Nexus Health Systems welcomes Zoraya Parrilla, MD to the team as a rehabilitation medicine physician. Dr. Parrilla will serve as the medical director of Nexus Specialty Hospital’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (IRU) as well as an attending physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physician at both Nexus Specialty Hospital and Nexus Neurorecovery Center.
Dr. Parrilla graduated from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in 1994. She went on to complete her PM&R residency at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine and her sub-specialty in brain injury rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston. Dr. Parrilla also has a sub-specialty in spasticity management and she is Board-Certified in Brain Injury Rehabilitation.
Throughout her 25 years of practice, Dr. Parrilla has gained a breadth of experience in the neurorehabilitation field as well as in administrative leadership roles, making her a valuable asset to Nexus Health Systems and its mission of mending minds.
Dr. Parrilla served as co-director of the rehabilitation unit at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. She also took on the role of director of the neurorehabilitation program at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, and director of the brain injury program at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson, Mississippi. Most recently, she served as the director of the rehabilitation programs at Las Palmas Medical Center and Del Sol Rehabilitation Hospital in El Paso, Texas, as well as the medical director at NeuroRestorative, a post-acute residential rehabilitation program.
In her new role with the Nexus Health Systems, Dr. Parrilla will oversee medical care and serve in a leadership role for staff at Nexus Specialty Hospital’s IRU, a 16-bed therapeutic unit designed to help patients reach their recovery goals, gain more independence, and prepare them for the next stage of rehabilitation or the return home. With a sub-specialty in brain injury rehabilitation, she will also provide consultations to patients at Nexus Specialty Hospital and Nexus Neurorecovery Center.
Dr. Parrilla said Nexus Health Systems’ reputation as a leader in neurorehabilitation and comprehensive treatment plans that allow patients to heal from a range of behavioral, cognitive, physical, and emotional issues drew her to the role.
“I look forward to practicing an integrated treatment approach alongside Dr. John Cassidy and a multidisciplinary team of therapists and specialists,” she explained. “I’m excited to work with them in helping patients manage and overcome the effects of their injuries.”
Dr. Parrilla went on to share what she hopes to achieve as part of the physician-led neurorehabilitation team at Nexus Health Systems.
“It’s my goal to provide purposeful neurorehabilitation services and quality, compassionate care to my patients,” she said.
Nexus Health Systems President Erin Cassidy shared her enthusiasm for Dr. Parrilla joining the team.
“We’ve been looking forward to the opportunity for Dr. Parrilla to share her knowledge and expertise in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation with our team,” she said. “I know that her patients will benefit greatly from her passion for neurorehabilitation.”
