Amir John Mohsen Khazei, M.D. died peacefully May 6, 2014 at his home in Bedford, NH with family and his dog, Roxie, by his side. Amir was born in Tehran, Iran on July 21, 1928. The son of Abolghasam Khan Khazei and Esmatt-Al-Malouk Khaligh-Azam, Amir attended college and medical school at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, graduating in 1957. A natural healer and gifted surgeon, Amir would dedicate his life to medicine, his patients and the cause of fighting cancer.
Inspired by America’s freedom and ideals, he applied for Residency at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. There he met the love of his life, Carmeline Picardi, a nurse anesthetist, and began a career of holding leadership positions by serving as chief surgical resident. Amir and Carmeline were married in 1959. Their son Alan and daughter Darla were later born in Pittsburgh.
Dr. Khazei dreamed of helping to cure cancer, and the Khazei’s moved to Boston, where Amir obtained a fellowship at Lahey Clinic in Vascular Surgery and Oncology while Carmeline supported the family as a nurse anesthetist. He was appointed Associate Director of Surgical Research at Lahey where he performed groundbreaking cancer research, publishing more than 35 papers. He created the surgical technique of Protracted Arterial Infusion Cancer Chemotherapy, used to treat localized but inoperable cancers. To the amazement of his peers, Dr. Khazei performed the first successful pancreatic transplant in dogs.
While in Boston, daughter Mia was born followed by son Lance. With four children to support, Amir moved on from his research career at Lahey to Bedford, NH, where he served as Chief of Surgery at the Veterans Administration Hospital. He was recruited to serve as Chief of Surgery at Roger Williams Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, before entering into private practice in NH at Catholic Medical Center (CMC) where he served for more than thirty years until his retirement.
With origins in an “old world” country with a great and long history, Dr. Khazei practiced medicine in a traditional way. He was devoted to his patients, making rounds at the hospital seven days a week. He never refused a single patient for lack of insurance or the ability to pay often providing pro bono surgery and care. His priority was to heal people. Dr. Khazei was also known for his empathetic bedside manner and the kindness he expressed towards others. He worked tirelessly serving more than 20,000 patients. For his most difficult cases, he turned to his wife, Carmeline, a gifted nurse anesthetist, for advice and encouragement. An old school gentleman with a tremendous wit, Dr. Khazei often wore a suit and tie in public and always at the hospital.
As an immigrant to America, and naturalized citizen, Amir Khazei, was fiercely patriotic. He loved his adopted country deeply and would often say: “America is the greatest country in the world because of its ideals and because it welcomes the world. You can be anything you want in America as long as you are honest, get a good education and work hard.”
Wanting to give back to his country, Dr. Khazei held numerous volunteer leadership positions throughout his medical career. At Catholic Medical Center, Dr. Khazei served as President of the Medical Staff, Chief of Surgery and on the Board of Trustees. It was his idea to establish the cardiac care facility at CMC, inspired by his brother, Dr. A. Hassan Khazei, a gifted cardiac surgeon. And when many wanted to merge CMC with Elliot Hospital, Dr. Khazei, a strong believer in the value of competition for patients, helped lead a lonely and initially unpopular, but ultimately successful fight, to stop that merger.
Dr. Khazei served as President of the Hillsborough County Medical Society and as a Director of the NH Foundation for Medical Care and was elected President of the NH Cancer Society and President of the NH Medical Society. He was also elected as national delegate to and served on the Board of the American Cancer Society.
His children commented: “Dad was a great man because he was a profoundly good man. His devotion to people and life itself before other considerations generated an enormous positive impact on thousands of lives. He will be greatly missed, but we will also take his spirit, and the example he set, with us.”
Amir is survived by four children, Alan Khazei and his wife, Vanessa Kirsch, of Brookline, MA, Darla Khazei of New York, NY, Mia Khazei of Bedford, NH, and Lance Khazei of Venice, CA; two grandchildren, Mirabelle Khazei and Reece Khazei; and several nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at St. Elizabeth Seton Church, 190 Meetinghouse Rd., Bedford, NH.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Amir Khazei's memory can be made to City Year, www.cityyear.org, 287 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA 02116 or to the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire, located at 545 Route 101 in Bedford, NH. www.rescueleague.org.
Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, Manchester assisted the family with arrangements.