Our mission at the UA Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine (PACCS) is to provide the best medical care to our patients in an environment that fosters patient safety, innovation, training excellence and scientific inquiry. Our division houses several clinical programs and four primary active fellowship training programs in: Pulmonary & Critical Care, Allergy & Immunology, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine...

Sairam Parthasarathy, MD
Chief, UA Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine

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Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Division Overview

The Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine was created in 1968, two years after the opening of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

The inaugural division chief Benjamin Burrows, MD, an emphysema and pulmonary physiology specialist, was recruited from the University of Chicago. Dr. Burrows was a visionary and left a legacy of pulmonary translational research, initially funded by the NIH Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) in Pulmonary Diseases. He launched the first “center of excellence” at the UA, the Arizona Respiratory Center, in 1971. 

Our current division chief, Sairam Parthasarathy, MD, arrived in 2011. Prior to that, he was affiliated with the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System’s Tucson VA Medical Center as chief of research, section chief for pulmonary and critical care medicine, and head of the sleep medicine laboratory. He served in similar roles in Chicago before that with the Loyola University Medical Center and Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital. Today, he also serves as medical director of the Banner – University Medical Center Tucson Center for Sleep Disorders that he established in 2012 and the founding director of the UA Health Sciences Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences (established in 2016). With his research on sleep-disordered breathing funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for more than two decades, Dr. Parthasarathy also serves as a special advisor to NIH's for the 2021 Sleep Disorders Strategic Plan. 

Our division now numbers more than 30 physicians and scientists. It is home to many nationally and internationally known physician-scientists pursuing breakthroughs in clinical-translational research for various pulmonary diseases and conditions. These include Ken Knox, MD, known for his research in HIV-related pulmonary diseases and clinical expertise in sarcoidosis, fungal diagnostics, immunologic lung disease and bronchoalveolar lavage and Joe G. N. “Skip” Garcia, MD, a physician-scientist on acute respiratory distress syndrome and past senior vice president, UA Health Sciences. Furthermore, our Pulmonary Services program was named among the top 50 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in 2015-16, 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Meet Our Fellows 

2023-24 fellows in allergy, critical care, pulmonary and sleep medicine (click image to enlarge):

News

[GI fellows gather to celebrate the program's winter festival event, with a flyer for the division's 2024 Holiday Photo Booth overlayed on the image.]
GI brings back Holiday Photo Booth for reprise on sharing seasonal cheer

The Division of Gastroenterology is reprising its Holiday Photo Booth, which made its debut last year as a way to add a lighter moment of joy during the end-of-year holiday season. All in the Department of Medicine are welcome to come shoot selfies and share them – or just keep them for personal pleasure. Sharing’s been made easier via a simple app accessible with a QR code.
[Glenda Perez draws up a COVID-19 vaccine at the University of Arizona vaccination clinic on Monday, Sept. 19, 2023. (Photo by Hannah Cree from El Inde Arizona, stories from Southeastern Arizona by U of A School of Journalism students)]
Prepping for respiratory illness season: Key insights on RSV, flu and COVID-19

Respiratory illnesses surge in winter months, aligning with colder weather, increased indoor gatherings and seasonal travel. This prompts health officials such as Dr. Mohanad Al-Obaidi, Division of Infectious Diseases associate professor, to urge people to adopt proactive measures to limit their spread.
[Image of entrance to the Arizona Inn overlaid with other images from the Department of Medicine Faculty Promotion Celebration event hosted there on Oct. 9, 2024]
Nine promoted faculty feted at DOM dinner hosted at Arizona Inn

The careers of faculty members — Drs. Mohanad Al-Obaidi, Tara Carr, Michel Corban, Sima Ehsani, Justin Hayes, Olivia Hung, Neha Jaswal, Elizabeth Juneman and Bijin Thajudeen — were lauded at the Faculty Promotion Celebration event. See the mini-photo gallery.

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