Trisha M. Parekh, D.O, M.S.

Trisha M. Parekh, D.O., M.S., is an assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care with dual board certifications in pulmonary medicine and critical care medicine. As a clinician, Parekh specializes in caring for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including those who are medically underserved.

Parekh is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing in 2007. She spent a year between undergraduate training and medical school serving in the AmeriCorps Community Civilian Corps. During this time, she worked on several service community projects for which she was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award and the U.S. Congressional Award for Service. Parekh then completed medical school training at The University of North Texas Health Science Center, residency at The University of Texas Medical Branch, and pulmonary and critical care fellowship training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Parekh’s experiences in community service laid the foundation for her research, which focuses on reducing health disparities for individuals with chronic lung disease. She received her Master of Science in public health from the Department of Health Behaviors at the University of Alabama School of Public Health in 2022. As a behavioral scientist, Parekh designs and tests patient and community-level interventions to assess and address social and environmental determinants of lung health. She is also interested in the role that chronic stress plays in one’s health outcomes, particularly in vulnerable populations.

Parekh’s research is funded by the National Institutes of Health through a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award. Her latest project focuses on designing a community health worker-led stress reduction intervention for vulnerable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease individuals. In addition to her clinical and research interests, Parekh enjoys teaching and mentoring medical students, residents and fellows to help them achieve their long-term career goals.