Insight Matters
Spring, 2002

In Memorium

Dr. Mahmoud Parsa Impacted Many Lives
by Farah M. Walters
President and Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals of Cleveland

It is with great sadness that I announce that Mahmoud Parsa, MD, died on Wednesday, March 6 of injuries he sustained in an automobile accident on Monday, March 4. Mahmoud touched many of us personally and professionally and his loss is tragic. Mahmoud is survived by his wife, Shahin, his 19-year-old son, Morad, and his 14-year-old daughter, Setareh.

Mahmoud completed his residency in psychiatry at University Hospitals of Cleveland/Case Western Reserve in 1991 and then completed a 2-year fellowship in Consultation Liaison/Neuropsychiatry. He joined the faculty of the Department in 1993 and was a successful and valued member ever since. Mahmoud was the Director of the Geropsychiatry Program since 1998.

Mahmoud was a tireless clinician, researcher, and teacher. One of the most remarkable things about him was his high level of productivity in any area in which he was involved. He was recognized for this regionally as well as in national research circles. Mahmoud was not someone to procrastinate - he would simply get things done. He had clarity of thought that was remarkable for a psychiatrist, being able to see what needed to be done and quickly finding the most efficient way to achieve it. Mahmoud was a compassionate, dedicated, and tireless clinician. He was highly sought after because of his clinical and organizational skills, leading him to be involved in providing care to patients in an impressively large number of clinical facilities throughout Northeast Ohio. Mahmoud was the principal investigator in two National Institutes of Mental Health research studies and also principal investigator on a large number of other clinical trials. He touched the lives of many people suffering from mental illness as well as medical students, residents, and colleagues. Similarly, he greatly impacted the field, paving the way for future improvements in clinical care.

I know that I speak for all who knew him when I say that we will miss the warm and charming man who left us much too soon.

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