Pedram Salimpour

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Pedram Salimpour
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Pedram Salimpour, physician and professor.
Education Medical degree
Alma mater Boston University School of Medicine
OccupationsPhysician, author, entrepreneur, professor

Pedram Salimpour is an Iranian-American physician-scientist, author, professor, entrepreneur, and business executive. He is the co-founder of CareNex Health Services (later acquired by Anthem), Champion Health Enterprises, and Plymouth Health, the last of which previously owned Alvarado Hospital in San Diego. [1] [2] He has served on various professional boards and, in 2014, became president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association. [3] Salimpour is also a two-time recipient of the American College of Physicians' Research Award. [4] [5] He delivered the commencement address to the 2008 graduating class of the University of California, Riverside, [3] and the keynote address at the annual colloquium of the Whitehead Institute at MIT in 2012. [6]

Contents

Early life and education

Dr Pedram Salimpour keynote speaker at 2008 commencement exercises, University of California, Riverside. Dr Pedram Salimpour keynote speaker.png
Dr Pedram Salimpour keynote speaker at 2008 commencement exercises, University of California, Riverside.

Salimpour was born in Tehran, Iran and spent his early childhood there during the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970s. He immigrated with his family to the United States six months after his older brother, Pejman Salimpour, did. [7] Salimpour moved to Los Angeles at age 12 after which his father opened a medical practice after working at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. [7] He learned English from English-language cartoons, which he had watched dubbed into Persian during his childhood in Iran. [7] Pedram said he was able to connect the two languages after rewatching the same cartoons in English, and that by the time he started junior high school in the Woodland Hills School District in 1981, he spoke fluent English in the local accent. [7]

Salimpour attended the University of California, Riverside upon graduating from high school. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the school in 1990. [8] He went on to attend UCLA, where he earned his Master's Degree in Public Health, Health Services Administration in 1992. [4] Salimpour attended Boston University School of Medicine, where he earned a medical degree in 2000. At Boston University School of Medicine, Salimpour participated in research on the association between frequent bicycle riding and erectile dysfunction. [9] His study was attributed as the first scientific proof that there is a significantly higher chance of being impotent for cyclists. [7] He was also a part of the research team that led to the introduction of Viagra to the pharmaceutical market, later creating the first department of Sexual medicine in the United States. [10] [11] He completed his residency at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California Medical Center. [4] He returned to the University of California, Riverside as a keynote speaker, giving the commencement address to the school's 2008 graduating class. [3]

Career

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Dr Pedram Salimpour. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Dr Pedram Salimpour.png
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Dr Pedram Salimpour.

Salimpour began his early career as a physician at the Salimpour Pediatric Medical Group, a pediatric centre administered by his father, Ralph Salimpour, in the greater Los Angeles area. [12] [13] As an entrepreneur, he is the co-founder of three medical companies, one of which previously owned one of San Diego's largest hospitals. He is the co-founder of CareNex Health Services, a healthcare technology company that specializes in neonatal and perinatal disease management. [2] He founded the company with his brother, Pejman, in 2005, and it was acquired by WellPoint (now Anthem) in 2013. The brothers also founded the physician-owned company Plymouth Health, a physician-owned company that purchased Alvarado Hospital in San Diego from Tenet Healthcare Corporation following a civil settlement. [2] The previous owner of the hospital, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, was accused of paying kickbacks to physicians for referrals to the hospital. [14] As part of a settlement from a civil complaint filed against them, Tenet agreed to sell the hospital and pay a settlement of $21 million. Salimpour and his brother paid approximately $36.5 million for the hospital, [2] while investing millions of dollars to upgrade the hospital's equipment and bring in some of the nation's top physicians before selling the hospital to Prime Healthcare in 2010. [15]

Dr. Pedram Salimpour (left) and brother Dr. Pejman Salimpour (right) with former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Salimpour Arnold.png
Dr. Pedram Salimpour (left) and brother Dr. Pejman Salimpour (right) with former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After the sale of Alvarado, Salimpour co-founded Champion Health Enterprises, a company specializing in health ecosystems for Native American tribes and business entities whose annual revenue exceeded $500 million. He serves as the company's CEO and has partnered with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians since the inception of Champion Health. [16] In addition to his clinical and entrepreneurial work, Salimpour has published medical journal articles, co-authored a pediatric atlas, and served in academic appointments. [7] He wrote the Photographic Atlas of Pediatric Disorders and Diagnosis, a book that he co-authored with his brother Pejman and his father Ralph Salimpour. [17] He also received a Los Angeles area Emmy Award for his 2006 news documentary The Face of America. At the Center on Human Aging at San Diego State University he holds the position of adjunct professor, and is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine. [1]

