Dr. Hossein Etemad-Rezai

Passed away peacefully, on Saturday, April 3, 2021, at University Hospital in London, Ontario, surrounded by his children, Roya, Ramin, and Amin. They were able to spend quality time together on his last days due to the incredible efforts of countless people to lift pandemic restrictions and bring the family together one last time. Hossein was born on May 22, 1935, in Mashhad, Iran, as the eldest of eight children to Mehdi Etemad-Rezai and Nosrat Farrashbashi. He was the first member of his family to study medicine at Mashhad University in Iran. He then moved to Paris, France, to pursue a postgraduate residency program in Internal Medicine subspecializing in Gastroenterology at the University of Paris. That’s where he married the love of his life, Dr. Tahereh Sazegari, and where his eldest daughter Roya was born. They returned to Iran after graduation in 1966 and he began his long illustrious career as an academic clinician-scientist at Mashhad University. Hossein was one of the founding members and the chief of the Department of Gastroenterology and a distinguished member of the medical school faculty. He was a beloved mentor and a highly respected role model to countless students who went on to become successful and valuable members of the medical community in Iran. He was a kind and gentle soul that treated everyone with respect; a man of few words, dignified and courageous in the face of adversity. Hossein was honest, generous, mild-mannered, and the glue that kept his large extended family together. He was a skilled clinician and his patients truly believed in his wisdom and his healing powers. He loved the beauty of nature and went for frequent daily walks in the park while sipping a cup of French Vanilla and reminiscing about the good old days with his family. Hossein was a loving babaee to his four grandchildren, Shereen, Shawn, Ava, and Lily; and his furry grandchildren, Hanni, Juno, and Kobe. He is survived by his three children, Dr. Roya Etemad-Rezai, Dr. Ramin Etemad-Rezai (Shahzia Abbas Etemad), and Amin Etemad-Rezai (Elham Agah). He is predeceased by his loving wife, Dr. Tahereh Sazegari; his parents, and his two sisters, Nayer and Tahereh. He was proud of his family and their accomplishments and took immense pleasure in their achievements. He will be missed by his family who adored him and countless friends, colleagues, and previous students who came to know him as the best of humanity and what is good in this world. They don’t make them like him anymore. May he rest in eternal peace.