Dr. Sai Parthasarathy Named Chief of UA Pulmonary Division

Monica Kraft, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Arizona and Banner – University Medicine Tucson, made a leadership announcement March 25 affecting the UA Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and the Division of Nephrology.

Sairam Parthasarathy, MDSairam Parthasarathy, MD, professor of medicine and director of the UA Health Sciences Center for Sleep & Circadian Sciences and Banner – University Medicine Center for Sleep Disorders, has been appointed chief of the Pulmonary Division, also known as PACCS.

Lung Care and More
Dr. Parthasarathy has served as interim PACCS chief for two years. He joined the UA College of Medicine – Tucson faculty in 2004, when he moved here from Chicago to practice at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System’s Tucson VA Medical Center. He later became director of the SAVAHCS Sleep Medicine Lab, chief of its Pulmonary and Critical Care Section and SAVAHCS chief of research. In 2011, he joined the UA faculty full time and he launched the Center for Sleep Disorders at what was then University Medical Center and, in 2013, he became program director of the UA’s Sleep Medicine Fellowship. In Chicago, he was on faculty at Loyola University Medical Center, where he was director of the Sleep Disorders Center, and the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, where he was director of respiratory care and home oxygen therapy.

Federally funded on his research for decades, Dr. Parthasarathy has served on multiple boards and committees related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM)—including chairing the AASM Grant Review Committee (2010-12) and NIH Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board (2012-14). He currently is assisting the NIH as a consultant to develop its next 5-year strategic plan related to sleep medicine research.

Monica Kraft, MDHe replaces previous division chief, Kenneth Knox, MD, who left in December 2016 to become associate dean for faculty affairs and development at the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix and director of research at the Banner Lung Institute.

“Please join me in congratulating Dr. Parthasarathy on this important leadership role in the Department of Medicine!” said Dr. Kraft, who is also the Robert and Irene Flinn Professor of Medicine at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson and deputy director of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center.

ALSO SEE:
“Sleep an Important Factor in Men’s Health, UA Expert Says in National Blog” | Posted March 21, 2019
“UA/Banner Lung, Rheumatology Teams Honored with ‘Scleroderma Research and Treatment Center’ Status” | Posted Feb. 28, 2019
“‘More to the Snore’ — Tucson Lifestyle’s Interview with Dr. Sai Parthasarathy” | Posted Jan. 4, 2019
“New Website for UA Sleep Center a Great Place to Catch Some Zzzzs” | Posted Dec. 4, 2018
“Pulmonary Chief Dr. Parthasarathy to Help NIH Prioritize Research on Science of Sleep” | Posted Nov. 30, 2018

Release Date: 
03/25/2019 - 5:45pm
Original Story: