Selene G. Parekh, MD, MBA

Meet Dr. Parekh

 

Dr. Selene Parekh is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon. He is known for utilizing state-of-the-art implants and techniques designed and developed to provide better treatments and offer limb salvage. Dr. Parekh also focuses on minimally invasive surgery and is a pioneer in the use of 3D printing techniques, total ankle replacements, and the treatment of foot and ankle conditions in athletes.

An alumnus of Boston University, Dr. Parekh earned a Bachelor's Degree in Medical Clinical Sciences and Classical Civilization, followed by a Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management, and a Doctor of Medicine. Additional educational pursuits include a residency in orthopedic surgery, a Fellowship in Health Care Entrepreneurship and a second Fellowship in Foot and Ankle Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Parekh continued his education with a certificate in Artificial Intelligence from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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A respected educator, Dr. Parekh previously served as Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Duke University, where he taught and trained medical students, residents and fellows. He also served as an Adjunct Faculty Member at the Fuqua Business School at Duke University and was the Director of Digital Strategy and Innovation in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Parekh formerly served as the Co-Chief of the Foot and Ankle Division at Duke University and was an Consultant to the Elon University Athletics Department. Prior to Duke, he was an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of North Carolina.

 

In addition to his responsibilities as a surgeon and scholar, Dr. Parekh has been the Chief Executive Officer and media personality of The Fantasy Doctors since 2016. An expert in the fantasy sports industry, he provides his insight and wisdom as he reports on the latest injuries of athletes and makes predictions about their health that can directly affect their playing ability.

 

Widely published, Dr. Parekh has contributed articles to various professional journals and has served as the editor for several medical textbooks. He has also become a frequent speaker at regional, national and international conferences on an array of topics. In his spare time, Dr. Parekh often studies technology as it pertains to medicine and other industries. He also began studying artificial intelligence and machine learning, which has led to his contributions to several companies that are currently developing techniques to refine and develop more customized implants for patients.

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Dr. Parekh believes in meeting patients' individual needs through comprehensive evaluation and treatment designed to help them achieve an active, pain-free lifestyle. He combines leading-edge techniques with proven traditional methods to provide his patients with the best orthopedic care possible.

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Parekh Family Foundation

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In 2007, Dr. Parekh and his wife formed the Research Triangle Park Orthopaedic (RTPOS).  The RTPOS functions to foster education and camaraderie amongst the practicing orthopaedic surgeons in the community, the residents in training, and the fellows at Duke, UNC, and Wake Forest.  Key opinion leaders are invited on a monthly basis to teach orthopaedic surgeons in the RTP area about the latest trends and treatments in orthopaedic surgery.

 

In January of 2010, Dr. Parekh and his wife organized and established the Parekh Indo-US Foot and Ankle Meeting, which is held in India every January.  The meeting includes an international faculty who operate on indigent patients in India while teaching almost two hundred Indian orthopaedic surgeons different techniques in foot and ankle surgery.  In 2012, Dr. Parekh performed the first STAR ankle replacement in India.  Also, his textbook, “Foot and Ankle Surgery”, was released globally that same year.  The meeting travels throughout India and is now expanding outside of India. 

 

Charity clinics and surgical procedures are performed, with instrumentation and implants being donated by multinational and national Indian companies.  Trainees are selected each year to serve as the “Parekh Travelling Scholar” to participate in this program.  In addition, orthopaedic surgeons from around the world are now travelling to Durham to spend one on one time with Dr. Parekh, learning the finer points of foot and ankle care.

 

In 2011, Dr. Parekh and his wife started a College Scholarship program.  This award honors the memory of Dr. Parekh’s parents.  Applicants from across the US apply for this annual scholarship.

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Website and Blog 

 

Dr. Parekh is also known as the “Fantasy Doctor”—an orthopedic surgeon and foremost expert on sports injuries who’s fast becoming the go-to expert for the multibillion-dollar fantasy sports industry. His data-driven insights and medical expertise make for powerfully accurate predictions of how anything from common sprains to devastating season-ending injuries will affect players’ careers and the success of millions of fantasy teams. Fantasy sports for Parekh is far more than a hobby: He authored and published two foundational research papers using Fantasy football data to track the epidemiology and outcomes of tendon and ligament ruptures in the NFL.

 

Industry Involvement

 

Dr. Parekh has worked closely with industry partners to develop and improve many innovative products, instruments, and devices currently used in orthopaedics.  He has been part of multiple start-ups, some of which have been part of mergers and acquisitions.  Most recently, he has been intrigued by the implementation of novel technologies, including Google Glass, in the operating room.  He has been an explorer for Google for years, and globally broadcasted the first total ankle replacement using Google Glass in 2013. His affiliations and work with industry can be found online.