Summa Health announces Linda Parenti, M.D., as 2025 recipient of the Distinguished Physician Award
Date: 02/24/2025
AKRON, Ohio, March 26, 2025 — Summa Health is pleased to announce that Linda Parenti, M.D., has been selected to receive the 2025 Distinguished Physician Award, the highest honor awarded to a physician within the health system.
“Dr. Linda Parenti’s commitment to advancing women’s health, her leadership and dedication to patient care and education embody the very core of what Summa Health stands for,” said Dr. Cliff Deveny, president and CEO of Summa Health. “Her remarkable career is a source of inspiration for all of us. We are privileged to recognize her with this distinguished honor.”
Dr. Parenti spent her career advancing women’s health, making significant contributions to obstetrics and gynecology. Serving as a physician leader at Akron City Hospital, now Summa Health, from 1976 to 2015, she played a pivotal role in shaping the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, including her tenures as interim chair. In 1976, Dr. Parenti made history as the first female physician to graduate from the OB-GYN Residency Program at Akron City Hospital, following her internship in 1973. She is an Emeritus Member of the Summa Foundation Board of Directors.
In addition to her work at Summa Health, Dr. Parenti spent over 40 years, starting as a resident, as the longest-serving OB-GYN at the Adolescent Clinic at Akron Children’s Hospital. She also supported Planned Parenthood and the Rape Crisis Center of Akron. In 2024, she received the Outstanding Volunteer Faculty Award from Northeast Ohio Medical University.
Dr. Parenti holds a biology degree with a minor in chemistry from The University of Akron and earned her medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She was the Valedictorian of North High School’s Class of 1964 and recognized as a National Merit Scholar.
Dr. Parenti joins a distinguished list of past honorees, including the late William "Bill" Smucker, M.D. (2024); Thomas "Tom" M. File, M.D. (2023); William "Bill" Bauman, M.D. (2022); J. Patrick Flanagan, M.D. (2021); Jay Williamson, M.D. (2019); Ernest R. Estep, M.D. (2018); Gary B. Williams, M.D. (2017); the late Robert Liebelt, Ph.D., M.D. (2016); and the late James Tan, M.D. (2015).
The Distinguished Physician Award, selected by a physician selection committee, recognizes a Summa Health physician who exemplifies the mission and values of the health system, demonstrates exceptional leadership and dedication, and serves as a professional and personal role model to the community. The honoree is also celebrated for clinical excellence, leadership in research and education, and a strong dedication to advancing philanthropy at Summa Health.
About Summa Health
Summa Health is one of the largest integrated healthcare delivery systems in Ohio. Encompassing a network of hospitals, community medical centers, a health plan, an accountable care organization, a multi-specialty physician organization, research and the Summa Health Foundation, we are nationally renowned for excellence in patient care and for exceptional approaches to healthcare delivery. Summa’s clinical services are consistently recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (Magnet status), U.S. News and World Report, Healthgrades, Thomson Reuters and The Leapfrog Group. For more information, visit summahealth.org or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/summahealth, Pinterest, pinterest.com/SummaHealth, YouTube at youtube.com/summahealthsystem, Instagram at instagram.com/summahealth TikTok at tiktok.com/summahealth and LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/summahealth.
Media Contact: Maureen Nagg
Phone: 234.475.0193