Salimpour has served in numerous appointments throughout his career. [1] He is credited as being the youngest president in the history of the Los Angeles County Medical Association, receiving the appointment in 2014. [3] Additional appointments have included being a member of the board of directors at Boston University School of Medicine and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health. [1] He is a founding board member of the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside. Salimpour was also appointed by then Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and reappointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti to join the city's Fire and Police Pension Board, a term that he is scheduled to serve through June 2018. [1] As a member of the Board of the Whitehead Institute at MIT, he gave the keynote address at the 2012 annual colloquium. [6]

Awards and recognition

Dr. Pedram Salimpour speaking at the Discovery Science Museum - December 2014 - Honorable Wendy Gruel (left) Pedram Salimpour Discovery Cube Orange County - December 2014.jpg
Dr. Pedram Salimpour speaking at the Discovery Science Museum – December 2014 – Honorable Wendy Gruel (left)

He has been cited in research linking erectile dysfunction to cycling and smoking and has been interviewed about these studies by major media outlets. [10] [12] He is highly cited for his work linking both bicycle riding and impotence and for linking smoking with impotence, and he has been interviewed by The New York Times , the BBC, and CNN. [18] [19] [9] During his time at Boston University School of Medicine, he received a Merck Pharmaceuticals Research Award, becoming the first medical student to become a two-time recipient of the American College of Physicians' Research Award. [4] He is one of the few individuals to have received both an Alpha Omega Alpha Research Award and an Alpha Omega Alpha honour society membership. He was also recognized in 2003 with a commendation from the former Governor of California, Gray Davis. [5]

Philantropy

Salimpour co-founded NexCare Collaborative, a nonprofit providing health insurance support and referrals for foster children and low-income families in the Los Angeles area. It also provides foster children with free referral services, enabling them to access medical services. [20] Salimpour served as the organization's executive vice president from 2001 to 2005. [5]

Personal life

Salimpour is the founding chairman of the board of Directors of the Discovery Science Museum in Los Angeles. [21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Szymanski, Mike (June 25, 2013). "Mayor Appoints Sherman Oaks Doctor to City's Fire and Police Pension Board". Sheman Oaks Patch. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Tenet to sell Alvarado hospital to physicians". American Medical News. November 20, 2006. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Opportunities Abound for Physician Leader Who Beat The Odds". Practice Management Daily. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Boston University School of Medicine Appoints New Member to Dean's Advisory Board". Boston University School of Medicine. January 29, 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Appointed Commissioner Pedram Salimpour". Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension Board. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Bushy, Mark (November 7, 2012). "Photos from 2012 Whitehead Colloquium "Disease, Deciphered"". Whitehead MIT. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Darce, Keith (December 26, 2006). "Up to the challenge". UT San Diego. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Pedram Salimpour '90". UCR – The Magazine of UC Riverside. Fall 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Health Watch, Watch Your Seat". The New York Times. July 7, 1998. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  10. 1 2 "One Pill Makes You Larger". GQ Magazine (print). October 1998.
  11. ↑ "Sexual-medicine expert moves to San Diego to get his craft recognized". UT San Diego. August 4, 2007. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Valley Doctors' Latest Patient Requires Intensive Care". Los Angeles Business Journal. March 12, 2007.
  13. ↑ Klein, Amy (January 17, 2008). "Doctor with healing hands helps kids from Iran to L.A." The Jewish Journal. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Tenet's sale of Alvarado is complete". Los Angeles Times . January 2, 2007.
  15. ↑ Lavelle, Janet (November 17, 2010). "Prime Healthcare buys Alvarado Hospital". UT San Diego. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  16. ↑ Red-Horse, Valerie (April 1, 2014). "WIGC Touched on Online Poker and More". Casino Entertainment Management. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  17. ↑ Salimpour, Ralph R.; Salimpour, Pedram; Salimpour, Pejman (2013). Photographic Atlas of Pediatric Disorders and Diagnosis. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN   9781451178111.
  18. ↑ Mangold, Abbey (July 1998). "Bicycling and Impotence". BBC.
  19. ↑ Zvill, Robert (July 1998). "Smoking and Impotence". CNN.
  20. ↑ Wenig, Gaby (December 11, 2003). "Wanted: Homes for Jewish Foster Children". Jewish Journal. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  21. ↑ Boehm, Mike (July 30, 2014). "Discovery Science Center's L.A. offshoot museum to open in November". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
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