AASM member Dr. Shahrokh Javaheri has inspired many young doctors — his daughter included — and has committed his life to patient care; sleep research; and educating medical students, fellows, sleep technologists, cardiologists, and other sleep doctors. Dr. Sogol Javaheri provides us with insight on her father’s dedication to sleep medicine.
Dr. Shahrokh Javaheri was born and raised in Shiraz, Iran, and he attended medical school at the Pahlavi University. He then completed a pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. His early research career focused on acid-base and respiratory physiology, and he developed an interest in nocturnal control of breathing. His own father snored heavily and suffered from excessive daytime sleepiness, and his father passed away in the middle of the night from a myocardial infarction. At the time, Dr. Javaheri was conducting research in brain acid-base balance in Belgium. He believed his father had undiagnosed sleep apnea, which may have contributed to his early death. His father’s death was his greatest motivation for developing a research career in sleep-disordered breathing and cardiovascular disease.
Research Career Highlights
Dr. Javaheri wrote some of the first papers recognizing the high prevalence of both obstructive and central sleep apnea among patients with heart failure at the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. He considers these papers his greatest contributions to the field of sleep. Even so, if you ask some of his colleagues what they felt Dr. Javaheri’s greatest contribution was, responses vary widely based in part on their own individual areas of interest. One physician highlighted Dr. Javaheri’s recognition and characterization of complex or treatment-emergent central sleep apnea and opiate-induced central sleep apnea. Another commended his work on the pathophysiology of central sleep apnea in patients with heart failure. Many noted his commitment to teaching courses at the SLEEP annual meeting, serving as a volunteer on the AASM Education Committee, and his passion for educating cardiologists throughout the country on the importance of screening for and treating comorbid sleep disorders.
Current Research Interests
Outside of his clinical practice at Bethesda North Hospital, Dr. Javaheri has devoted his time to studying alternate treatments of central sleep apnea, including phrenic nerve stimulation and oxygen therapy. He is currently involved in the Impact of Low Flow Nocturnal Oxygen Therapy on Hospital Readmission/Mortality in Patients with Heart Failure and Central Sleep Apnea trial (Loft-HF). This randomized, sham-controlled, multi-center trial is based on a grant he wrote in the 1990s that was not funded at that time. It will assess the effect of low-flow oxygen therapy on one-year, all-cause mortality and hospital readmission rates among patients with heart failure and co-morbid central sleep apnea.
Outside of Sleep Medicine
Dr. Javaheri enjoys traveling with his family and spending time with his three grandchildren. He loves plants, flowers and art, and he makes a point of visiting botanical gardens and art museums wherever he travels. He also enjoys listening to classical music. When he has free time, he watches NBA basketball or Game of Thrones.
Inspiration: Full Circle
While Dr. Javaheri’s father inspired him to study sleep medicine, he in turn has served as a major source of inspiration for his own children, who have followed his footsteps and pursued careers in medicine. Currently, his daughter practices sleep medicine in Boston, and his son conducts heart failure research in St. Louis. — Sogol Javaheri, MD
Excerpts of this article appeared in the Fall 2019 issue of Montage, volume 4, number 3.
The post Shahrokh Javaheri: An inspiration in the sleep medicine field and beyond appeared first on American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers.
Originally posted on Shahrokh Javaheri: An inspiration in the sleep medicine field and beyond via Dental Sleep Medicine News
No comments:
Post a Comment