We take pride in the contributions of our scholars, who represent a diverse range of disciplines and research interests within nephrology and internal medicine. Our current postdoctoral scholars are:
Niloufar Ebrahimi, MD:
She obtained her medical degree from Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ebrahimi served as an urgent care physician in her home province, Guilan, which caught the attention of FOX 5 News San Diego, where she shared her experiences live on the morning news. Her commitment to advancing medical knowledge led her to California from Toronto, Canada, in 2023, where she joined our program. Her primary research focus is on glomerular diseases and polycystic kidney disease (PKD). In addition to her clinical research in PKD, she is involved in advocacy and fundraising efforts to raise awareness and support for individuals affected by the disease. Dr. Ebrahimi is an award winner of the GlomCon Physician Scientist (GPS) Scholarship in 2024 and was selected for the ASN Kidney STARS program in 2024 and 2025. Outside her professional activities, she enjoys cooking, playing tennis, reading psychological novels, and fiction.
Mahtab Mashayekhi, MD:
She obtained her medical degree from Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Iran. She has previously practiced as a General Physician and also served as the Medical Director of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department. Additionally, she has teaching experience as a Lecturer at Azad University. Her passion for research led her to contribute as a Volunteer Researcher for 4 years. She joined our program in 2024. Her research interests include cardiorenal syndrome, heart-kidney interactions, and nephron-immunology. In her leisure time, she enjoys spending time with friends and watching movies.
Amir Tahavvori, MD:
He obtained his medical degree from Tabriz Azad University, Iran, and completed his Internal Medicine residency at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Iran. In addition to his clinical training, Dr. Tahavvori has prior teaching experience at Urmia Azad University, where he was involved in medical education and academic activities. Dr. Tahavvori’s research interests center on kidney diseases, translational research in cardiorenal and metabolic disorders, and biomarker- and transcriptomics-based studies in nephrology. He previously pursued translational research at Northwell Health and The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York, where he worked on projects in mitochondrial function, translational medicine, and metabolic disease. Dr. Tahavvori is passionate about integrating clinical medicine and research to improve patient outcomes and advance translational nephrology. He values mentorship, scientific collaboration, and evidence-based medicine. Outside of his professional activities, he enjoys reading, staying physically active, and lifelong learning.