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Kalpaj R. Parekh, MBBS

Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Introduction

Chronic Rejection in Lung Transplantation

My research focus is on the development of Obliterative bronchiolitis in the lung transplant patients. Currently my laboratory is investigating the role of epithelial stem cells in the development of this progressively fatal condition in lung transplant patients.

Current Positions

  • Departmental Executive Officer and Chair, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology
  • Surgical Director of Lung Transplant Program, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • Nicholas P. Rossi Professor in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Education

  • MBBS, Seth G.S. Medical College, University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India
  • Fellow in Research, Thoracic Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, United States
  • Resident in Categorical General Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York, United States
  • Fellow in Research, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
  • Fellow in Lung Transplant, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
  • Fellow in General Thoracic Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, United States
  • Resident in Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Graduate Program Affiliations

Center, Program and Institute Affiliations

Research Interests

  • Development of an animal model for chronic rejection and cystic fibrosis in lung transplantation
  • Role of Epithelial Stem Cells in Lung Transplantation
  • Determining optimal timing of Esophagectomy following completion of Neoadjuvant therapy
  • Chronic Rejection in Lung Transplantation

Licenses & Certifications

  • American Board of Thoracic Surgery, American Board of Thoracic Surgery
  • UNOS Certified (Lung Transplant).
  • Iowa Medical License, Iowa Board of Medicine, Iowa
  • Board Certified, American Board of Surgery, American Board of Surgery
  • ECFMG certification, ECFMG
  • Certified (Lung Transplant), UNOS

Selected Publications

  • Mouser B, Howe JR, Atari O, Dillon JS, Chandrasekharan C, Parekh KR, Bashir MA. Screening for carcinoid heart disease: Trends and future Perspectives. Int J Cardiol Cardiovasc Risk Prev. 2024 May 31:22:200293. eCollection 2024 Sep. PMID: 38911359 PMCID: PMC11190706 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcrp.2024.200293
  • Parekh KR. Impulse Oscillometry for Lung Transplant: Is It Good Enough? Transplantation. 2024 Apr 1;108(4):843-844. Epub 2023 Dec 4. PMID:38044491 DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000004869 PMCID: PMC10963162
  • Siddique A., Parekh, K.R., Huddleston, S.J., Shults, A., Locke, J.E., Keshavamurthy, S., Schwartz, G., Hartwig, M.D., Whitson, B.A.. A call to action in thoracic transplant surgical training. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2023 Nov;42(11):1627-1631 PMID: 37268052 DOI: 10.1016/j.healun.2023.05.017
  • Wang S, Niroula S, Hoffman A, Khorrami M, Khorrami M, Yuan F, Gasser GN, Choi S, Liu B, Li J, Metersky ML, Vincent M, Crum CP, Boucher RC, Karmouty-Quintana H, Huang HJ, Sheshadri A, Dickey BF, Parekh KR, Engelhardt JF, McKeon FD, Xian W. Inflammatory Activity of Epithelial Stem Cell Variants from Cystic Fibrosis Lungs Is Not Resolved by CFTR Modulators. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2023 Nov 1;208(9):930-943. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202305-0818OC.PMID: 37695863
  • Drewelow, A., Pai, A., Hanada, S., El Abiad, R., Swatek, A., Bashir, M.A., Parekh, K.R., Arshava, E.V.. Esophagopericardial fistual complicated by tension pyopericardium managed with a 3-incision esophagectomy. JTCVS Tech. 2023 Sep 24:22:312-316 PMID: 38152212 PMCID: PMC10750869 doi: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2023.09.016. eCollection 2023 Dec.
  • Pai AC, Swatek AM, Lynch TJ, Ahlers BA, Ievlev V, Engelhardt JF, Parekh KR.. Orthotopic Ferrett Tracheal Transplantation Using a Recellularized Bioengineered Graft Produces Functional Epithelia. Bioengineering (Basel).2023 Jun 29;10(7):777 PMID: 37508804 PMCID: PMC10376427 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10070777
  • Swatek, A.M., and Parekh, K.R..Lung Xenotransplantation. Thorac Surg Clin. 2023 Aug;33(3): 291-297 PMID: 37414485 DOI: 10.1016/j.thorsurg.2023.04.010
  • Ievlev, V., Pai, A.C., Dillon, D.S., Jr., Kuhl, S., Lynch, T.J., Freischlag, K.W., Gries, C.B., Engelhardt, J.F., and Parekh, K.R.. 2023 Development and characterization of ferret ex vivo tracheal injury and cell engraftment model. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023 April 11:10:1144754 PMID:37113613 PMCID: PMC10126424 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1144754
  • Wang, S., Rao, W., Hoffman, A., Lin, J., Li, J., Lin, T., Liew, A.A., Vincent, M., Mertens, T.C.J., Karmouty-Quintana, H., Crum, C.P., Metersky, M.L., Schwartz, D.A., Davies, P.J.A., tephan, C., Jyothula, S.S.K., Sheshadri, A., Suarez, E.E., Huang, H.J., Engelhardt, J.F., Dickey, B.F., Parekh, K.R., McKeon, F.D., and Xian, W. 2023 Cloning a profibrotic stem cell variant in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. SCI Transl Med. 2023 April 26;15(693):eabp9528 PMID: 37099633 PMCID: PMC10794039 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abp9528
  • Sarkaria, I.S., Martin, L.W., Rice, D.C., Blackmon, S.H., Slade, H.B., Singhal, S., and Group, E.S. (Parekh, K.R.) 2023. Pafolacianine for intraoperative molecular imaging of cancer in the lung: The ELUCIDATE trial. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Dec;166(6):e468-e478. PMID: 37019717 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2023.02.025