James B Parmele, MD, MBA
Born and raised in Kansas, Dr. James Parmele graduated from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, Cum Laude with dual majors in Chemistry and Biology. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree, he spent a post-baccalaureate research year with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. At USAMRID he studied the effects of mustard gas on human skin cells. He then attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine where he graduated with a Doctorate of Medicine (MD) in 2002.
After medical school, he attended Washington University in St. Louis where he completed both his residency in Anesthesiology and Pain Management fellowship training. During fellowship training, he became skilled at a wide variety of minimally invasive interventional techniques. He is board-certified in both Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. While at Washington University, he also completed a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree at the Olin School of Business.
After fellowship training, he moved to Minnesota in 2007, where he has been practicing ever since. During this time, he has sought additional interventional expertise and has received board-certification in Interventional Pain Management from the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP). He has also received a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) from WIP. Since receiving these certifications, he has trained other physicians while serving as a National ABIPP board examiner. He is active with the Minnesota Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and currently serves as the treasurer for this organization.
Dr. James Parmele is one of the co-founders and is currently a medical director of iSpine Clinics (formerly iSpine Pain Physicians). Prior to this, he was an Interventional Pain Management Physician at another practice in Central Minnesota. At iSpine Clinics, he stays abreast of the most current technology and techniques to help his patients. He seeks to advance the specialty of interventional pain management and has recently served as a principle investigator for a Nevro High Frequency spinal cord stimulation study.
“I was first exposed to interventional pain management during medical school. During an Anesthesiology rotation I spent time in the Pain Clinic, where I realized that it was a diverse specialty with options for both operating room and clinic work. I made Anesthesiology my career choice. With more experience, I realized that I missed the human interaction that is often too brief in the operating room, and I began gravitating towards more clinical work in pain management. I realized that the specialty was rapidly changing and many new tools were being developed to help patients with chronic painful conditions. I enjoyed both the dynamic nature of the specialty and ability to become highly skilled at new interventional techniques to help patients.
It is my goal to work with my patients and give them the best possible options. Often times, patients would obviously prefer a permanent cure for their problem. While this is not always possible, I do my best to explain what I think is causing their symptoms and the range of options available. I try to treat patients as though they were a family member and give them an honest assessment of my recommendations. There is nothing more rewarding than being able to help patients reduce suffering and live a higher quality of life.” -Dr. James B. Parmele
In his free time, Dr. Parmele enjoys spending time with his wife, Susan, who is an Anesthesiologist, and their three children. He also enjoys spending time with his family, boating on the lake, traveling, cycling, and reading.