Australian Delegation Visit to Tehran University of Medical Sciences With the Purpose of Developing International Academic Collaborations

Mr. Gerard Seeber, the Austrade Representative for operations across the Middle East and North Africa, Dr. Samia Elfekih, the research scientist of CSIRO, And Jaffa McKenzie Senior Market Development Advisor of the Victorian Government paid a site visit to different parts of Tehran University of Medical Sciences as their mission to develop international academic collaborations between the Australian Government, Universities and Research Centers and their counter parts in Iran.

On their visit, the delegation first visited the Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute. In this meeting Dr. Azadeh Ebrahim Habibi, the Liaison for International affairs, Dr. Neda Mehrdad and Dr. Mohammad Reza Mohajer Tehrani the Vice-deans for Research of the Research Institute welcomed the delegation. Dr. Ebrahim Habibi provided the delegation with a comprehensive introduction of the institute and following this, Dr. Mehrdad proposed that the Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute is eager to collaborate with Australian research centers and conduct joint research projects.

Following this meeting, the delegation paid a visit to Cancer Research Center of Imam Khomeini Hospital. The Meeting was held with the presence of Dr. Kazem Zendehdel Deputy of Research for the Cancer Research Cenetr, Dr. Saeid Amanpour Deputy of Research for Cancer model Research Center and Dr. Reza Shirkoohi, Associate Professor of Genetics at the Cancer Research Center.

Dr. Zendehdel provided the delegation with information about, the prevalent types of cancer in Iran along with the estimated rate of cancer in Iran and other parts of the world in the next decade and finally introduced stomach cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in Iran. Dr. Zendehdel explained that the Cancer Research Center has had collaborations with different research centers in Canada, Germany, USA and Italy and that the Center is willing to have joint courses or workshops on Genetic Cancering with its Australian Counterparts.

In the last part of the visit, the delegation met Dr. Haj Ghasemmi, the Executive Manager of the Tehran Heart Center. After the introduction of Tehran Heart Center, Dr. Haj Ghassemi and Dr. Elfekih discussed the mutual grounds for Collaboration. Dr. Haj Ghasemmi emphasized that the basis of most of the cardiovascular diseases is people’s daily diet and proposed that the translation of Australian Dietary Guidelines in Persian would be the initiative of collaboration between Iran and Australia. 

Reported By: M. Davoodifar