Office of Finance & Administration

Prita Patel, MSc, serves as interim deputy dean for Yale School of Medicine (YSM) Finance & Administration (F&A) and as executive director for business administration and strategic initiatives. She joined YSM in September 2025, bringing with her more than 20 years of experience in health care and higher education, with expertise in financial stewardship, operational leadership, and strategic planning. In this dual role, Patel oversees YSM’s $3 billion operating budget and leads the school’s finance, budgeting, human resources, capital planning, information technology, and administrative functions to support operational excellence and continuous improvement. She works closely with the dean and deputy deans, as well as administrative and academic leaders across Yale University and Yale New Haven Health System, to set strategic priorities and align resources in support of YSM’s educational, research, and clinical missions. Patel also oversees YSM’s basic science, clinical, and central administration departments, including their Integrated Business Operations (IBO) units. In partnership with the F&A Office of Continuous Improvement, she helps identify and advance initiatives that strengthen processes and improve the school’s business operations. Prior to joining YSM, Patel served at American University for more than a decade as vice provost for academic administration and associate vice provost for academic administration. There, she led the financial and operational functions for Academic Affairs–including seven schools and colleges–managing an operating budget of more than $400 million. She also served on the Strategic Planning Implementation Committee, supporting goal development, progress tracking, and the establishment of metrics for reporting and continuous improvement. Earlier in her career, Patel held progressively senior roles at Columbia University Medical Center, including senior director of budget, finance, and risk management for Women’s and Children’s Health, and director-level finance and budgeting roles within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She also partnered with New York-Presbyterian Hospital on joint strategic initiatives. Additional experience includes roles at Heatlhfirst as a product management associate and at Morgan Stanley as a health care services equity research associate. Patel earned her bachelor’s degree from New York University’s Stern School of Business and holds a master’s degree in international health management from Imperial Business School in London. She is a former fellow and current member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), and a member of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC).

I began my healthcare career as a dialysis technician during my sophomore year of my undergraduate studies at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, CT.  After completing my degree I was promoted to Unit Administrator of the Bridgeport Dialysis unit and spent 12 total years ultimately achieving the title of Regional Director for the Southwestern Connecticut market.  After a 3 year hiatus from healthcare operations while working for a pharmaceutical manufacturer, I returned to operations in the field of Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, CT.  This was an area that I truly enjoyed and in 2007 was awarded National Healing Corporations, Program Director of the Year honors at their national meeting in Orlando, Florida.  In 2009, I was asked to develop the R.A.C. (Recovery Audit Contractor) program as well as manage the Case Management department at for Saint Mary's Hospital which I accepted and successfully executed. In 2015, I shifted to the medical group within the organization and assumed responsibility for all surgical, medical specialty as well as primary care practices.  I was instrumental in stabilizing the practices and then driving significant growth in areas such as gastroenterology, surgery, and other specialties. In addition, I added new services such as Neurosurgery, Endocrine Surgery, Neurology, Podiatry, and other over my 5 years in that role. In summary, I possess over 30 years of healthcare operations management experience in the outpatient, inpatient and physician practice management areas.  I have been fortunate to have had these opportunities not only in different modalities but also in a wide range of specialties.  This has given me a well rounded view in healthcare which I call upon to serve me in my role here at Yale University.

Peggy joined Yale School of Medicine in July of 2023 as communications officer for YSM Administration, including the Offices of Academic & Professional Development and Finance & Administration. She brings more than 20 years of experience in developing and executing strategic communications, employee engagement, and reputation management initiatives. Her background includes significant roles with Fortune 200 companies, as well as public, private, nonprofit, and global nongovernmental organizations, including within the health care and financial services sectors. Over the course of her career, Peggy honed an expertise in corporate responsibility, stakeholder engagement, and demonstrating social impact with various organizations, including MetLife, Inc., AmeriCares Foundation, United Nations Association of the USA, U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd, and the Connecticut General Assembly. Peggy holds a bachelor's degree in mass communications and marketing from Franklin Pierce University, a master's degree in European Economic and Public Affairs from University College Dublin, and an executive education certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategies to Create Business and Social Value from Harvard Business School.

Interests include minimally invasive spine procedures with one day surgery specialty

Danielle Brooks is a dedicated, results-driven project management professional with over 8 years of experience in the healthcare industry delivering timely, quality and impactful results. Ms. Brooks is currently a Project Manager at Yale University School of Medicine in the Office of Project Management. Previously, she worked for Montefiore Medical Center in New York, leading a diverse portfolio of projects that focus on process standardization, quality of care and cost reduction. In 2015, Ms. Brooks facilitated the implementation of EPIC EMR, consolidating multiple patient applications into a single repository for the enterprise Contact Center. In 2014, Ms. Brooks was instrumental in leading the implementation of centralized appointment scheduling, referral coordination and insurance verification for eight medical specialties across the delivery network. Prior, from 2009-2011, Ms. Brooks was a Practice Manager at MidState Medical Center in Connecticut, leading a multidisciplinary team of provider and clinical support staff across two internal medicine practices. During her tenure, Ms. Brooks coordinated the implementation and adoption of the Allscripts TouchWorks EMR application from initial development through go-live and error resolution. In addition, she managed practice operations including volume forecasting, revenue cycle management, payroll, staff development, performance evaluation and applying organizational policies and procedures. Throughout her career, Ms. Brooks has developed tools used to ensure deliverables align with business goals, including reporting on operational performance, project status, financial performance, and tracking scope and risk. Ms. Brooks currently holds her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and received her MHA from St. Joseph's University and BS from Northeastern University.

