We gathered together at Ghamsar (near Kashan) where the fragrance of rose water had filled the crisp early morning air and found the friendliest people ever! The reception at the medical school with the president and the faculty of Kashan Medical School was well organized; they were ready with open arms. The next three days were one unforgettable event after the other. We met with the university and private physicians in conference rooms, hospital wards, operating rooms, and clinics. In between, we were showered with kindness and an incredible amount of delicious food, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and more! In the evenings, the faculty and administrators took us to visit many points of interest including the historic Abyaneh. The days were full of activities, academic, educational, and social. I found the students, Residents, and faculty well-read and well-informed beyond my expectation and thirsty for new knowledge and information. Their appreciation for what we had to offer kept us going 18 hours a day. We had a wonderful evening at Doctor and Mrs. Farivar’s historic house next to Bagh-e- Fin, and met their distinguished guest Shahram Nazeri.

There was a great demand for collaborative research and I have received proposals since returning to the United States. The medical schools have access to a large number of patients and prospective evidence-based research is being heavily encouraged by the University administration.

We visited the medical schools in Zahedan and in Kermanshah three days each and we had the same warm reception and productive interactions in all three.

I found care of obstetrics well advanced and evidence based at the universities I visited. My esteemed colleagues from England and the United States had the same experience in their respective fields.

Altogether, the two-week scientific trip was extremely satisfying and, in many regards, pleasantly surprising. Iranian hospitality is well known, but people we met went beyond our expectations. Iranian professionals are known to be overachievers at home and abroad, but enthusiasm and dedication was beyond my expectation. I saw a more advanced country and peoples than what I had seen before. We were met with friendliness and cordiality at the universities and on the streets.

We had selected smaller universities and we had a relatively small entourage. I like to suggest that in the future, we go back to the universities outside the large metropolis and go with a larger faculty to cover the many educational and academic functions demanded by the faculty and House Staff. I suggest that we pre-arrange research meetings with interested faculty to formally explore and seal collaborative research projects.

NIKI is a great opportunity for the altruists who like to serve the caregivers who will serve the masses in a progressing society.

Masoud Taslimi, MD

Clinical Professor

Stanford University