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 

2024-25 fellows in allergy, critical care, pulmonary and sleep medicine (click image to enlarge):

 

News

[Collage of images from YouTube video posted to University of Arizona Health Sciences video, “Expert Insights – Sleep apnea: Peer support for CPAP use” and YouTube Shorts clip from it]
YouTube Shorts video spotlights peer support for sleep apnea therapy using CPAP devices

A Feb. 17 YouTube reel video with Sairam Parthasarathy, MD, spotlights a clip from a January U of A Health Sciences video, “Expert Insights – Sleep apnea: Peer support for CPAP use.” It notes that patient support by peers helps improve adherence to therapy to treat sleep apnea for better health.
[A composite image of Drs. Bhaskar Banerjee, H.H. "Sherry" Chow, and C. Kent Kwoh, who are among 5 recently named Professor Emeriti at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.]
DOM gets three of five new Professors Emeriti at College of Medicine – Tucson

Bhaskar Banerjee, MD, Hsiao-Hui “Sherry” Chow, PhD, and C. Kent Kwoh, MD, are among the newest Professor Emeritus members at the college. The Department of Medicine now has 16 retired faculty members who’ve gained this august status due to their many career achievements. See who they are.
[A collage of images from the Feb. 10, 2025, investiture ceremony for Drs. Hesham Sadek, Division of Cardiology chief and Sarver Heart Center director, and Sakthivel Sadayappan, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine chair and center associate director, at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson.]
Joint investiture celebrates endowed chairs for Drs. Hesham Sadek, Sakthi Sadayappan

The Sarver Heart Center director and associate director are recognized Feb. 10 with peers, friends and family as team “to build a world-class cardiovascular program here.” With a $75 million fundraising campaign under way by the college (and $27 million already committed) they’re fast on their way to reaching the goal. See a mini-photo gallery from the ceremony.

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