Assistant Professor / Assistant Chief
Baylor College of Medicine / Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Dr. Prathit Kulkarni is Assistant Chief of Medicine at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, Texas. He is additionally Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Infectious Diseases and Program Director for the Adult ID Fellowship Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine, also in Houston. A native of Tyler, Texas, Dr. Kulkarni completed all of his medical training at Baylor, including medical school, residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, chief medical residency in Internal Medicine, and Infectious Diseases fellowship. Prior to completing fellowship training, Dr. Kulkarni served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at CDC. During his time as an EIS officer, Dr. Kulkarni conducted outbreak investigations and scientific studies in applied epidemiology. In the midst of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Kulkarni was actively involved with the medical community’s and his hospital's pandemic response, including in treatment, research, education, and public-health communication.
Additionally, Dr. Kulkarni has maintained a longstanding, multi-year interest in diagnostic reasoning, diagnostic stewardship, and medical education. During his time as a resident, he helped to start the Academy of Resident Educators within the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor and carried this interest forward as a chief resident dedicated to running an educational and exciting daily Morning Report for students, residents, and faculty. He is also the recipient of numerous local and national teaching awards, and in 2023 was selected for the prestigious Young Alumnus Award by the Baylor College of Medicine.
More recently, Dr. Kulkarni has published two articles specifically in the field of diagnostic reasoning. One related to the concept of so-called "endpoint diagnoses" and the need to pursue these when clinically important and feasible. The other article, just published in the journal JAMA in July 2023, related to the advantages and limitations of the current state of artificial intelligence as an aid to the diagnostic-reasoning process. Dr. Kulkarni is also currently conducting a grant-funded research project related to diagnostic accuracy and telemedicine modalities for patient care.
