Morvarid S Kavosh

I am a dedicated and board-eligible rheumatology fellow currently completing my fellowship at the University of New Mexico, where we care for a diverse patient population, including many underserved individuals who lack access to healthcare. This environment exposes me to a wide range of rheumatologic conditions, often involving complex and challenging cases that require advanced clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills. These experiences have greatly enriched my training, shaping me into a skilled and knowledgeable rheumatologist, committed to delivering compassionate, patient-centered care. I am seeking a J-1 waiver position that will allow me to continue contributing to underserved communities, and expand my expertise in rheumatologic care. I bring a combination of clinical excellence, research insight, and cultural sensitivity, with a proven ability to adapt and thrive in fast-paced healthcare environments.

• American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM Certification in October 2024)
• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduate (ECFMG) Certification in March 2020
• USMLE Step 3: 228 (April 13th & April 18th 2023)
• USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS): Passed - 1st attempt (September 2016)
• USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK): 242 (February 2020)
• USMLE Step 1: 230 (April 2019)
• Iran Permanent Medical License (active since January 2011)

Fellow of The Year Nomination, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, June 2025, Albuquerque, NM, PGY-3 Chief Resident, Department of Internal Medicine, South Brooklyn Health, June 2023-June 2024, Brooklyn, NY, Heart & Stroke Foundation Master Student Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Research, September 2016, Winnipeg, MB, Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) Travel Award, March 2015, Winnipeg, MB, Pawan K. Singal Graduate Scholarship in Cardiovascular Sciences, March 2014, Winnipeg, MB, Manitoba Health Research Council (MHRC): two years scholarship, July 2013, Winnipeg, MB, International Graduate Student General Bursary, December 2012, Winnipeg, MB, Graduate Enhancement of Tri-council Stipends Award, Tri-council Stipends Award, December 2012, Winnipeg, MB, International Graduate Student Entrance Scholarship, September 2011, Winnipeg, MB

Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, MMI 2020 Interviewer for Medical School Admission, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, 2020-03

Journal Reviewer (peer review) for:, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, 2014-09, 2016-09, Cardiovascular Research, Developmental Dynamics, Circulation

