Meet the Expert: Doctor Bio Video Series
Debra Parisi, M.D., is a hand surgeon at Summit Orthopedics in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Her specialties include hand, wrist and elbow care, hand and wrist arthritis, carpal tunnel, and surgery.
Meet Dr. Debra Parisi
Dr. Parisi’s approach: “Injuries to your hand, wrist and elbow are very disruptive. After figuring out what’s going on I’ll tailor a treatment plan that works with your lifestyle and allows you to get back to essential activities and the activities you love to do.”
Dr. Parisi’s background: Dr. Parisi earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and Economics at Duke University. After completing her undergraduate degree, she continued onto Medical School at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. In medical school, Dr. Parisi reasoned that cardiology or radiology would complement her engineering background. She completed her Residency at New York University, Hospital for Joint Diseases. Following medical school and residency, Dr. Parisi completed a fellowship focused on surgery for upper extremity conditions.
Summit Orthopedics provides personalized hand and wrist expertise
The function of our hands is integrated through our wrists and arms to our shoulders; a problem anywhere along our arm may have a significant impact on hand function and quality of life. If you experience an injury or uncomfortable symptoms, our fellowship-trained hand and wrist surgeons are here to help. Summit physicians receive the highest levels of training and exclusively provide individualized care for conditions of the hand, wrist, and elbow.
Start your journey to better function and less pain. Find your hand expert, request an appointment online, or call us at (651) 968–5201 to schedule a consultation.
Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.
Video Transcription
My name is Debra Parisi, and I am an attending hand surgery physician here at Summit Orthopedics. I have two young children, and so most of my free time is currently spent raising and entertaining my two children. I also have a dog, and so we like to spend a lot of family time together with my husband. So I grew up about an hour north of New York City, and I was always interested in science, especially biology. I went to college at Duke University and I opted to pursue a biomedical engineering degree. But after I did a summer internship at IBM and I was in a room with 20 computers and not a single person, and I realized at that point that engineering might not be the best thing for me because I’m much more of a people person. So at that point, I opted to switch gears and pursue in a career in medicine. For me, the best part of being a hand surgeon is the ability to interact with people, help people, and do something that I find really interesting. No patient is identical. Every patient has an interesting, unique problem. And I find it a challenge to find out how I can help them, find out exactly what is going on with them, and put that into practice. I think I like to take a very compassionate approach to medicine. Again, I think that a lot of times, people go to the doctor and a physician sort of talks to them and really doesn’t listen or let them participate in their care. And I think it’s really important that patients do actively participate in their care. So, I try to really listen to what they’re saying and incorporate that into my management plan.
