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After spending a year learning alongside some of the most accomplished leaders in academic medicine, Priti Parikh, Ph.D., returned to ����ԭ�� with a broader perspective on leadership and a renewed focus on creating opportunities for students.

Parikh, professor of surgery and vice chair of research education and professional development at , recently completed the highly competitive Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Fellowship at Drexel University College of Medicine. She was one of only 100 women across North America selected for the 2025–26 fellowship cohort.

ELAM is the only longitudinal professional development program in North America dedicated to preparing senior faculty for executive leadership roles at academic health centers.

The prestigious leadership program gave Parikh the opportunity to work with leaders from academic institutions and healthcare systems across the country while exploring strategies to address challenges facing medical education and healthcare.

“ELAM gave me a better understanding of the different priorities and needs of both academic institutions and healthcare systems,” she said. “That perspective has helped me think more broadly about leadership and decision-making.”

That practice took shape as a capstone project to enhance the Medical Scholars Program, a pre-med pathway at ����ԭ�� for high-achieving students pursuing medical careers.

Parikh designed a structured curriculum that integrates research and clinical experiences, medical school preparation and mentoring to serve students and, she hopes, to demonstrate what pre-medical pathways can accomplish in community-based medical school settings.

“The Medical Scholars Program and other pre-health programs could contribute to advancing regional and national workforce initiatives, supporting student success and advancing research scholarship, which is the core mission of the ����ԭ�� and Premier Health affiliation,” she said.

The project reflects something else Parikh took from the fellowship: a deeper sense of institutional leadership and decision-making.

The experience also reinforced her commitment to creating environments where undergraduate students, medical students and trainees can thrive.

“By applying what I learned through ELAM, I can enhance program development and implementation, improve student outcomes and build stronger partnerships across academic and healthcare systems,” she said. “Ultimately, stronger leadership translates into better opportunities and support for our students, trainees and faculty, as well as improved outcomes for the communities we serve.”

Parikh joined ����ԭ��’s in 2012, following a postdoctoral fellowship in the university’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering. She received her Ph.D. in food microbiology from Virginia Tech and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in microbiology from Sardar Patel University in India.

Over more than a decade at ����ԭ��, she has made significant and sustained contributions to the success of medical students and residents through her work in medical and research education, professional development and mentorship.

At the national level, she is an active leader in the Association for Surgical Education, chairing the Surgical Education Research Committee, designing and offering workshops and leading the development of the association’s Fellow Award initiative. Her primary research interest is in surgical and medical education, and she has published more than 50 articles in high-impact journals.

She received the Reed Williams Excellence in Innovation in Surgical Education Award from the Association for Surgical Education, the Outstanding Achievement in Medical Education and Research Award (Senior Faculty) from ����ԭ��’s Academy of Medicine and an Excellence in Service Award from the Boonshoft School of Medicine.