Honorees: Dr Levon Nazarian

Levon Nazar Nazarian was born in Englewood, New Jersey on August 15, 1961. He grew up in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, receiving his elementary education at Englewood Cliffs Public Schools. He went to Horace Mann High School in Riverdale, NY, and then Harvard College, graduating magna cum laude in 1982 with an A.B. degree in Biology. He then attended Cornell University Medical College in New York City, graduating in 1986 as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. After an internship year in internal medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, he completed his residency in diagnostic radiology at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, and became Board Certified in 1991 by the American Board of Radiology.

Following a fellowship in body ultrasound, CT and MR imaging at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia where he won the The Homer Mitchell Branch, Jr., M.D. Fellowship Award, he joined the faculty at Jefferson in 1992 first as an Assistant Professor, then quickly rising through the ranks to become Professor of Radiology in 2002. In 2004 he was named Vice Chairman for Education, and is currently Radiology Residency Program Director. Dr. Nazarian has been a very active researcher, and has obtained a number of grants.

He has authored or co-authored 69 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 84 abstracts. His initial research centered on melanoma imaging and treatment. Subsequently, his career has focused on the use of ultrasound to diagnose and treat athletic injuries, particularly of the repetitive-use type, such as tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, and plantar fasciitis. This pioneering work has attracted considerable attention on national television and radio, in newspapers, magazines and Readers Digest Medical Breakthroughs of 2004, as well as by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Reuters news agency. Dr. Nazarian was recently featured in the cover story of the April 2009 issue of Imaging Economics magazine.

Dr. Nazarian has lectured extensively, and has given presentations at 150 scientific meetings worldwide. Dr. Nazarian is also involved extensively with editorial work. In 1999 he received the Melvin M. Figley Fellowship in Radiology Journalism from the American Roentgen Ray Society, He has served on the editorial board of numerous journals in his specialty including Radiology and American Journal of Roentgenology, and was recently named Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, a position he will take over in January 2011.

In conjunction with his work at Thomas Jefferson University, Dr. Nazarian has been deeply involved with helping to make tremendous advances in the use of ultrasound diagnosis in Armenia, the introduction of advanced equipment there, and the training of doctors to properly diagnose patients and use this new technology.  Beginning in early 1995 and working in conjunction with the Jefferson Ultrasound Research and Education Institute (JUREI) and the AGBU, Dr. Nazarian began the work that would result in the Ultrasound Training Center of Armenia, which opened in May of 2000 as part of the Yerevan State Medical University. He supervised training of doctors from Armenia at the JUREI in Philadelphia. He traveled to Armenia twice in order to establish the Ultrasound Center and oversee its training programs. The Ultrasound Center of Armenia in Yerevan, which was established with the help of Dr. Nazarian’s father, Nazar Nazarian, has evolved into a full-fledged diagnostic facility catering to the medical needs of the Armenian population. It is also open to doctors and medical students from Armenia and abroad. In 2007 Dr. Nazarian joined the AGBU board of directors, following in his father’s footsteps.

Dr. Nazarian has been the recipient of numerous awards. On a trip to Armenia in October 2004, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Medicine degree from Yerevan State Medical University and the Gold Medal of the University in recognition of the work he has done in establishing the Ultrasound Training Center of Armenia. He is a fellow of the American College of Radiology, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, and the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound. He is Chair of the American Board of Radiology written examination in ultrasound, and is also an oral board examiner for the ABR. He is listed in the 2007-2008 Edition of the “Best Doctors in America”. In 2006 he received the Dean’s Citation for Significant Contributions to the Advancement of Education at Jefferson Medical College, and in 1994 the Jefferson Radiology Residents presented him with the A. Edward O’Hara Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Dr. Nazarian married Claudia Joyce Pridjian on June 27, 1987. They have three teenage children, Matthew, Daniela and Gregory, and live in Cherry Hill, NJ. Claudia is the daughter of Ara and the late Anahid Pridjian. After obtaining her B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1982, Claudia received her M.B.A in 1984 from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University.