Dr. Parker, the creator of HeartPhys, is a Senior Interactive Media Architect in the Center for Educational Technology at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Parker received Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT. Before becoming a physician, he worked in the software industry and then studied exercise physiology at University of Colorado while performing biomechanical analysis of U.S. team cyclists at the Olympic Training Center. After becoming a physician, he has worked on combining his computer and medical knowledge to create interactive animations and simulations to enhance medical education. He has had multiple teaching roles at HMS, including lecturer and tutor in the Human Systems pathophysiology course.
Dr. Parker's current interests include development of interactive simulations to teach doctors in training how to understand and effectively treat challenging medical conditions. The interactive diagrams Dr. Parker created as co-author of Respiratory Physiology: A Clinical Approach (with Dr. Richard Schwartzstein; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2006) were honored with the 2006 Frank Netter Award and with the position of Finalist in the National Science Foundation Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge 2006.