Dipen J. Parekh, the holder of the Politano Chair, is surrounded by, from left, his son Rahul, wife Amruta, son Sachin, Aida Politano, and Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt.

Dipen J. Parekh, the Miller School’s new chair of urology, was named the holder of the Dr. Victor Politano Endowed Chair in Clinical Urology, which was bestowed in a gracious October 16 ceremony that honored the accomplishments of the founding chair of the Department of Urology and launched a new tradition.

Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt announced in the Miami home of Politano’s widow, Aida, that the endowed chair established to honor her husband in 1982 will now be reserved for the Chair of Urology.

“As endowed chairs are crucial to attracting and retaining world-class faculty, I am delighted to announce that President Shalala has declared that from now on the Politano Chair will be bestowed upon the chairman or chairwoman of the Department of Urology,” the dean said, adding how pleased he was to present the chair to someone of Parekh’s caliber and accomplishments.

“Dr. Parekh is among the world’s foremost robotic surgeons for urologic oncology and is an expert in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of all urologic malignancies,” Goldschmidt said. “He is indeed a renaissance man who excels as a caring physician, stellar surgeon, revolutionary scientist, and peer-reviewed author … and is the principal investigator of the only National Cancer Institute-sponsored clinical trial comparing the traditional open and robotic surgery approaches for any organ site.”

Accepting the honor, Parekh thanked his family, including his wife Amruta and sons Sachin and Rahul, and his mentors, colleagues, and patients who have helped him in his career. He vowed to remain committed to his mission “to influence through service,” and to his motto: “You treat all patients as you would your family.”

Aida Politano, expressing the sentiment of many gathered in her home, warmly applauded her husband’s successor. “Dr. Dipen Parekh is the future Dr. Victor Politano,” she said.

Known as “chief” by his residents who regarded him as a great physician, scientist and teacher, Politano chaired the Department of Urology from 1972 to 1990, bringing it to national prominence.

Parekh, who earned his M.D. from Poona University and completed residencies in general surgery and urology at Mumbai University, came to the U.S. on a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship. He completed a residency in urology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a fellowship in urologic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Distinguished University Chair in Urology and Chief of Robotic Surgery and Urologic Oncology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio before joining the Miller School in August.