• Spence J, Devereaux PJ, Lee SF, D'Aragon F, Avidan MS, Whitlock RP, Mazer CD, Rousseau-Saine N, Rajamohan RR, Pryor KO, Klein R, Tan E, Cameron MJ, Di Sante E, DeBorba E, Mustard ME, Couture EJ, Zamper RPC, Law MWY, Djaiani G, Saha T, Choi S, Hedlin P, Pikaluk DR, Lam W, Deschamps A, Ramasundarahettige CF, Vincent J, McIntyre WF, Oczkowski SJW, Dulong BJ, Beaver C, Kloppenburg SA, Lamy A, Jacobsohn E, Belley-Côté EP; B-Free Investigators and the Canadian Perioperative Anesthesia Clinical Trials Group. Benzodiazepine-Free Cardiac Anesthesia for Reduction of Postoperative Delirium: A Cluster Randomized Crossover Trial. JAMA Surg. JAMA Surg. 2025 Mar 1;160(3):286-294. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2024.6602. PMID: 39878960
• Au E, Zhao K, Belley-Côté E, Song Y, Al-Hazzani W, Sadeghirad B, Wang E, Young J, Kashani H, Kavosh M, Inami T, Beaver C, Kloppenburg S, Mazer D, Jacobsohn E, Um K, Spence J. The effect of perioperative benzodiazepine administration on postoperative nausea and vomiting: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Anaesth. 2024 Mar;132(3):469-482. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.11.045. Epub 2024 Jan 4. PMID: 38177006.
• Wang E, Belley-Côté EP, Young J, He H, Saud H, D'Aragon F, Um K, Alhazzani W, Piticaru J, Hedden M, Whitlock R, Mazer CD, Kashani HH, Zhang SY, Lucas A, Timmerman N, Nishi C, Jain D, Kugler A, Beaver C, Kloppenburg S, Schulman S, Borges FK, Kavosh MS, Wada C, Lin S, Sibilio S, Lauw M, Benz A, Szczeklik W, Mokhtari A, Jacobsohn E, Spence J. Effect of perioperative benzodiazepine use on intraoperative awareness and postoperative delirium: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and observational studies. British Journal of Anaesthesia. 2023.
• McEwen CC, Amir T, Qiu Y, Young J, Kennedy K, Grocott HP, Kashani H, Mazer D, Brudney S, Kavosh MS, Jacobsohn E, Vedel A, Wang E, Whitlock RP, Belley-Côté EP, Spence J. Morbidity and mortality in patients managed with high compared with low blood pressure targets during on-pump cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, 2022 Mar; 69(3), 374-386.
• Spence J, Belley-Côté E, Jacobsohn E, Lee SF, Whitlock R, Bangdiwala S, Syed S, Sarkaria A, MacIsaac S, Lengyel A, Long S, Um K, McIntyre WF, Kavosh MS, Fast I, Arora R, Lamy A, Connolly S, Devereaux PJ. Restricted versus liberal intraoperative benzodiazepine use in cardiac anaesthesia for reducing delirium (B-Free Pilot): a pilot, multicentre, randomised, cluster crossover trial. British Journal of Anaesthesia 2020 Jul;125(1):38-46.
• Kashani HH, Lodewyks C, Kavosh MS, Jeyanan MM, Neilson C, Okoli GN, Rabbani R, Abou-Setta AM, Zarychanski R, Grocott HP. The effect of restrictive versus liberal transfusion strategies on longer-term outcomes after cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, 2020 May;67(5):577-587.
• Deschamps A, Saha T, El-Gabalawy R, Jacobsohn E, Overbeek C, Palermo J, Robichaud S, Dumont AA, Djaiani G, Carroll J, Kavosh MS, Tanzola R, Schmitt EM, Inouye SK, Oberhaus J, Mickle A, Ben Abdallah A, Avidan MS, Clinical Trials Group CPA. Protocol for the electroencephalography guidance of anesthesia to alleviate geriatric syndromes (ENGAGES-Canada) study: A pragmatic, randomized clinical trial. F1000Research 2019 Jul; 8:1165.
• Vlisides PE, Thompson A, Kunkler, Maybrier HR, Avidan, Mashour GA, Apakama GP, Arya VK, Ben Abdallah A, Bottros M, Downey R, Emmert DA, Escallier K, Fritz BA, Fardous H, Girardi LN, Grocott HP, Gruber AT, Hudetz J, Inouye SK, Ivascu NS, Jacobsohn E, Jayant A, Kashani HH, Kavosh MS, Lenze E, McKinney AS, McKinnon S, Mickle AM, Muench MR, Murphy M, Pagel P, Pryor KO, Redko M, Rogers EM, Schmitt E, Steinkamp LM, Tellor B, Upadhyayula R, Veselis RA, Waszynski C, Wildes T, Yulico H. Perioperative Epidural Use and Risk of Delirium in Surgical Patients: A Secondary Analysis of the PODCAST Trial. Anesthesia & Analgesia 2019 May;128(5), 944-952.