Dr. Latimore is Yale School of Medicine’s Deputy Dean for Collaborative Excellence. He is devoted to collaborative excellence within medical and academic spaces and to improving the climate of Yale School of Medicine’s learning and working environments. He is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategic plan to nurture the success of each member of the YSM community by providing mentorship, sponsorship, and collaborative opportunities. He also inspires prospective students, trainees, staff, and faculty from all backgrounds to apply to YSM’s programs by sharing remarkable stories about our community and the exceptional offerings and resources of YSM. He is co-chair of the YSM Program for Art in Public Spaces, which has commissioned new works of art featuring YSM leaders and alumni and has hosted public exhibits that feature artwork by and about members of the YSM community. Dr. Latimore joined Yale in 2017 from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, where he was associate dean for student and resident diversity. After obtaining his medical degree at University of California, Davis School of Medicine and completing his residency in internal medicine at University of California, Davis Medical Center, he worked as a physician specializing in HIV care with The Permanente Medical Group in South Sacramento, CA where he also trained medical students and residents. His transition to academic medicine began with his appointment as associate program director for the UC Davis internal medicine residency program followed by his appointment as the inaugural director of medical student diversity at UC Davis in 2008.

Dr. Lisa Lattanza is the Ensign Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Yale School of Medicine. She obtained her medical degree at the Medical College of Ohio (now the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences). She did her internship at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Missouri Kansas City and did a fellowship in hand surgery at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons/Roosevelt Hospital. She did additional fellowship training in pediatric hand and upper extremity at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, Texas. She joined the faculty of UCSF in 1999. Although Lattanza treats all conditions and traumatic injuries in the upper extremity, she specializes in post-traumatic and congenital reconstruction for pediatric and adult elbow problems, treating patients from around the country and across the globe. She is a world- renowned leader in patient-specific 3D surgical planning and technology for deformity correction. She utilized her expertise in this area when she led a team to perform the first elbow-to-elbow transplant in the world in 2016, transplanting a patient’s left elbow into his right arm to give him one functioning extremity after a devastating accident. Using 3D computing, she also pioneered a new classification system and approach to the treatment of Chronic Monteggia Fracture Dislocations in children. Lattanza frequently travels to Nicaragua and other countries on mission trips to perform hand surgery and is eager to expand upon the global initiatives already in place in the department. Lattanza’s research interests include 3D surgical planning for deformity correction, elbow instability and other post-traumatic elbow conditions in children and adults, and diversity in orthopaedic surgery, specifically the underrepresentation of women. When she began her appointment at the School of Medicine in September 2019, she became one of only two current female chairs of orthopaedics in the U.S. In 2009, she co-founded the Perry Outreach Program to increase exposure of high school girls to orthopaedic surgery and biomechanical engineering. Now known as the Perry Initiative, the program is named after Lattanza’s mentor, Jacquelin Perry, MD, who was one of the first women orthopaedic surgeons in the country. It began with 18 high school girls in San Francisco and has now reached over 17,000 high school, college, and medical students across the country. Lattanza’s research has shown that young women who complete the program are applying and matching to orthopaedic surgery residencies at a rate of about 24%, compared to the national average of about 14%. Her goal is to reach 30% within the next three years. Lattanza has received numerous awards for both her clinical care and outreach efforts. She received UCSF’s Compassionate Physician award in 2013 and Exceptional Physician Award in 2014, the Jefferson Award for Community Service in 2014, and has been ranked by her peers as a Bay Area Top Physician for multiple years. In addition, she received the Diversity Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 2021. She was also chosen as the Medical University of Ohio Distinguished Alumni in 2024. In addition to her other leadership roles, she served as president of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society in 2017 and is active in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the American Orthopaedic Association.

Megan is the Head of Access and Delivery Services at Yale's Cushing/Whitney Medical Library. She collaborates with members of the Access and Delivery Services team to ensure students, faculty, and staff are able to access collection materials quickly and efficiently via VPN, Interlibrary Loan, Mail to Address, BorrowDirect, and more. Megan has a Masters of Information degree from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art from Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Juan Carlos Perez Lozada, MD, is an interventional radiologist who says he enjoys the minimally invasive aspect of his work that allows patients to recover rapidly.“The extensive variety of pathology each day makes this field my passion,” Dr. Perez Lozada says. “My favorite part of interventional radiology is the scope and breadth of clinical conditions and procedures that I can treat and the constant innovation of my field. I love that I still am able to guide and counsel patients in clinic and be part of their treatment team.” He says he always lets his patients know that their well-being is his priority. “I want them to be safe regardless of the procedure. I want the best treatment possible regardless of the specialty that will take care of them,” he says. “The best patient is the one that has knowledge of their options.” Dr. Perez Lozada offers uterine fibroid embolization, spine interventions, pain management and nerve blocks, dialysis interventions, management of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and interventional oncology.