Parviz Ghadirian, Ph.D.

Director, Epidemiology Research Unit, CHUM -- Hôtel-Dieu Professor, Faculty of Medicine (Nutrition), University of Montreal Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Medicine (Oncology), McGill University

Dr. Ghadirian's scientific career began early. In 1969, after receiving his B. Sc. in Food and Nutrition Sciences from the School of Food Sciences in Iran, he was appointed Director of the Caspian Littorial Cancer Registry and Nutritionist of the Epidemiology Team for Esophageal Cancer Studies in Northern Iran. These research activiities were collaborative projects of the international Agency for Reseach on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Institute of Public Health Research (IPHR) of Tehran University.

In 1972, Dr. Ghadirian joined the staff of the Eppley Cancer Research Institute in Omaha as a nutritionist. During his four years in the United States, he received his M. Sc. in Medical Science (Human Nutrition) from the University of Nebraska, at Omaha. In 1976, he returned to Iran and was appointed Head of the Babol Medical Research Station and Director of Esophageal Cancer Field Studies, including the Caspian Cancer Registry.

Dr. Ghadirian redirected his career in 1978 and was accepted as a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Cancer Research, Division of Epidemiology of London University (U.K.), with a fellowship from the WHO. He received his Ph.D. in Cancer Epidemiology in 1982.

Dr. Ghadirian is currently Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nutrition, University of Montreal, and Director of the Epidemiology Research Unit of the Research Centre and the CHUM Hôtel-Dieu. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Oncology at McGill University, as well as Associate Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Nutrition Changes and Development at the University of Montreal.

He has served as, and is an active consultant to, the IARC of the WHO in Lyon, France, as well as its regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Alexandria, Egypt. He has published more than 304 scientific articles, chapters, reports and books along with 237 scientific presentation regarding his research activities and more than 1200 articles and column in different journals for the lay public in French, English, and mostly Persian. Since 1989, he is the host of, and is responsible for, an Iranian international television program on nutrition and health.

Dr. Ghadirian has dedicated a large portion of his life to promoting people's health and wellbeing, particularly of the Iranian community through conferences, television, radio, and the print media (journals and newspapers).