Introduction

This Memoir entitled The Long and Tumultuous Journey of My Life consists of 183 pages with 112 interior pictures, most of immediate family pictures. It contains 10 chapters.

Chapter One

Portrays the first 24 years of author's personal and professional life. It illustrates the difficulty of author's life living in desolated area because of his father military assignments. It shows author's anxiety about the Second World War and occupation of his beloved country by foreign troops. It also gives information about his personal life, his immediate family, Persian traditions and customs and his father being prisoner of war. It demonstrates his feeling toward living in different localities with different cultures and environments. It also describes his elementary, high school and medical schools and how he endured numerous examinations and hardships.

Chapter Two

Deals with his postgraduate study and training in different hospitals and difficulty to get familiar with American culture and society. How he finished Internship, Pediatric Residency and Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology, during latter of which, he met his future wife. He went through several examinations to be American Board Certified in the field of Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology by passing written part of Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology examination and to an academic career.

Chapter Three

Contains author's marriage and having three beautiful children. He obtained academic medical career and was promoted to associate professor. This was one of best parts of author's personal and professional life in watching his children grow and succeed in his job.

Chapter Four

Portrays author's sabbatical leave from the University and being quite successful in training, and passing the oral portion of American Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology to become Board Certified in American Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology. Academically, author published four scientific papers in prestigious medical journals during one year. This academic achievement caused some difficulty in his work due to the jealousy and inferiority complex of his colleagues.

Chapter Five

Explains happy and successful life at the beginning of his highest career but it caused author's adverse health problems and nervous breakdown. This part of author's life dealt with hard work in administration, teaching medical students, training pediatric residents, patient care and conducting research as being Full Professor and Chairman of the Department. He was also a Visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and established an exchange program for faculties and residents between our department and the department of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania. This period was another productive life academically by publishing numerous scientific publications and expansion of the department in every direction but to encounter budgetary problems and nepotism by University administration.

Chapter Six

Describes author's difficulty working in prejudiced, hostile and notorious medical community and facing a great deal of jealousy and dishonesty in his profession. At least he and his family were well accepted in the community. This period was accompanied by great achievements of his children academically and athletically. They brought a slew of trophies and awards and straight A's. Author witnessed tremendous success in his children. This period also coincided with a lot of travel abroad and quite a few medical presentations locally, nationally and internationally. This chapter has been divided into Section A and B, which represent two different eras of author's personal and professional life.

Chapter Seven

Was the best part of my life personally and professionally. I had the best productivity academically and financially. I was treated as a celebrity and being popular, and liked by my patients and colleagues. There was a big demand for my work not in the...