Published on November 20, 2023
Ahmedabad: Dr Dipen Parekh, chief clinical officer (CCO) and chief operating officer (COO) of the University of Miami Health System, which has a $ 4 billion operating revenue, recently won two top honours in the field of urology.
Dr Parekh, who traces his roots in Gondal in Gujarat, was recently inducted into the American Association of Genato-Urinary Surgeons (AAGUS), which has 75 members globally, and the 25-member Clinical Society of Genato-Urinary Surgeons (CSGUS). “These are top honours for the field, and I am honoured to be part of these associations,” said Dr Parekh. For him, however, there have been many more firsts in his journey of close to three decades.
Dr Parekh is the only person holding both top clinical and administrative positions in a major organization and was the first Indian to hold the top job at the University of Miami Health System.
“My family has roots in Gondal near Rajkot. After my grandfather’s demise, my grandmother moved to Mumbai with her five children. I was thus born and raised in Mumbai. I was good at academics, and as per norms of the day, my father wanted me to become a surgeon. Fortunately, I fulfilled both his wishes and chose urology as specialization,” recounts Dr Parekh. It was a Rotary International scholarship that took the young Parekh to American shores. “The initial idea was to return in a year or two after training. But the experience completely changed my perspective. Seeing the immense opportunity and the space for growth, I decided to do my residentship all over again.” During this period, Dr Parekh worked with the biggest names such as Vanderbilt University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre.
His journey to the University of Miami passed through the University of Texas, San Antonio, where he quickly scaled the leadership rungs and made his name in pioneering robotic cancer surgeries for prostate, kidney and bladder. He also received the American Urological Association’s Golden Cytoscope Award in 2013 for his groundbreaking work. “What interests me are the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) in the field of complex surgeries. While it is still in a nascent stage, I am sure it will be the future of the healthcare system. I have been actively associated with introducing robotic surgeries in India including some hospitals in Ahmedabad,” said Dr Parekh.
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