Joey Wahler (Host): We're getting to know Dr. Kamran Parsa, a Neurosurgeon for Palmdale Regional Medical Center. This is Palmdale Regional Radio with Palmdale Regional Medical Center. Thanks for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler. Hi there, Dr. Parsa. Welcome.

Kamran Parsa, DO: Good morning, Joey.

Host: Great to have you aboard. We appreciate the time. So, what first inspired you to pursue a career in neurosurgery?

Kamran Parsa, DO: Well, my route was a little bit twisted. As many may not know, we are not really exposed to neurosurgery during medical school. And I just by chance in my third year medical school rotations, I happened to rotate with another neurosurgery resident who was very excited about the field and it really introduced me into the field, which interested me and ultimately, triggered a passion within me that is ongoing today.

Host: And what do you think it was that triggered that passion? What was it about that particular area of expertise?

Kamran Parsa, DO: Neurosurgery is always considered at the forefront of medicine in terms of technology and innovation. It also has this awe factor, that, you essentially referred to earlier. So for someone new into the field, that is reading about it, about what its current status is, its future, becomes very exciting.

 In addition to that, I'm a goal oriented person, who enjoys challenging myself. And I think, neurosurgery basically checked off all those marks that I was looking for.

Host: That's great. So where are you originally from and what led you to Palmdale Regional Medical Center?

Kamran Parsa, DO: Just like how I landed in neurosurgery, my upbringing was also not your normal route. I was born in Iran, and left the country when I was four due to the war with Iraq. That landed our family in the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai, actually, before it became the metropolis it is today.

So I grew up in Dubai. Most of my childhood. And then proceeded to attend Penn State University, in the United States, where I completed my bachelor's degree. From there I went to medical school in Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. After that, during my third year of rotations was when I was introduced to neurosurgery, introduced myself to the staff there. I was fortunate, very, very fortunate to be accepted to the neurosurgery program, at Arrowhead Neurosurgical Progam. After which I completed that in 2014, which was a six year residency.

Not all neurosurgeons, but I did, choose to proceed with a fellowship. So I applied for fellowship training and was accepted to the Mayo Clinic, for complex and minimally invasive spine surgery. That was a one year fellowship and, finally after seven years of training and fellowship, I started my practice in 2015.

Host: Wow. So let me go back a step or two there. You're growing up in the United Arab Emirates. I wonder, generally speaking, Doctor, what is the climate there for a young doctor to be, to make it in terms of need, in terms of opportunity, and how do you go from that to this, starting at Penn State? You said from there I went to Penn State, but what led from one to the other, I wonder.

Kamran Parsa, DO: Well, Dubai, now is very different from when I was growing up. During the time when I was growing up, there was always a need for all forms of medical fields and specialties within medical fields. My high school education was in Dubai or UAE. My goal was always to come to the United States for a higher level of education.

 My parents were physicians over there, so they also encouraged me to come to the United States. So I was never planning to go back, really, it was sort of a pit stop in a sense where I would get my education and continue living in the United States.

Host: Interesting. It seems so often that children of doctors, whether it's one parent or both that are practicing, that has a big impact on someone that themselves has an interest in it early on, doesn't it?

Kamran Parsa, DO: It does, just like everything else. I was not really interested in medicine as a child. I didn't know what field to go into. I always enjoyed business and finance really. But, I remember one valuable lesson, my mother always told me was if you're going to work hard and achieve something of value in life, make sure that what you're doing is creating a benefit to the society or a community you serve.

 So they never encouraged me to go into medicine or engineering or business or anything of sort. They always guided me with advice and, I think when she said that, I remember sitting down and really thinking medicine would allow me to do that, to the best of my abilities, would allow me to achieve those goals.

 That's really always been my goal to provide care and serve the communities I'm in, through whatever capability I have. And in this case, thankfully, it's been my field of choice, neurosurgery.

Host: Gotcha. So they didn't push you toward medicine per se, but their advice was of use when you arrived there, it sounds like. How about this? If there's such a thing, doctor, and I don't know that there is, what does a typical day quote unquote look like for you as a neurosurgeon? I would imagine it's probably a combination of the pre-planned and the not so, right?

Kamran Parsa, DO: Correct. So it changes on a daily to weekly basis. And that change is in relation to whether I'm on call at the hospital or not, and also the setting I'm in. For example, the most haphazard setting as a neurosurgeon would be if, one were to take call at a trauma center, where you don't know when the next accident or head bleed or spinal cord injury will come. And that really affects one's lifestyle and family life. The route I've chosen is a combined approach. Most of my practice, thankfully, is an elective practice where I consult with patients in my clinic.

I diagnose the issues, whether it's a brain related pathology or a spine related pathology. And then we we schedule patients for surgery in an elective manner. This creates a much more balanced lifestyle where, I know what days I'm operating, what days I'm in clinic.

So I also use one day a week as a management day to run the practice and go through all the nuances.

Host: Let me ask you about the spine connection here, because you mentioned that you elected at one point in your career to get that training as well. In a nutshell, explain if you would, the connection between spine and brain that made you have expertise in both and that enables you to practice in both areas.

Kamran Parsa, DO: Most people don't know the neurosurgeons are also spine surgeons. That is by definition an extension of the brain is a spinal cord, and the nerves that come out of the spinal cord. So, neurosurgeons not only treat brain ailments, but they also treat spinal ailments and peripheral nerve ailments. So that's what is unknown to most of the population, including myself when I was in medical school. So that's the main connection.

Host: In terms of your approach to patient care, you mentioned a moment or two ago that one big reason you went into this field was to serve the community. How do you ensure patients Doctor about feeling comfortable and informed, when you're talking about treating their brain or their spine, which to most of us can be scary at first, can't it?

