Gulshan Parasher Named Strickland Distinguished Chair

Robert "Reg" Strickland, MD, came to New Mexico in 1972 to establish a new Gastroenterology division in The University of New Mexico School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine. He did not expect the move would shape his career and the School of Medicine so significantly. 

Strickland served as GI division chief for 15 years and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine for 13 years. He helped build the division from two full-time faculty and one fellowship trainee to now – 50 years later – 20 full- and part-time faculty and 15 gastroenterology fellows. The division has achieved national prominence for its programs in research, education and patient care. Internal Medicine also grew substantially during his leadership in the 1990s. 

Now aged 85, Strickland continues to attend in the clinic, seeing patients and mentoring gastroenterology fellows.

In 2020, the UNM Board of Regents and the School of Medicine honored Strickland by approving the creation of an endowed distinguished chair in his name to advance digestive health and science.  

The School of Medicine is pleased to announce the naming of Gulshan Parasher, MD, as the inaugural Strickland Distinguished Chair.  

Parasher is the current chief of the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. He is a dedicated clinician, educator and researcher. His unique contributions to the division have been in advanced endoscopic procedures – skills that he brought to UNM and continues to develop. 

Parasher’s expertise in advanced diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy is widely recognized throughout the region and his opinions and referrals are utilized by colleagues across New Mexico and the Southwest. He has mentored more than 40 GI fellows in these techniques. 

In his new role as the Strickland Distinguished Chair, Parasher plans to continue Strickland’s academic mission in digestive disease and science.