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

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

Dr. Vijay Chandiramani named Hospitalist of the Year

The associate chief for Division of Inpatient Medicine received the honor from Arizona Chapter of American College of Physicians.


Latest DOM newsletter focuses on graduations, new clinic, research day and promotions

The June 2024 Internal Digest newsletter is out, putting the spotlight on graduations from DOM’s 15 fellowship and two residency programs, a new Cardiology clinic, IM Research Day results, faculty promotions and the Boyer Liver Institute – and featuring six photo galleries.


New Tanque Verde Cardiology Clinic expected to open soon

Division of Cardiology and Sarver Heart Center faculty and staff are excited about new 11,000-square-foot facility next to Banner Cardiovascular surgery center in Tucson with ample access for midtown, foothills patients. 


Events

Jul
05

Jul
08
Advances in Aging: ‘Age-Friendly University Global Network and the University of Arizona’
Grand Rounds
Advances in Aging Research Lecture Series - Geriatric Grand Rounds