Bio

Nazanin Mahinparvar, MD, graduated from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Before joining Stanford, she spent three years as a Physician Director at a rehabilitation and long-term care center for older adults. Caring for patients with pain, mobility limitations, and loss of independence shaped her belief that medicine is not only about treating disease, but also about helping people preserve function, independence, and quality of life.

She later joined the Dr. David Yeomans Lab, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine as a postdoctoral scholar, where her research has focused on developing novel, non-opioid approaches for chronic pain. Having personally experienced chronic pain during adolescence, she understands how deeply persistent pain can affect movement, daily function, and quality of life. Studying pain at Stanford transformed that personal understanding into a professional mission: not simply to reduce pain, but to help people regain function and return to meaningful, active lives.

Art and movement have deeply influenced the way she sees medicine. Through playing the piano, painting, dancing, ice skating, swimming, and exercise, she has developed a strong appreciation for the connection between movement, coordination, precision, creativity, and human performance. To her, restoring function is about more than restoring movement—it is about helping people return to the activities, passions, and forms of expression that are meaningful to them.

Leadership, education, and mentorship are also central to her academic work. As a Faculty Educator and instructor for the Stanford Microsurgery Fall Internship through the Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (SASI), she brings together medicine, art, and education by incorporating art-inspired exercises into microsurgical training to develop fine motor control, hand-eye coordination, precision, and dexterity. She is passionate about creating engaging learning experiences and inspiring the next generation of learners in medicine.

Together, her experiences in rehabilitation, pain medicine, education, movement, and art ultimately led her to Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), where these interests naturally come together. She is particularly interested in interventional pain, musculoskeletal and Sport medicine, and the intersection of rehabilitation with movement and human performance. Her goal is to build a clinical and academic career focused on restoring function, improving quality of life, and helping people return to what matters most to them.

Honors & Awards

  • GAIN26 Participation Scholarship Recipient, German Academic International Network (GAIN) (2026)
  • Stanford SPICE Grant Recipient – Suture Studio, Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education, Stanford University (2026)
  • Stanford SPICE Grant Recipient – NeuroCutaneous Pain Medicine Dinner Club, Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education, Stanford University (2026)
  • Competitively Selected Participant – FDA-Regulated Non-Human Primate Research Training Program, Altasciences (2025)
  • Best Researcher Award, International Phenomenological Research Awards (PLR) (2024)
  • MD Capstone Research Project – High Honors, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (2016)
  • National Academic Distinction – Iranian National University Entrance Examination (Top 0.05%), National Organization of Educational Testing, Iran (2009)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

  • Course Faculty and Instructor, Stanford Microsurgery Fall Internship, Stanford University (2026 - Present)
  • Faculty Educator, Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (SASI), Stanford University (2026 - Present)
  • Founder and Program Director, NeuroCutaneous Pain Medicine Dinner Club, Stanford University (2026 - Present)
  • Founder and Program Director, Stanford Suture Studio (S3), Stanford University. (2026 - Present)
  • Member, Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) (2026 - Present)
  • Member, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) (2026 - Present)
  • Member, Society for Neuroscience (SfN) (2026 - Present)
  • Research Mentor, Stanford–Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) (2026 - Present)

Professional Education

  • Postdoc, Stanford University, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (2027)
  • Doctor of Medicine, University Of Isfahan (2019)

Stanford Advisors

Community and International Work

  • Stanford Microsurgery Fall 2026 Internship

    Location

    International

    Ongoing Project

    Yes

    Opportunities for Student Involvement

    Yes

  • Stanford–Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) Research Mentorship Program, Stanford, California, and Bentonville, Arkansas — Virtual/Hybrid Collaboration

    Topic

    Research Education, Translational Neuroscience, Experimental Design, and Scientific Mentorship

    Partnering Organization(s)

    Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM), Stanford University School of Medicine

    Populations Served

    medical students

    Location

    International

    Ongoing Project

    Yes

    Opportunities for Student Involvement

    No

  • Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (SASI), Stanford University, Stanford, California, and Virtual/Global

    Topic

    Medical Education, Clinical Skills, Healthcare Technology, Leadership, and Career Development

    Partnering Organization(s)

    Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University

    Populations Served

    Students and early-career learners who are exploring careers in medicine and healthcare

    Location

    International

    Ongoing Project

    Yes

    Opportunities for Student Involvement

    Yes

Links