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AMIR A. AFKHAMI
NEWS & EVENTS
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Afkhami speaks to PopSugar on Spravato's unique mechanism of action, its fast-acting nature, and the importance of medical monitoring due to its possible side effects: Can a Nasal Spray Really Help Treat Depression? (1/22/2025)
Afkhami was invited to attend Senator Debbie Stabenow’s (D-MI) farewell address at the U.S. Capitol, where the Senator highlighted her Excellence on Mental Health Legislation and the creation of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) which was passed during Afkhami' s time on the Senator's legislative team.
Afkhami quoted in UpWorthy parenting tips on making every family dinner count (11/07/2024)
Afkhami named as one of Washington DC's top doctors in the Washingtonian Magazine 2024 issue (11/01/2024)
Afkhami speaks to YahooNews about the psychological benefits of family dinners and shared meals (10/31/2024)
PDF version: here
Afkhami speaks to HealthCentral about the clinical indications and risks of taking Lyrica and Zoloft together (06/21/2024)
PDF version: here
Afkhami interviewed by WTOP News: US's drop in the latest world’s happiest countries report (03/21/2024)
PDF version: here
Afkhami receives the Bicentennial Distinguished Teacher Award from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (01/18/2024)
Afkhami named as one of Washington DC's top doctors in the Washingtonian Magazine 2023 issue (11/01/2023)
Afkhami discusses the mental health challenges in a
post pandemic world at The Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church sponsored webinar (3/24/2023)
Afkhami speaks at George Washington University event supporting the women in Iran (3/22/2023)
Afkhami interviewed by The Hill: Americans’ nuclear fears surge to highest levels since Cold War (10/14/2022)
Afkhami interviewed by The Washington Post: Amid covid surge, Iran cut corners to approve yet-unproven vaccine (8/20/2022)
Afkhami gives keynote public lecture at The University of Texas at Austin Center for Middle Eastern Studies: From Cholera to COVID-19: The Role of Pandemics in Shaping Iran's Modern History (4/29/2022)
Afkhami interviewed by The Washington Post: Ukrainian refugees vow to return home even if it’s never the same (4/6/2022)
Afkhami interviewed by BBC Persian Service on COVID19 and lessons learned on the second anniversary of the global outbreak (3/10/2022)
Afkhami speaks on panel on Iranian-Americans engaging in change and civic activities at the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI)'s Iran Conference (2/10/2022)
Afkhami gives the Grand Rounds presentation at the George Washington University School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences: From Cholera to COVID19: Continuity and Change in Iran's Pandemic Experience (12/09/2021)
Afkhami speaks at Oslo Metropolitan University's Center for Research on Pandemics and Society (PANOSC) in Norway on Continuity and Change in Iran’s Pandemic Experience (10/29/2021)
Afkhami gives the Psychiatry Grand Rounds presentation at MedStar Washington Hospital Center on "Lessons from Iran's Opiate Epidemic" (10/21/2021)
Afkhami interviewed by Voice Of America (VOA) Persian Service on the COVID19 Vaccine Shortage in Iran (8/10/2021)
Afkhami interviewed by BBC News on the COVID19 surge in Iran (8/8/2021)
Afkhami interviewed by BBC Persian Service's "60 Minutes" on the history and politics of COVID19 in Iran (8/1/2021)
Afkhami's chapter on "Coping With Addictive Opioid Markets" included in book on Global Mental Health Ethics " (2021)
Afkhami interviewed by the Associated Press: "Sanctions-battered Iran, weary of pandemic, faces worst wave" (4/22/2021)
Afkhami is invited by the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua to address the country's civil society, church, and medical leaders on psychosocial recovery from trauma and psychological first aid (4/19/2021)
Afkhami gives the Foundation For Iranian Studies (FIS) 2022 Nowruz Lecture entitled "Night of the Wolf: How Iran’s Innovative Vaccine
Defeated Rabies" (3/26/2021)
Afkhami gives the Grand Rounds presentation at University of Texas School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences on "Iran's Opiate Epidemic: Lessons for the West" (3/02/2021)
Afkhami interviewed by The Washington Post: Stuck between the pandemic and politics, some countries ban rivals’ vaccines (2/3/2021)
Afkhami interviewed by Asia Times on Why so many Iranians are taking their own lives (1/6/2021)
Afkhami speaks at the National Defense University's Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies on COVID19 in Iraq and Iran (12/9/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by The Washington Post: U.S. sanctions could impede Iran's access to coronavirus vaccines (12/7/2020)
"Teaching the Middle East & Latin America in the Time of COVID-19" Afkhami leads the last session of the Summer Institute for K12 teachers hosted by the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at New York University (8/5/2020)
The podcast Infectious Historians spoke with Amir Afkhami on Iran in the Age of Cholera (8/2/2020)
"Medicine, history, COVID-19, & Career" Afkhami interviewed by by the Persian Academic and Cultural Association at University of Southern California (7/27/2020)
"COVID-19: Strategies to Foster Resilience and Boost Mental Health During a Pandemic" (in French) Afkhami keynote speaker at event hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal and the U.S. Department of State's Speaker Program (7/14/2020)
