As the new Chair of Internal Medicine, Samir M. Parikh, M.D., oversees a Department of 839 faculty members that operates the second largest residency program in the country and secured more than $108 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding in fiscal year 2025.

It is a leadership role that Dr. Parikh, Professor of Internal Medicine and former Chief of the Division of Nephrology, approaches with both enthusiasm and reverence.

“Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern is a Department of great historical significance and tremendous present-day momentum,” said Dr. Parikh, who started in his new role June 15. “I am so excited and humbled by this opportunity.”

Dr. Parikh earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, magna cum laude, from Harvard College, then completed his medical degree at Vanderbilt University, where he was awarded the Founder’s Medal. That was followed by internal medicine residency training, along with research and clinical fellowships in nephrology, at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

He began his medical career at Harvard, rising to Professor of Medicine and serving as co-Director of the Center for Vascular Biology Research and Associate Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine at BIDMC. Dr. Parikh then joined UTSW in 2021 as Professor of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology and Chief of Nephrology.

In his clinical practice, he specializes in acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. Bolstered by more than $40 million in support from the NIH and other funders, research from his laboratory has been published in leading journals such as Science, Nature, Nature Medicine, and Cell Metabolism.

Center Times Plus spoke with Dr. Parikh about his career and plans for the Department of Internal Medicine.

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Internal Medicine is a large Department. What can faculty and staff expect from your leadership?

If I have worn out the soles of my shoes by this time next year, that will be a good sign. Internal Medicine spans miles on our campus, even before considering our outposts in the region and vital partners such as Parkland Health, the VA North Texas Health Care System, and Texas Health.

I aim to be visible – for our clinicians, for our residents and fellows, researchers, fellow Chairs, and for people across our community who take pride in UT Southwestern and who seek us out in moments of need. I hope to share my most cherished values: integrity, community, creativity, execution, and excellence.

I will seek to empower our greatest asset: our people. UT Southwestern Internal Medicine has great faculty and Division Chiefs. The same holds for our clinical and scientific trainees. Together, I know we can go even further.

The Department is renowned for faculty with expertise in many subspecialties. What will you do to expand this reputation for excellence?

In the early 1970s, two young internists who are now Nobel Laureates, Michael S. Brown, M.D., and Joseph L. Goldstein, M.D., joined the outstanding Internal Medicine Department that was built by Donald W. Seldin, M.D. That Department propelled the entire institution to the front ranks of medical science.

Today, we have an outstanding opportunity to build on that legacy. We are one of the largest departments of internal medicine (IM) in the country in terms of the number of faculty. We also have one of the largest IM residency programs in the U.S., with more than 230 residents. Additionally, we are among the top IM departments in the country in NIH research funding, according to the Blue Ridge Medical Institute for Medical Research, and five of our IM specialty care areas are ranked among the best in the nation (Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery; Diabetes & Endocrinology; Geriatrics; Gastroenterology & GI Surgery; and Pulmonology & Lung Surgery) by U.S. News & World Report.

The opportunity to build out all three core components of our mission – clinical care, education, and research – is therefore unprecedented. Equally, there is a palpable and shared sense of purpose felt from the top leadership of UT Southwestern through to our newest Department members.

Together, we can elevate our trainees to new heights, empower our faculty, and embark on collaborations across departments and services to foster clinical transformation, innovation in education, and excellence in research.

Do you plan to continue your research on acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease? What about your clinical care practice?

Part of being visible is walking the walk. Just in the last month, our laboratory received a new NOA (notice of award) from the NIH. I also enjoyed learning about a manuscript accepted at Science Translational Medicine and reviewing the proofs for another that will be published in Science. One of our colleagues warned me that my luck may be running out very soon – I am worried as well! We are on the path to understanding one of the most common and complex, yet orphan conditions in medicine – namely kidney failure.

I derive so much joy from research and want to share it with others. The same holds for clinical care. Having the privilege to comfort always and heal often remain extraordinary experiences for me.

You have been recognized with awards for your mentorship and teaching. How will these passions work into your role as Chair?

Seeing the dots connect for a medical student interrogating a challenging case or witnessing the power of being seen when a research trainee’s first big paper is accepted – these have been among the peak joys of my career.

I am incredibly fortunate to have played a small part in the journeys of many outstanding house officers, fellows, and research trainees. Education, apprenticeship, mentorship, sponsorship, and allyship are among our most powerful tools to multiply the impact of the Department of Internal Medicine across UT Southwestern and beyond. There are no shortcuts, but I know our faculty and leadership are incredibly excited to put in the work to foster the next generation.