognition in Older Breast Cancer Survivors: Treatment Exposure, APOE, & Smoking
    Examine the association of APOE status, smoking history, and therapeutic exposures on the cognitive performance at study entry and longitudinal change among older breast cancer survivors compared to age- and education-matched controls
    Role: Co-Investigator
Awards & Memberships
Awards

  • 2021, City of Hope Excellence Award

  • 2018, Health Equity Pilot Research Award

  • 2017, ACS: Giants of Science Hope Award

  • 2013, California Breast Cancer Research Program, Innovative, Developmental, Exploratory Award

  • 2012, American Cancer Society Research Scholar

  • 2007, Blue Ribbon Award, Neuropsychology Division, American Psychological Association

  • 2004, Hope Street Kids Foundation Research Award

  • 2003, University of Southern California, Pilot See Award

  • 2002, American Cancer Society, California Division Special Projects Award

  • 2001, Junior Investigator Research Presentation Award, Pediatric Psycho-oncology Research Summit, Austin

Memberships

  • 2015-present, American Association of Cancer Research

  • 2015-present, American Congress of Rehabilitative Medicine

  • 2011-present, American Society of Clinical Oncology

  • 2011-present, Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society

  • 2007-2010, American Psycho-Oncology Society

  • 2000-present, Society of Pediatric Psychology

  • 1999-present, National Academy of Neuropsychology

  • 1997-present, International Society of Neuropsychology

  • 1996-present, American Psychological Association

Publications
  •  Patel SK, Breen EC, Paz IB, Kruper L, Mortimer J, Wong FL, Bhatia S, Irwin MR, Behrendt CE. Inflammation-related proteins as biomarkers of treatment- related behavioral symptoms: A longitudinal study of breast cancer patients and age-matched controls. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2023 Jul 31;32:100670. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100670. PMID: 37637432; PMCID: PMC10450410. 
  • Root JC, Li Y, Schofield E, Orlow I, Ryan E, Traina T, Patel SK, Ahles TA. Cognitive Aging in Older Breast Cancer Survivors. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Jun 16;15(12):3208. doi: 10.3390/cancers15123208. PMID: 37370818; PMCID: PMC10296698. 
  • Nudelman K, Nho K, Zhang M, McDonald BC, Zhai W, Small BJ, Wegel CE, Jacobsen PB, Jim HSL, Patel SK, Graham DMA, Ahles TA, Root JC, Foroud T, Breen EC, Carroll JE, Mandelblatt JS, Saykin AJ. Genetic Variants Associated with Longitudinal Cognitive Performance in Older Breast Cancer Patients and Controls. Cancers (Basel). 2023 May 23;15(11):2877. doi: 10.3390/cancers15112877. PMID: 37296840; PMCID: PMC10252108. 
  • Rentscher KE, Bethea TN, Zhai W, Small BJ, Zhou X, Ahles TA, Ahn J, Breen EC, Cohen HJ, Extermann M, Graham DMA, Jim HSL, McDonald BC, Nakamura ZM, Patel SK, Root JC, Saykin AJ, Van Dyk K, Mandelblatt JS, Carroll JE. Epigenetic aging in older breast cancer survivors and noncancer controls: preliminary findings from the Thinking and Living with Cancer Study. Cancer. 2023 Sep 1;129(17):2741-2753. doi: 10.1002/cncr.34818. Epub 2023 Jun 1. PMID: 37259669. 
  • Mandelblatt JS, Small BJ, Zhou X, Nakamura ZM, Cohen HJ, Ahles TA, Ahn J, Bethea TN, Extermann M, Graham D, Isaacs C, Jacobsen PB, Jim HSL, McDonald BC, Patel SK, Rentscher KE, Root JC, Saykin AJ, Tometich DB, Van Dyk K, Zhai W, Breen EC, Carroll JE. Plasma levels of interleukin-6 mediate neurocognitive performance in older breast cancer survivors: The Thinking and Living With Cancer study. Cancer. 2023 Aug 1;129(15):2409-2421. doi: 10.1002/cncr.34784. Epub 2023 Apr 25. PMID: 37096888. 
  • Daniel E, Deng F, Patel SK, Sedrak MS, Kim H, Razavi M, Sun CL, Root JC, Ahles TA, Dale W, Chen BT. Altered gyrification in chemotherapy-treated older long-term breast cancer survivors. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2023 Apr 10:rs.3.rs-2697378. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2697378/v1. PMID: 37090667; PMCID: PMC10120747. 
  • Ahles TA, Schofield E, Li Y, Ryan E, Orlow I, Patel SK, Traina T, Root JC. Cognitive function is mediated by deficit accumulation in older, long-term breast cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv. 2023 Mar 24. doi: 10.1007/s11764-023-01365-6. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36964293. 
  • Daniel E, Deng F, Patel SK, Sedrak MS, Kim H, Razavi M, Sun CL, Root JC, Ahles TA, Dale W, Chen BT. Cortical thinning in chemotherapy-treated older long- term breast cancer survivors. Brain Imaging Behav. 2023 Feb;17(1):66-76. doi: 10.1007/s11682-022-00743-5. Epub 2022 Nov 11. PMID: 36369620; PMCID: PMC10156471. 
  • Tometich DB, Mosher CE, Cyders M, McDonald BC, Saykin AJ, Small BJ, Zhai W, Zhou X, Jim HSL, Jacobsen P, Ahles TA, Root JC, Graham D, Patel SK, Mandelblatt J. An Examination of the Longitudinal Relationship Between Cognitive Function and Physical Activity Among Older Breast Cancer Survivors in the Thinking and Living With Cancer Study. Ann Behav Med. 2023 Apr 5;57(3):237-248. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaac048. PMID: 36356044; PMCID: PMC10074030. 
  • Chen BT, Chen Z, Deng F, Patel SK, Sedrak MS, Root JC, Ahles TA, Razavi M, Kim H, Sun CL, Dale W. Signal Variability and Cognitive Function in Older Long- Term Survivors of Breast Cancer with Exposure to Chemotherapy: A Prospective Longitudinal Resting-State fMRI Study. Brain Sci. 2022 Sep 23;12(10):1283. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12101283. PMID: 36291217; PMCID: PMC9599386.