• Mashour GA, Ben Abdallah A, Pryor KO, El-Gabalawy R, Vlisides PE, Jacobsohn E, Lenze, Maybrier HR, Veselis RA, Avidan MS; PODCAST Research Group Apakama GP, Aquino KG, Arya VK, Avidan MS, Abdallah AB, Dicks RS, Downey RJ, Emmert DA, Escallier KE, Fritz BA, Grocott HP, Gruber AT, Hudetz JA, Inouye SK, Ivascu NS, Jacobsohn E, Jayant A, Kashani HH, Kavosh MS, et al. Intraoperative ketamine for prevention of depressive symptoms after major surgery in older adults: an international, multicentre, double-blind, randomised clinical trial. British Journal of Anaesthesia. 2018 Nov;121(5), 1037-1045.
• Landry N, Kavosh MS, Filomeno KL, Rattan SG, Czubryt MP, Dixon IMC. Ski drives an acute increase in MMP-9 gene expression and release in primary cardiac myofibroblasts. Physiology Reports 2018 Nov;6(22): e13897. (Shared First Authorship)
• Maybrier HR, Mickle AM, Escallier KE, Lin N, Schmitt EM, Upadhyayula RT, Wildes TS, Mashour GA, Palihnich K, Inouye SK, Avidan MS; PODCAST Research Group (Apakama GP, Aquino KG, Arya VK, Avidan MS, Abdallah AB, Dicks RS, Downey RJ, Emmert DA, Escallier KE, Fritz BA, Grocott HP, Gruber AT, Hudetz JA, Inouye SK, Ivascu NS, Jacobsohn E, Jayant A, Kashani HH, Kavosh MS, et al. Reliability and accuracy of delirium assessments among investigators at multiple international centres. British Medical Journal 2018 Nov;8(11): e023137.
• Avidan MS, Maybrier HR, Abdallah AB, Jacobsohn E, Vlisides PE, Pryor KO, Veselis RA, Grocott HP, Emmert DA, Rogers EM, Downey RJ, Yulico H, Noh GJ, Lee YH, Waszynski CM, Arya VK, Pagel PS, Hudetz JA, Muench MR, Fritz BA, Waberski W, Inouye SK, Mashour GA; PODCAST Research Group (Apakama GP, Aquino KG, Arya VK, Avidan MS, Abdallah AB, Dicks RS, Fritz BA, Grocott HP, Gruber AT, Hudetz JA, Inouye SK, Ivascu NS, Jacobsohn E, Jayant A, Kashani HH, Kavosh MS, et al. Intraoperative ketamine for prevention of postoperative delirium or pain after major surgery in older adults: an international, multicentre, double-blind, randomised clinical trial. The Lancet 2017 Jul; 390(10091): 267-275.
• Cunnington RH, Northcott JM, Ghavami S, Filomeno KL, Jahan F, Kavosh MS, Davies JJ, Wigle JT, Dixon IM. The Ski-Zeb2-Meox2 pathway provides a novel mechanism for regulation of the cardiac myofibroblast phenotype. Journal of Cell Science 2014 Jan; 127:40-9.
• Ghavami S, Cunnington RH, Yeang H, Davies JJ, Rattan SG, Bathe K, Kavosh MS, Los MJ, Freed DH, Klonisch T, Pierce GN, Halayko AJ, Dixon IM. Autophagy regulates trans fatty acid-mediated apoptosis in primary cardiac myofibroblasts Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 2012 Dec;1823(12):2274-86.
• Nasrollahi K, Attarzadeh H, Masjedi A, Jenab K, Kavosh MS. Standard PRK versus Q-value Adjusted Ablation PRK in Refractive Errors. Journal of Isfahan Medical School, 2011 Jan; 28(115)909-14.
• Kashani HH, Kavosh MS, Keshteli AH, Montazer M, Rostampour N, Kelishadi R, Shariatnejad K, Memar-Ardestani P, Hosseini SM, Abdeyazdan Z, Hashemipour M. Age of puberty in a representative sample of Iranian girls. World Journal of Pediatrics, 2009 May; 5(2): 132-5.
• Kavosh MS, Atypical Vasculitis Case Presentation. The 23rd Annual Rheumatic Disease-October 2024, Santa Fe, NM
• Kavosh MS, Filomeno K, Rattan SG and Dixon IMC. Ski modulates myofibroblast motility via downregulation of MMP2 and paxillin. Experimental Biology - March 2015, Boston, MA
• Kavosh MS and Dixon IMC. Ski Modulates Myofibroblast Induced ECM Remodeling Through Regulation of MMP-2 in Rat Cardiac Fibroblast. ISHR-North American Section Meeting - May 2014, Miami, FL
• Kavosh MS and Dixon IMC. Ski modulates extracellular remodeling and cell motility in rat cardiac fibroblasts. Cardiac Sciences Resident Research Day - May 2014, Winnipeg, MB
• Kavosh MS, Cunnington RH, Northcott JM, Ghavami S, Bathe KL, Jahan F, Davies JJ, Wigle JT and Dixon IMC. c-Ski modulates fibroblast phenoconversion via Meox2/Zeb2 pathway and induces myofibroblast migration. Institute of Cardiovascular Science Research Day - November 2013, Winnipeg, MB
• Kavosh MS, Bathe KL, Rattan SG and Dixon IMC. C-Ski regulates MMP-2 expression in rat cardiac fibroblasts. Cardiac Sciences Resident Research Day - May 2013, Winnipeg, MB
• Kavosh MS, Ghavami MS, Cunnington RH, Davies JJ, Bathe KL, Yeganeh B, Arora R, Los MJ, Freed DH, Halayko AJ, Klonisch T, Pierce GN, Dixon IMC. Transfat mediated apoptosis is regulated by autophagy in primary cardiac myofibroblasts. Experimental Biology - April 2012, San Diego, CA

