Louis M. Najarian, MD received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island and his Medical Doctor degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine, where received the Frances Grogan Award for Outstanding Achievement in the study of Psychiatry in his class. He was a medical intern at Barnes Hospital- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Mo.
General psychiatric training and child/adolescent psychiatric fellowship was completed at Downstate Medical Center-Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. After training, he joined the US Navy, commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander, and served at the Boston Naval Hospital, Chelsea MA where he treated the first Prisoners of War released from Vietnam.
Dr. Najarian is currently Clinical Professor Psychiatry at the Zucker School of Medicine, on Long Island, where he teaches first- and second-year medical students and supervises child psychiatry fellows in their clinical work treating children.
His work in Armenia began in March and May 1989 after the devastating 1988 earthquake to provide crises intervention to children and their families in Gyumri and Spitak. From 1990 to 1991, he took a sabbatical from his academic work with support from a USAID Training Grant, and lived for one year in Gyumri in a cluster of domigs with a family of 7 to provide service and training to local clinicians using American standards of crises intervention.
Dr. Najarian supervised the construction of clinic buildings in Gyumri and Spitak to provide proper care to patients and training to clinicians. He made weekly visits to Spitak for service and training in the epicenter of the earthquake.
During this period of training and service, he participated with the team to conduct clinical research on trauma, depression, and resilience. Dr. Najarian is author of more than 15 peer reviewed articles with seminal contributions to trauma related disturbances.
He coauthored a chapter on Relocation in a book, Lessons Learned from the 1988 Spitak Earthquake. He has presented his research at academic centers throughout the US, Europe, and Armenia. In October 2025, he presented his research on a 25-year follow-up on adults traumatized in childhood at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Chicago.
The American Psychiatric Association has presented him the Bruno Lima Award for Contributions to Disaster Psychiatry in May 1999, and the Irma Bland Certificate of Excellence in Training Residents in May 2008. His most memorable recognition is the Mkhitr Heratsi Gold Medal from Yerevan State Medical University for contributions to the field of education, science, and medicine, presented by Rector Gohar Kyalyan when he was a Fulbright Scholar teaching at the medical school in Yerevan. During his Fulbright Fellowship he also taught the first course in clinical psychology at American University of Armenia.
Louis is married to Elenne, his wife, of 58 years. They have three sons, Haig, married to Taline with daughters Tamar and Adrine, Berj, married to Regina who passed away from an illness, with sons Sebu and Avedis, and Aram, married to Meg with children Charles, Ani, Andrew, and James. He enjoys his 8 grandchildren with whom he sails in the summer and skis in the winter.
Gregory Simonian, MD was born and raised in Tenafly, NJ, Dr. Gregory Simonian is a distinguished medical professional who completed his medical education, surgical residency, and vascular surgery fellowship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
He further honed his skills in minimally invasive vascular interventions at UMDNJ. Dr. Simonian’s academic excellence is marked by his membership in both the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, and he is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Richmond, VA.
Dr. Simonian is Director of the Cardiovascular Center of Excellence at Hackensack University Medical Center, as well as Medical Director Heart & Vascular Center, Dean of Admissions, and Co-Founder of Bergen Vascular Institute.
Dr. Simonian has also served as Executive Vice Chairman and Chief of Operations at the Heart and Vascular Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center and President of the Medical Staff, Chairman of the Medical Executive Committee, Chief of Endovascular Studies, and Chief of Vascular Surgery at multiple institutions, including Palisades Medical Center and Mountainside Hospital. His leadership extends to the academic sector, having been appointed Dean of Admissions for Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
Renowned for his pioneering work in vascular surgery, Dr. Simonian developed the Division of Endovascular Studies at HUMC, transforming it into a leading regional service with a focus on minimally invasive treatments for complex vascular diseases.
His clinical focus includes complex aortic aneurysms, carotid artery, and peripheral vascular disease therapies. Dr. Simonian has been consistently recognized for his excellence in vascular surgery, earning accolades from New Jersey Monthly and Castle Connolly for multiple years.
Dr. Simonian is actively involved in medical research, contributing to over 15 clinical trials and numerous publications that span from molecular gene expression to multidisciplinary program development in vascular disease treatment.
He has also established a comprehensive educational program for nurses and technologists, attracting attendees from across the country. His dedication to education is further evidenced by his roles in teaching residents and fellows, for which he has received numerous teaching awards.
A leader beyond the hospital, Dr. Simonian serves on the Board of Trustees of the QualCare Multiple Employer Welfare Association and has held the presidency of the 1,600-member Medical Staff at HUMC. He is also a trusted medical advisor to several major medical corporations and the Chairman of the Board for the Hovnanian School in New Milford, NJ.
Dr. Simonian is married to Dr. Carla Simonian, a respected OB/GYN at HUMC. Together, they share a commitment to advancing health and wellness, with Dr. Carla Simonian actively involved in women’s health programs and media outreach.
Dr. Gevorg Yaghjyan, MD, PhD is an internationally trained physician–scientist, plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and medical education innovator with a distinguished career spanning academic medicine, humanitarian healthcare, and the global clinical research industry. His professional work bridges clinical practice, medical education reform, and clinical operations leadership, with a strong emphasis on capacity building, quality standards, and international collaboration.
Born and educated in Yerevan, Armenia, Dr. Yaghjyan earned his MD and PhD degrees from Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU). He played a key role in establishing the country’s first officially recognized plastic surgery specialty training program. Through his academic and clinical leadership, he has trained generations of surgeons now practicing both in Armenia and internationally. In recognition of his academic excellence and dedication to education, he was awarded YSMU’s Gold Medal for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Yaghjyan has held senior academic leadership positions at YSMU, including Vice Dean for Postgraduate and Continuing Medical Education. In this role, he led comprehensive curriculum modernization initiatives and expanded international academic partnerships.
He has been deeply involved in the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) Medical Program and was among the initiators of Armenia’s Continuing Medical Education (CME) program for regional hospitals, launched in 2003 and later extended to physicians in Artsakh in 2010 in collaboration with the Armenian American Health Professionals Organization (AAHPO).
A two-time Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Yaghjyan has been a pioneer of telemedicine in Armenia. From 208 to 2016, he oversaw the Hye Bridge Telemedicine Program, which connected regional hospitals with subspecialty expertise through initiatives supported by the Armenian Fund and AAHPO.
From 2011 to 2015, Dr. Yaghjyan served as Director of Medical Programs at the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia and as the Founding Director of the Isotope Production Center. In these roles, he led a multimillion-dollar national initiative that enabled Armenia’s first domestic production of F-18 isotopes and the introduction of PET imaging for oncology care.
More recently, Dr. Yaghjyan has been engaged in the drug development ecosystem, contributing to global clinical trials across Clinical Operations and Project Leadership. His current interests center on clinical development strategy, medical affairs, investigator readiness, and the delivery of GCP-compliant clinical trials in rare diseases, with a particular focus on gene and cell therapy programs.
In 2018, Dr. Yaghjyan co-founded the International Center of Professional Development (ICPD), one of Armenia’s leading organizations dedicated to high-level medical conferences and continuing professional education.
He serves on multiple professional boards, including the Armenian Medical Association, FAR FAA, and ICPD. and Medical Congress Foundation.
