Q & A With Parag Shah, MD, MBA, FACHE

Parag Shah, MD, MBA, FACHE, will be the medical director at our new 60-bed, state-of-the-art inpatient rehabilitation hospital, opening at our Bartram Park campus in 2022. Dr. Shah has focused on providing care to patients with complex conditions – ranging from the neurological to injuries that require cardiac and transplant rehabilitation – since 2016.

Dr. Shah received his medical degree from St. George’s University in 2012, completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Wayne State University and earned his board certification in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in 2016. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Wayne State University.

You have said you always knew you wanted to be a physician, how was that so?

I think that, when growing up, it was a well-respected profession where you could make an impact in the community, have a positive impact on people’s lives, and have the opportunity to help patients get better. That was very inspiring to me.

How did you get interested in rehab medicine?

I had my first ACL injury when I was wrestling during my senior year in high school. When you’re limited in your abilities, sometimes you don’t feel like yourself, and that can impact your mental health and overall wellbeing. I then saw the value in rehab at a young age and that quality rehab can have a positive impact on an individual’s joy in life.

You have an MBA, and also serve (and will continue to serve) as medical director for Brooks’ data solutions team. Tell us about that.

I’ve always had a passion for business as well as medicine, and I really wanted to be knowledgeable in both areas of expertise. It really helps to build processes and programs when you can understand both sides, the clinical side and the administrative / financial side. You can help patients understand the clinical impact and the financial effects – hopefully to achieve the best outcome. I was on the team that looked into creating the Brooks patient portal, and I was asked to take on a bigger role with data. That role gets me excited because the potential to make a meaningful impact with data is boundless.

Prior to your upcoming role as medical director at our new inpatient rehabilitation hospital, you were medical director for stroke at our existing University Campus hospital. Why strokes, specifically?

Strokes can be devastating, and patients may need more social support – they might not be able to do the same things they could do on their own that they could before. I think those types of things drew me to this patient population, and they’re seeing that we can make a difference when we have a well-organized, a well-thought-out, process-driven, patient-centric approach. We can make great outcomes with the rehab, the medical management, and by constantly and consistently helping and coordinating care with patients and their families.

How do you feel Brooks differentiates itself in stroke care as opposed to other health systems?

I think people at Brooks actually just care more. I think that’s the biggest thing. They actually care about their patients. They care about their outcomes. They’re going to call you and make sure that things are going well, even after you leave our hospital, and they’re going to continue providing services after you leave our hospital. I think that’s the biggest thing that I don’t think anyone else can match.