He has written numerous books, including The Development of American Pharmacology: John J. Abel and the Shaping of a Discipline, and held the position of Public Health Service Historian.
[3] Parascandola received his Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from Brooklyn College[4] before receiving his Master's Degree in Biochemistry and his PhD in the History of Science in 1968 at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
[3] Parascandola's career began in 1974 as Director of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, where he remained until 1981.
[5] Parascandola's two most recognized books are The Development of American Pharmacology: John J. Abel and the Shaping of a Discipline, which was written in 1992 and received the 1994 George Urdang Medal,[3] and Sex, Sin, and Science: A History of Syphilis in America, which was released in 2008 and won the George Pendleton Prize for 2009.
[4] In 2002, he received the Sidney M. Edelstein Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry from the American Chemical Society.