The Johns Hopkins 2024 Speech

Ladies and Gentleman

Eight Centuries ago, the Persian Poet Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmi offered us this advice:

“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames"

The curse of glioblastoma continues to devastate patients and families. For many years, I have burned with the desire to find its cure.

We honor Dr. Jon Weingart and wish him luck in his new position, and for joining us in fanning that flame.

A long journey has led me to you today. It began with a boy of ten in the Holy City of Mashad, Iran who inherited his sense of community from broad-minded parents who respected people of many faiths.

My boyhood dedication to medicine began with a local and very well-liked security officer who sustained a head injury in the line of duty that led to an epidural hematoma. It was tragic. No neurosurgeon was there to save his life. I decided to become a Neurosurgeon.

Luck has followed me all my life.

From my coming to the United States in 1958 and in my early years of service at New York’s Harlem Hospital, New Jersey’s Barnet Memorial Hospital and at Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital in Brooklyn.

I also had the chance to meet the internationally respected  Dr. Abraham Rabiner Chair of neurology who introduced me to Drs. Jefferson Browder and Al Cook, Chairmen of Neurosurgery at Downstate Medical School, Kings County Hospital.

As Chief of Neurosurgery at Brooklyn Medical Center, it became clear that we still had little to offer GBM patients and their families beyond palliative care. I felt their emotional burden, and carried my personal sadness for them. I shared professional frustration and a sense of hopelessness with many colleagues and staff.

It was at about that time that Georgie and I created the Khatib Foundation, and met Dr. Andrew Parsa, who would become the first recipient of the Reza and Georgianna Chair at the University of San Francisco.

Dr. Parza’s intelligence and tireless devotion to research were inspirational. He established a successful laboratory in glioma immunotherapy. He moved on to many further successes as role model, teacher, clinician and researcher. He became Chairman of Neurosurgery at Northwestern University in Chicago until his untimely death at the age of 48.

In the year’s that followed my beloved wife Georgianna and I, continued to build our philanthropic “nest egg". I also was grateful when Catholic Medical Center asked me to establish a neurosurgical service for over 1,000 beds in Brooklyn and Queens. I did so, working with Associates John Miller, Richard Johnson and Fred Nobandegani.

In addition to focusing on fighting GBM, Georgianna and I developed other projects of value on both sides of the Atlantic. With the help of a prominent lawyer,  Richard Newcomb, We created the Mashad First Hospice in Iran and a Clinic for the Indigent,

And we provided many years of endowment to St, Joseph’s College and a contract in perpetuity to the University of Mary Washington for comparative study of religions.

I am lucky to still be here with you and able to welcome as my most recent and likely final endowed chairperson Dr. Jon Weingart as he continues his brilliant career and advances our crusade against GBM and other forms of brain cancer. In perpetuity.

My thanks for the leadership and friendship of Dr. Henry Brem, the projects leadership of Dr. Stanton Gerson, and the work of  Dr. Mohammad Mohammedi and Dr Justin Lathia, Khatib chairs.

Thanks to two of my countrymen. Sina Ahmadi and Shahab Sehabi as Khatib’s fellow, at Johns Hopkins and Case western.

In closing, my very personal thanks:

To my personal physicians, Dr. Don Noble, and Dr. Paul Casanova

To my great niece Negaar Minaei and my grand nephew, Morteza Khatib for their past cooperation and valued support

To my good friends and wonderful Bridge partners, Mr. Don Williams and Mr. Al Peters for years of enjoyable play.

To Mahdi Zarif , my grand nephew, and his family, who have assisted my life in so many ways.

And, of course, to Georgianna, who made me strong and always shared my heart.

Dr. Reza Khatib

Dr. Khatib’s speech was delivered in February of 2024 at Johns Hopkins University as the final Khatib Foundation endowed professorship was dedicated.