Dr. R. Parker Ward is a Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Radiology at the University of Chicago. He received his BA from Middlebury College and attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as Chief Medical Resident. He then completed a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the University of Chicago before joining the faculty in 2001. Dr. Ward is an expert in cardiac imaging, including echocardiography and nuclear cardiology, and serves as Director of Nuclear Cardiology/Stress Testing and Director of the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program.
His research interests focus on the application and utilization of cardiac imaging. He has published extensively on these topics and has co-authored multiple national guidelines aimed at improving the appropriateness and cost-effective use of cardiac imaging in clinical care.
Dr. Ward has received multiple awards for outstanding teaching in the internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship programs. He is a past recipient of a national teaching award from the American College of Cardiology and was selected as an AOA Honorary Faculty Inductee by the Pritzker School of Medicine, Class of 2024. He runs a preseason cardiovascular screening program and provides consultative care as a WNBA-designated team cardiologist for the Chicago Sky, and has been named a “Top Doctor” by Chicago Magazine annually since 2018.
Canadian Cardiovascular Harmonized National Guideline Endeavour (C-CHANGE) guideline for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease in primary care: 2022 update.
Canadian Cardiovascular Harmonized National Guideline Endeavour (C-CHANGE) guideline for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease in primary care: 2022 update. CMAJ. 2022 11 07; 194(43):E1460-E1480.
PMID: 36343954
Can echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function be automated?
Can echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function be automated? Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2022 May; 38(5):965-974.
PMID: 34882301
Trends in Utilization and Yield of Inpatient Transthoracic Echocardiography for Syncope: Impact of Cardiac Biomarkers.
Trends in Utilization and Yield of Inpatient Transthoracic Echocardiography for Syncope: Impact of Cardiac Biomarkers. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2022 03; 35(3):322-323.
PMID: 34742905
Evaluation of Appropriate Use of Preoperative Echocardiography before Major Abdominal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Evaluation of Appropriate Use of Preoperative Echocardiography before Major Abdominal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Anesthesiology. 2021 11 01; 135(5):854-863.
PMID: 34543408
Comparison of clinical and echocardiographic features of first and second waves of COVID-19 at a large, tertiary medical center serving a predominantly African American patient population.
Comparison of clinical and echocardiographic features of first and second waves of COVID-19 at a large, tertiary medical center serving a predominantly African American patient population. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2021 Nov; 37(11):3181-3190.
PMID: 34460023
A Mobile App to Facilitate Socially Distanced Hospital Communication During COVID-19: Implementation Experience.
A Mobile App to Facilitate Socially Distanced Hospital Communication During COVID-19: Implementation Experience. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021 02 23; 9(2):e24452.
PMID: 33513562
Automated Procedure Logs for Cardiology Fellows: A New Training Paradigm in the Era of Electronic Health Records.
Automated Procedure Logs for Cardiology Fellows: A New Training Paradigm in the Era of Electronic Health Records. J Grad Med Educ. 2021 Feb; 13(1):103-107.
PMID: 33680308
An Electronic Health Record Intervention to Increase Utilization of Limited Transthoracic Echocardiography.
An Electronic Health Record Intervention to Increase Utilization of Limited Transthoracic Echocardiography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2021 05; 34(5):551-552.
PMID: 33412250
Frequency and Outcomes of Preoperative Stress Testing in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty from 2004 to 2017.
Frequency and Outcomes of Preoperative Stress Testing in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty from 2004 to 2017. JAMA Cardiol. 2021 01 01; 6(1):13-20.
PMID: 32997100
Prevalence of newly diagnosed sarcoidosis in patients with ventricular arrhythmias: a cardiac magnetic resonance and 18F-FDG cardiac PET study.
Prevalence of newly diagnosed sarcoidosis in patients with ventricular arrhythmias: a cardiac magnetic resonance and 18F-FDG cardiac PET study. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2021 Apr; 37(4):1361-1369.
PMID: 33225427