Afkhami quoted in The Spectator: "Iran's second wave could come crashing down on the regime" (7/2/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by BBC News: "Coronavirus: Has a second wave of infections hit Iran?" (6/25/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by BBC Persian Service on the resurgence of COVID19 in Iran (6/24/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by Business Insider: "Iran's second wave of coronavirus infections is showing the rest of the world the 'triple threat' it needs to avoid" (6/11/2020)
The podcast Historical Perspectives on STEM spoke with Amir Afkhami on the history of outbreak and disease in Iran (6/10/2020)
Afkhami's work translated and featured in Iran's Andishih-yi Puya monthly magazine: "The Revolutionary Virus" (7/2/2020)
Afkhami's feature in The Washington Post: "Iran's strategy for fighting covid-19 could backfire" (5/27/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by The Washington Post: "Iran’s clerics have bungled their coronavirus response, stoking doubts about their rule" (4/16/2020)
A Modern Contagion included among "7 books medical experts say you should read to become an ultimate authority on pandemics" by Business Insider (5/11/2020)
A Modern Contagion included in a selection of five "Books for Understanding COVID-19" by The Johns Hopkins University Press
"Iran’s History of Responding to Pandemics," Afkhami in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (05/2020)
Afkhami in AL Arabiya: "Iran’s desire for legitimacy and trade led to missteps on coronavirus: Experts" (4/20/2020)
"Another Conversation with Amir Afkhami - COVID-19 Edition," Talk Iran podcast (04/18/2020)
"From COVID19 to Cholera: Repeating Patterns in Iranian Pandemic History" Afkhami speaks at Stanford University (4/16/2020)
"On the Front Lines: How Public Health Systems are Confronting the Covid19 Crisis in the Middle East" Afkhami speaks at the Middle East Institute (4/16/2020)
"Iran's Coronavirus Crisis: Implications for U.S. Policy" Afkhami speaks at the Policy Forum at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (4/13/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by The Washington Post: "As coronavirus cases explode in Iran, U.S. sanctions hinder its access to drugs and medical equipment" (3/29/2020)
"How cholera changed Iran," Afkhami interviewed by Assoo e-zine (persian) (3/29/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by Politico Magazine: "Coronavirus rattles America's national security priesthood" (3/28/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by the BBC Persian Service on this book A Modern Contagion, history of medicine, and the coronavirus outbreak in Iran (3/24/2020)
Afkhami quoted in Open Democracy : "Sectarianism will not defeat coronavirus" (3/24/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by The Globe Post: "In Iran, ‘Anemic’ Response and US Sanctions Worsen Virus Outbreak" (3/20/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by Belgium's De Standaard: "Iran liet pelgrims bidden en virussen verspreiden" (3/18/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by Brazil's Folha de São Paulo: "Terceiro em número de mortes, Irã enfrenta acusações de omissão frente ao coronavírus" (3/17/2020)
Afkhami quoted the The Economic Times: "'Virus at Iran's gates': How Tehran failed to halt the outbreak" (3/17/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by the Associated Press: "'Virus at Iran's gates': How Tehran failed to halt the outbreak" (3/17/2020)
"Politics and the Pandemic:" in an interview, Amir Afkhami explains what Covid-19 may mean for Iran, and the world for Diwan, a blog from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (3/16/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by Agence France-Presse (AFP): "US sees new pressure point as coronavirus hits Iran," via Yahoo! News (3/14/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by The Guardian: "Satellite images show Iran has built mass graves amid coronavirus outbreak" (3/12/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by tbs eFM's This Morning: Seoul, South Korea (3/08/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by the Dutch current affairs television program Nieuwsuur on the coronavirus outbreak in Iran (3/07/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC ) Radio on how Iran is coping with coronavirus and his book (3/07/2020)
Afkhami in the International Business Times: "Iran Coronavirus: 54,000 Prisoners Temporarily Go Free, Death And Infection Toll Spikes" (3/03/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by The New York Times on Iran’s Coronavirus Response (3/04/2020)
Afkhami's feature in Politico Magazine: Why Iran Is Such a Coronavirus Threat (3/3/2020)
Afkhami feature in Foreign Affairs Magazine: Pandemics Ravaged Iran Long Before the Coronavirus, But Instead of Learning From the Past, Tehran Is Stuck There (3/2/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by the Kayhan Life Podcast on the coronavirus outbreak in Iran (3/2/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by Politico Magazine on the Coronavirus inside Iran (2/26/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by the BBC Persian Service on the coronavirus outbreak in Iran (2/26/2020)
Afkhami interviewed by BBC Radio 4 on the coronavirus outbreak in Iran (2/26/2020)
Afkhami speaks at Yale University's Pierson College Master's Tea on his new book and his work in global mental health in Iraq and the Middle East (9/12/2019)
Afkhami delivers Grand Rounds presentation at Silver Hill Hospital on Iran’s Opiate Epidemic (9/11/2019) [pict. 1]
Afkhami interviewed by the Talk Iran Podcast about his book "A Modern Contagion," his multi-disciplinary career, and how his various areas of knowledge converge in his work (8/18/2019)