Kamran Parsa, DO: I enjoy it. I'm, I'm very passionate about my field and I'm passionate about teaching. Our tagline is The Power in You, which is the power in patients. So our goal is to empower patients with information about what's going on, what options are available to them, whether it is, surgical or non-surgical, and answer any questions that may arise. In addition, I would also usually, create my own questions for them that other patients have asked in the past and answer them. So that really creates, I feel a patient who's comfortable with what is going on with their body, comfortable with me, as sort of the educator in this sense, so that they can, the patient themself can make the decision as to what they want for their own health.

Host: Sounds like a very positive approach on your part. How about your experience working at Palmdale Regional Medical Center? What's that been like for you?

Kamran Parsa, DO: Well, Palmdale Regional Medical Center, is in an underserved area, meaning neurosurgery was significantly underserved when I came in 10 years ago. I think we've met that demand. It's been a wonderful and rewarding experience. I feel the staff, the administration, everyone has the same mindset of providing good quality care to the community. And, I can attest that the neurosciences service at Palmdale is at this point, second to none.

We treat very complex brain and spinal disorders, that would normally be treated at tertiary care or university centers. We do them at Palmdale and have very, very successful outcomes. And that's not just the surgeons being able to do that. I feel it's the team of the nursing staff, the hospital administration, the other physicians involved. It's a large team and, collaborative team that allows the care to be rendered.

Host: Great point there because so often it is an outstanding, devoted team behind great doctors like yourself. A few other things. First, any upcoming project of yours or overall a future aspect of neuroscience that you're most excited about coming up?

Kamran Parsa, DO: I think with neurosurgery, there is the most recent purchase has been the Neuro navigation and OR equipment. I think that's an exciting equipment to have at the hospital. Mainly, because of the neuro navigation device, that is now available around the clock.

What this allows us to do is to perform highly minimally invasive brain surgery, with the help of computer navigation in the middle of the night, which we were unable to do so in the past. For example, if we have an individual who comes to the emergency room with a bleed in their brain, and if it was a surgical bleed, in the past, we would have to make a large incision, remove a lot of hair, because we'd need a large surface area to be opened up in order to access the bleed and remove it. This in turn resulted in longer hospital stays, more painful recovery, and a more dangerous surgery. Now with the computer navigation being present, even if it's three in the morning; we can go in and perform a one inch incision, directed right into the bleed and evacuate the hematoma or bleed within the brain, in a safe manner, much less invasive, much faster recovery for patients. I think I'm excited about this product being available at the hospital.

Host: Yeah, it definitely sounds exciting. How about your best advice Doctor for aspiring neurosurgeons or just medical students in general?

Kamran Parsa, DO: I think medicine is always going to be needed, in every field, in every generation. So, you are always going to have a job. I think, that's literally what my mother told me when I was a child. And she was correct, and it's going to be correct a hundred years from now, or a thousand years from now.

 So that's one. There's job security. But beyond that, I think you really need to find a passion for it. The medicine is not easy. It's a long field. Going into neurosurgery is the longest and it has grueling hours and just a difficult time. You're essentially letting go of all your twenties, your decade of your twenties and early thirties, your best years of your life, you're training.

So you have to ready to make that commitment. And in my opinion, the only way to really do it, is to have that passion for it, or you're going to have regret later in life. So for me, thankfully, I followed my passion. It worked for me. I think it will work for anyone as long as they're ready, understand what you're going into, and you are passionate about it. And, it's a highly, highly rewarding field.

Host: Yeah, great advice indeed. And your passion definitely comes through, but when you're not working, what do you enjoy otherwise and how do you balance work and everything else in life?

Kamran Parsa, DO: I sort of alluded to it earlier, we don't take too much trauma call, so that really helps with balancing life. I think, I look at my 80-year-old self and look back and say, okay, what was more important? Having X amount of dollars or having had this much time to spend with my wife and family and every time I would say wife and family. So, it requires planning.

It does require a little bit more work where you would say, okay, this is my number of hours I'm going to work. This is how much I'm going to work because these are the X number of hours I'm going to spend with my family. So as long as that structure exists and I always abide by it; I feel I have a balanced life. I spend quality time with my children. I have a 7-year-old twins and a one and a half year old currently. And, I try to go out to dinner with my wife, once a week or once every other week at least. I think those are more important than having that extra few hours of work.

And as long as there's the vision is there, I think anyone can achieve it. It just really needs that vision to be there in the first place.

Host: Wow. So we're talking about a brain surgeon with a 1-year-old, 7-year-old twins, a wife, and still has time to go out to eat. I think you should be a time management expert on the side, Doctor.

Kamran Parsa, DO: I'm actually very poor at time management in this best at times, but, it's more just, I guess, planning in a sense. Yeah, I think you need that in any field, in any stressful environment. You need to have some time management, or at least a structure in order to stay sane in a sense.

Host: Well folks, we trust you are now more familiar with Dr. Parsa and the world of neurosurgery and neuroscience, the spine, all of it. Doctor, a pleasure. Such an interesting background you have. Keep up all your great work and thanks so much again.

Kamran Parsa, DO: Thank you, Joey. It's been a pleasure.

Host: Same here. And for more information as well as to get connected with a provider, please do visit palmdaleregional.com. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all the other Palmdale Regional Medical Center podcasts as well. For more health tips and updates, follow Palmdale Regional Medical Center on your social channels.

If you found this episode helpful, please do share it on your social media. And a reminder, physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Palmdale Regional Medical Center. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. I'm Joey Wahler and thanks again for being part of Palmdale Regional Radio with Palmdale Regional Medical Center.