Fund Purpose: To fund a fellowship or research grant for brain tumor research in Dr. Parsa’s name.
Andrew T. Parsa, MD, PhD, FAANS, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., completed his undergraduate studies at Yale College, with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. At Yale, he developed an interest in neurological oncology, after completing a student externship with Michael Apuzzo, MD. Dr. Parsa returned to Brooklyn in 1988, where he enrolled in the MD, PhD program at Downstate Medical Center, where he collaborated with John Miller, MD, and other members of the neurosurgery department to initiate a clinical trial evaluating an adjuvant linked vaccine for recurrent glioma.
In 1996, Dr. Parsa matriculated into the neurosurgical training program at Columbia University, under chairs Bennett Stein, MD, Donald Quest, MD, and later Robert Solomon, MD. While at Columbia, Dr. Parsa continued to develop his research interests in the laboratory of Jeffrey Bruce, MD, working to refine mechanisms of anti-glioma immunity.
In 2002, Dr. Parsa joined the faculty at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), under the leadership of Mitchel S. Berger, MD. In 2007, he was appointed as the first recipient of the Reza and Georgianna Khatib endowed chair in skull base tumor surgery. Continuously funded by the NIH since 2002, Dr. Parsa’s research interests included CNS immunology and the optimization of treatment paradigms for patients with skull base tumors. Dr. Parsa took particular pride in mentoring students and residents, having sponsored 9 F32 awards and 3 K99 awards for residents and junior faculty (as of 2012). He was twice awarded the Harold Rosegay Resident Teaching Award at UCSF and in 2010 he was awarded the UCSF Mentor of the Year by the school of medicine. In 2011, Dr. Parsa was appointed professor and vice chair of neurosurgery at UCSF.
In 2013, Dr. Parsa moved to Chicago where he was appointed the Michael J. Marchese professor and chair of neurological surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He served on multiple editorial boards, patient advocacy boards, NIH study sections and scientific advisory councils.
Dr. Parsa passed away suddenly on April 13, 2015. He is deeply missed by his family, friends, patients and colleagues.
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