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The Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) and Alberta Health Services (AHS) are pleased to announce the joint appointment of Dr. Ken Kuljit Singh Parhar, MD, PGME’10, as the new head of the Department of Critical Care Medicine. The appointment took effect Feb. 1, 2026.

Dr. Parhar replaces Dr. Dan Zuege, MD, whom we would like to thank for his five years of service in the role.

Dr. Parhar is an intensivist and professor with the Department of Critical Care Medicine. Prior to this appointment, he served as the medical director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Foothills Medical Centre, where he led a large multidisciplinary team delivering complex, high-acuity care to some of the province’s most critically ill patients.

Throughout his career, Dr. Parhar has demonstrated a deep commitment to improving patient care across the acute care continuum. In his work as a frontline intensivist and medical director of a busy post-cardiac surgery Intensive Care Unit (ICU), he has experienced the intersection of acute care, primary care and critical care, gaining unique insight to the challenges and opportunities for improving care delivery.

Dr. Parhar has held several key leadership roles within Alberta’s critical care system, including as president of the Section of Intensive Care in Alberta and chair of the Extracorporeal Life Support Program Committee for more than a decade. He’s a demonstrated leader in the use of echocardiography, an ultrasound used to examine the heart, and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Dr. Parhar is widely recognized for his leadership in implementation science and pragmatic clinical trials. He has led large, pan-provincial initiatives, including the Venting Wisely Project and the PRONTO Prone Positioning Project, which significantly improved clinical practice across multiple ICUs in Alberta. Named a runner-up for the Alberta government’s Dr. William Cochrane Health System Innovation Award, the Venting Wisely initiative was recognized for its overall impact and for Dr. Parhar’s collaborative, compassionate leadership style.

Dr. Parhar completed a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Immunology and a Master of Science in Experimental Medicine at the University of British Columbia before earning his medical degree at Queen’s University. He completed much of his postgraduate training at the University of Calgary, including residencies in internal medicine and critical care medicine, a fellowship in general internal medicine, and advanced training in echocardiography.

Dr. Parhar also completed an advanced fellowship in cardio-thoracic critical care at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England, with a focus on extracorporeal life support and mechanical circulatory support. A quintessential lifelong learner, he recently earned a Master of Public Health from Harvard University with a focus on clinical effectiveness.

Dr. Parhar has received numerous teaching awards, published more than 75 peer-reviewed articles, and secured over $2.5 million in research funding, while maintaining an active clinical practice in the post-cardiac surgery intensive care unit.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Parhar on his new leadership role.

Sincerely,

Todd Anderson, MD                                                                   Mark Anselmo, MD                                           
Dean, Cumming School of Medicine                                        Calgary Zone Medical Director                
University of Calgary                                                                  Alberta Health Services