Speaker Profile
M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, UCSF
Biography
Dr. Parikh is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at UCSF. She did her internal medicine training at Tufts Medical Center, her cardiology training at Harvard Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an MPH at UC Berkeley. In her cardiology practice, she emphasizes primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention. She studies women & cardiovascular diseases across the lifespan; including cardiovascular disease in pregnancy and the post-partum period. Her research leverages data from Women's Health Initiative Study, statewide insurance claims databases and the Swedish Population Registers. She currently serves on the AHA Leadership Committee of the Epidemiology and Prevention Council. She has published over 60 peer reviewed papers and has an active NIH-funded research program. Dr. Parikh founded and currently co-leads the Women in Cardiology (WIC) Council at UCSF, which promotes the entry of women into cardiology and pursues gender equity in cardiology fellowship recruitment.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2020 Silicon Valley
Considering the differences between males and females in clinical decision-making is crucial. However, white adult men are strongly over-represented in existing medical data sets as clinical trials have not adequately enrolled women or analyzed sex-specific differences in the data. This lack of diversity in the data results in inaccurate treatment decisions. These same limitations are the result of the current “reference genomes” which are predominantly based on white, European ancestry. To fulfill the promise of precision medicine, clinical trials and population studies need to adequately include the female sex. This session will review the needs and progress being made to correct this issue so precision medicine can become more precise.