Afkhami interviewed by Medpage Today on the genetic and neurochemical basis of indoor tanning addiction (6/12/2019)
Afkhami interviewed about his new book by Kayhan Life:
"How Cholera Transformed Iran: Interview with Author Amir Afkhami" (5/17/2019)
Afkhami interviewed by Medpage Today on study that shows increases in the prevalence of, and overall spending for the outpatient treatment of depression (5/1/2019)
Afkhami interviewed by Medpage Today on rising rate of outpatient treatment for depression (4/24/2019)
Afkhami speaks about his book "A Modern Contagion" at Stanford University (4/11/2019)
Afkhami speaks about his new book "A Modern Contagion," current affairs, and imperialism with The Ripple Effect Podcast (2/8/2019)
Afkhami's feature in The Washington Post: Why the U.S. know the truth about the health of Iran's supreme leader (1/13/2019)
Afkhami interviewed for a BBC Persian Service documentary on the First World War (12/19/2018)
Afkhami interviewed by the BBC Persian Service on the 1918 influenza pandemic (12/10/2018)
"A Modern Contagion" in Politico Playbook (11/23/2018)
Afkhami speaks at the 2018 GHIG Symposium at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (11/8/2018) [pict. 1]
Afkhami interviewed by Iran's Nasim-e Bidari Magazine on "A Modern Contagion" (7/2018)
Afkhami speaks at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2018 Symposium on Global Health & Diplomacy (5/31/2018) [pict. 1, pict. 2]
Afkhami interviewed by Medpage Today on the mental health consequences of social isolation (3/27/2018)
Afkhami interviewed by The National on the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and its impact on the Middle East (2/10/2018)
Afkhami interviewed by NBC 4 on the history of St. Elizabeth's Psychiatric Hospital and psychiatric care in the U.S. today (5/1/2017)
Afkhami speaks on panel at Georgetown University on the mental health and wellness of refugees (3/30/2017) [pict. 1, pict. 2, pict 3]
Afkhami interviewed by Aljazeera America on sex, culture, and HIV in Iran (12/3/2013)
Afkhami interviewed by World Politics Review on Iran’s Evolving Approach to Drug Addiction (10/28/2014)
Afkhami profiled by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA): Meet Amir Afkhami: Former Policy Advisor to Senator Stabenow and Board-Certified Psychiatrist (10/24/2014)
Afkhami included in an article in The Atlantic Wire for his comments on an article about what hospitals have learned from natural disasters (10/28/2013)
Afkhami interviewed by CCTV America on mental healthcare in the U.S. (10/13/2013)
Afkhami's featured in Foreign Policy Magazine: The unlikely winner in the war on drugs? Iran (5/02/2013)
Afkhami's feature in Foreign Affairs Magazine: Narcotics Trade in Iran and Afghanistan (4/2/2013)
Afkhami interviewed by U.S. News & World Report on sex and the emotional aspects of B.D.S.M (8/12/2013)
Afkhami featured in Canada's Georgia Straight: Just who are the narcissists in the room? (10/17/2012)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on the psychological burden on family members of murderers (7/23/2012)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on awarding the Purple Heart Medal to U.S. troops with PTSD (6/29/2012)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on Mike Wallace's struggles with depression and suicide (4/09/2012)
Afkhami interviewed by the UK's Daily Mail on suicides in the U.S. Army (3/08/2012)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on rising suicides in the U.S. military (3/07/2012)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on antidepressant use in late term pregnancy (1/12/2012)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News/Good Morning America on the impact of the earthquake in Washington DC on his patients (8/24/2011)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on a deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Las Vegas (7/18/2011)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on a Legionnaires' disease outbreak at the Playboy Mansion (2/16/2011)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News 7 on research linking Social networking, loneliness and depression (2/3/2011)
Afkhami's feature in The New York Times: A Doctor in Iraq Watching a Faith Healer at Work (12/27/2010)
Afkhami's featured in DEVEX: USAID, ISAF Urged to Rethink Medical Policy for Afghanistan Contractors (8/03/2010)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on the impact of stress on chronic diseases (3/02/2010)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on PTSD in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti (1/10/2010)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on the motives of the Fort Hood Shooter (11/06/2009)
Afkhami interviewed by The British Medical Journal on controversial AIDS awareness campaign in Germany (09/15/2009)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on HIV public health campaign in Germany (09/08/2009)
Afkhami interviewed by ABC News on the swine flu vaccine shortage (8/17/2009)
Afkhami interviewed by the Associated Press (AP) on the 1918 influenza pandemic (4/29/2009)
Afkhami's recommendations to minimize violence featured in The Washington Post: Minimizing the Risk of Violence (7/22/2008)
Afkhami interviewed by The Washington Post: Violence is Common Among the Young (7/22/2008)
Afkhami interviewed by The American Psychiatric Association (APA)'s Psychiatric News on his work in Iraq: Psychiatry in Iraq on Long, Slow Road to Recovery (6/20/2008)
Afkhami interviewed by The Washington Post: Explaining Away Mental Illness (9/4/2007)
