Welcome new faculty members to the Department of Medicine!

Bradley Deere, MD

Hometown: Sikeston, MO

Residency: Internal Medicine, Tulane University

Fellowship: Cardiology, Tulane University

Division: Cardiology

Tell us about yourself. I’m from Sikeston – a small town in the “Bootheel” of Missouri. After college at Emory University in Atlanta, I made my way to Mississippi for graduate school at Mississippi College and medical school at UMMC. I met my wife during our M1 year and we then completed residency and fellowship training together at Tulane University in New Orleans. We are thrilled to come back home to Mississippi with our 3-year-old daughter, Mira and 14-year-old husky-collie-hound dog mix, Kelly. Other than frequent attempts at cooking, gardening, or reading projects, I’m frequently found outdoors doing various activities or traveling with the family. 

What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC? I’ve always looked forward to returning to work with the people at UMMC ever since making so many wonderful memories here during medical school. I hope to contribute to our community and help the patients of UMMC by offering a comprehensive, preventive approach to cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases.

Lekha Sunkara Deere, MD

Hometown: I was born in Hyderabad, India but grew up in Madison, Mississippi

Residency: Internal Medicine, Tulane University

Fellowship: Pulmonary and Critical Care, Tulane University

Division: Pulmonary and Critical Care

Tell us about yourself.  I was born and spent my early childhood in India, but most of my life has been in Mississippi – including medical school. I found that I was interested in critical care as a medical student and later developed a deeper interest in general pulmonology, lung cancer, and environmental lung disease during my fellowship training. I am blessed to be part of a huge and supportive family and the best part of everyday is going home to my husband and our three year old daughter, Mira.

What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC? I look forward to running into old friends, continuing to learn the depths of my chosen field, and to teach what I know. I feel grateful to be back home in Mississippi.

Zerelda Esquer Garrigos, MD

Hometown: Mexico

Residency: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Jacobi Medical Center

Fellowship: Infectious Diseases and Transplant Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota

Division: Infectious Diseases

Tell us about yourself. When I was 13 years old, I read an amazing book entitled: The Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif (highly recommended by the way). After finishing this book I knew I wanted to become a microbe hunter myself, and here I am, years later diagnosing and treating infections! I plan to remain in academic medicine. I have a special interest in cardiovascular infections.  During my fellowship I conducted several projects that involved applying a new molecular technology for diagnosis of culture-negative device infections and developing diagnostic and management algorithms to treat a wide array of cardiovascular infections, including those that occur after left ventricular device implantation. This is my main focus of interest but I find the entire field of ID fascinating!

What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC? I am looking forward to serving our community and our patients, and to continue to practice medicine by the principle of: the needs of the patient come first. I also wish to inspire medical students and residents to join the versatile and highly rewarding field of ID.

Alisha Parker, DO

Hometown: Puckett, MS

Residency: Internal Medicine, UMMC

Fellowship: Nephrology, UMMC 

Division: Nephrology

Tell us about yourself.  I had a very humble upbringing. I grew up in a small town of three hundred people in Puckett, Mississippi. I am the daughter of the two most selfless individuals I have ever known. My father, who worked as an operator for a power plant, and my mother, who worked in a car part factory, were the picture of hard work and dedication. They sacrificed everything they had to send me to college. They encouraged me to pursue a higher education so that I could achieve my dreams. Little did they know, my dream would ultimately be to become a physician. In 2005, I graduated high school with forty-seven students, and I was among a select few that went to college. I attended Mississippi College where I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences. While there, I discovered my passion for medicine, and God placed a desire in my heart to become a physician. After completing my undergraduate degree, I obtained a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. I attended Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, SC, to complete medical school. After four long years of being away from Mississippi, I traveled back to UMMC to complete my post graduate training in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. Along the way, I met my husband, Adam Parker, and we were blessed with our first child, Jackson. It has been quite a journey to get here today, but I am thrilled to be continuing this journey at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC?  UMMC feels like home to me. It’s where I’ve spent the past five years of my training and I am so excited to stay on as faculty in our department. I’m most excited to develop stronger relationships with the medical school and residency program with the Department of Nephrology. We recently started our Nephrology rotation for medical students as well as developing a “core curriculum” for the residents rotating through our department. Teaching students and residents is my passion, and I hope every student and resident that works with us will see how much fun Nephrology can be!

Bushra Syed, MD

Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan

Residency: Saint Barnabas Medical Center, New Jersey

Fellowship: General Nephrology and Transplant Nephrology, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio

Division: Nephrology

Tell us about yourself. I grew up in the coastal city of Karachi in Pakistan, where I completed medical school at the Aga Khan University. My interest in nephrology developed during my residency and that led  me to complete fellowships in General Nephrology and Transplant Nephrology at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, cooking, traveling and spending time with friends and family.

What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC? In addition to devoting time to patient care, I am interested in medical education. My research interests lie in transplantation and clinical nephrology.