Pejman Azarmina

Pejman Azarmina (Persian: پژمان آذرمینا, born in 1973) is an Iranian-American entrepreneur, author, speaker and thinkocrat. In parallel to being an Adjunct Professor at Zicklin School of Business and a Senior Medical Director at Pfizer Headquarters in New York, Azarmina founded an enterprise named Thinkocrats with a mission to develop the next generation of holistic leaders and systems thinkers.
Azarmina published Common Medical Terms, an evidence-based medical dictionary in 1995 as a student project leading a team of seven editors and 22 term-finders, which was recognized as the best student book in 1997. In 2001, he authored six bestselling titles named “My Doctor” describing medical topics in plain language for the public. In recent years, he has been working on a book project called the “Thinking Hour” that aims to promote systems thinking in the context of key decisions in life.
Azarmina is also a concert musician and santour instructor. He has released 5 music albums, published two sheet music and wrote three chapters of Love Dynasty, a multimedia encyclopedia for Persian Music. His first solo album, Old Persian Dances was released in 1996 and contained novel rearrangements of old dance forms from the original repertoire for Persian music. His next album, Shabdiz, contained a collection of his compositions for solo and two santours. Azarmina’s recent albums, Persian Nostalgia and Rebellious Solitude, were released in the US and contain fine renderings of some Persian music masterpieces and advanced repertoire for the santour.
Azarmina has also been involved in philanthropic activities by being the Vice Chair of Leadership and Professional Development Forum at Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) NexGen NY and by developing and offering several leadership and professional development programs for young and talented Iranian-Americans in the tri-state area.

Early Life and Education

Azarmina was born in Tehran, Iran; started studying the santour at age 11 with Master Faramarz Payvar (1933‒2009) and graduated from his private class after completing the ‘Advanced Repertoire for the Santour’ (Persian: ردیف چپ کوک) in 1994. His other music teachers include Hossein Dehlavi (music theory, harmony and songwriting) and Ahmad Pejman (composition and counterpoint).

Azarmina’s style of performance is perhaps one of the closest to that of late Master Payvar, yet his interpretation of Persian music is very lean, expressive, and contemporary.

Azarmina studied medicine at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (1992‒1999), completed a master's degree in Healthcare Management at University of Surrey (2003‒2005) and obtained a graduate certificate in Medical Informatics from Oregon Health & Science University (2007) and a certificate in coaching from New York University (2011).

Discography

• 1994 Dialogue (Persian: گفتگو) [a collaborative album featuring all duets composed by Faramarz Payvar]
• 1996 Old Persian Dances (Persian: رنگهای هفت دستگاه), ASIN B002I51ARW
• 2000 Shabdiz (Persian: شبدیز)
• 2011 Rebellious Solitude UPC 884501559584, ASIN B005E8KXI2
• 2011 Persian Nostalgia UPC 884501559577, ASIN B005E8KUPI
• 2011 Shabdiz [remastered] UPC 885767798878, ASIN B005F9VP5U

Books

• 1996 Common Medical Terms
• 2000 Old Persian Dances (Persian: رنگهای هفت دستگاه) ISBN 964-6409-42-3
• 2000 Shabdiz ISBN 964-5664-22-5
• 2000 Basic Epidemiology ISBN 964-456-675-0
• 2001 My Doctor (nervous system diseases) ISBN 964-456-555-X
• 2001 My Doctor (blood diseases and cancer) ISBN 964-456-554-1
• 2001 My Doctor (kidney diseases) ISBN 964-456-553-3
• 2001 My Doctor (heart diseases) ISBN 964-456-575-4
• 2001 My Doctor (joint and autoimmune diseases) ISBN 964-456-552-5
• 2001 My Doctor (infectious diseases) ISBN 964-456-556-8

Selected Scientific Papers

• Azarmina P, Prestwich G, Rosenquist J, Singh D. Transferring disease management and health promotion programs to other countries: critical success factors. Health Promot Int. 2008 Dec;23(4):372-9. Epub 2008 Sep 22. PMID 18812326
• Azarmina P, Lewis J. Patient satisfaction with a nurse-led, telephone-based disease management service in Birmingham. J Telemed Telecare. 2007; 13(suppl 1):3-4
• Azarmina P, Wallace P. Remote interpretation in medical encounters: a systematic review. J Telemed Telecare. 2005;11(3):140-5. PMID 15901441
• Samuel M, Coombes JC, Miranda JJ, Melvin R, Young EJ, Azarmina P. Assessing computer skills in Tanzanian medical students: an elective experience. BMC Public Health. 2004 Aug 12;4:37. PMID 15306029
• Malekzadeh R, Mokri A, Azarmina P. Medical science and research in Iran. Arch Irn Med 2001; 4(1): 27-39.