Kalpaj R. Parekh, MBBS
Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Primary Office
Staff Contact
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
- Pena, T., Wright, B., Parekh, K.R., Klesney-Tait, J. Impact of elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor in lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis in the United States. JHLT Open 2024 Oct 26:7:100171. eCollection 2025 Feb. PMID: 40144821, PMCID: PMC11935324, DOI: 10.1016/j.jhlto.2024.100171
- Lynch, T., Levlev, V., Parekh, K.R. (2019). Heterogeneity of Pulmonary Stem Cells. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. PMID: 31487021, PMCID: PMC842107. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-24108-7_6
- Evgeny Arshava, Mohammad Bashir, Julia Klesney-Tait, Thuan Nugyen, Ken Becker, John Keech, Tahuanty Pena, Anthony Swatek, Kalpaj Parekh. Cardiac hammock technique to improve exposure of a difficult left hilum during lung transplantation. JTCVS Tech. DOI: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2024.12.010. PMCID: PMC11998361 PMID: 40242116
- 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