Alton Memorial Hospital added Dr. Bindu Patel, MD, to the medical staff on Aug. 12. Dr. Patel is with Alton OB/GYN Associates, located in Suite 125 of Medical Office Building B on the AMH campus. To make an appointment, call 618-433-6410.

Dr. Patel joins a practice staffed by Dr. Joseph Talsky as well as nurse practitioners Deb Cunningham and Amy Maher. She recently completed her fellowship in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Patel earned her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria.

“My uncle was a cardiologist, so being a doctor was always something that interested me,” Dr. Patel said. “I always liked science, and then got interested in OB/GYN during medical school. There is nothing more satisfying that establishing a relationship with patients.”

Dr. Patel was recently on the other end of that, as she is the mother of an 8-month-old daughter. Her husband is also a physician.

“There is nothing more important than family,” she said. “I love taking care of families, and I love children. The most important thing is listening to my patients.”

Dr. Patel is originally from Chicago but moved to California at a young age. She did her undergraduate work at UCLA, but still had family in Illinois -- which led her to medical school in Peoria.

“I still had an aunt in Illinois, and I wanted that family support during medical school,” she said.

Dr. Patel and her husband also have a dog, she enjoys playing tennis as well as sewing and knitting, as well as watching movies.