Chief Resident, Internal Medicine, South Brooklyn Health / NYC Health + Hospitals, Brooklyn, NY, June 2023 - June 2024

• Appointed Chief Resident during PGY-3 year at a high-volume, safety-net hospital serving a largely uninsured and medically complex population.
• Provided leadership and oversight for the internal medicine residency program, including scheduling, workflow coordination, and supervision of peers and medical students.
• Served as the primary liaison between residents, attending physicians, and hospital administration, facilitating communication and contributing to programmatic improvements.
• Organized and led academic conferences, morning reports, and educational initiatives, while also supporting quality improvement efforts and hospital-wide operational planning.

Watercolour painting, Swimming & Running, Baking & Cooking

Rheumatology Fellow, Department of Internal Medicine - Rheumatology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, July 2024 – June 2026

• Managed complex autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in a diverse and underserved patient population.
• Collaborated in multidisciplinary teams for comprehensive patient care.
• Developed expertise in diagnosing and treating rare and challenging rheumatologic cases.
• Perform frequent outpatient procedures, including multiple intraarticular injections weekly, enhancing procedural proficiency and patient-centered musculoskeletal care.
• Involved in educating and mentoring residents and medical students, facilitating clinical teaching and case discussions.

Internal Medicine Resident, Department of Internal Medicine,  South Brooklyn Health, NYC Health + Hospitals, Brooklyn, NY,  August 2021 - June 2024

• Completed residency at a high-acuity, safety-net hospital serving a largely uninsured and underserved population, gaining extensive experience in managing severely ill and medically complex patients.
• Practiced in a resource-limited environment where residents assume primary responsibility for patient care, fostering strong clinical independence, efficiency, and diagnostic skills.
• Served as Chief Resident in my third year, overseeing scheduling, supervision, and mentorship of junior residents, while also coordinating educational activities and serving as a liaison between trainees and faculty.

General Practitioner,  Isatis Clinic, Islamshahr, Iran, November 2008 - February 2011

• Delivered comprehensive primary care services to a wide range of adult patients in outpatient settings.
• Organized and coordinated diagnostic workups, treatment plans, and specialist referrals based on clinical findings.

Medical and Surgical Intern , Alzahra and Khorshid hospitals, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, March 2007- October 2008 

• Completed 18-month rotating internship across different specialties and sub-specialties: General Surgery, Orthopedics, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Neurology, and Emergency Medicine.

Thursday School Rheumatology Topic Presentation, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, February 2025, Albuquerque, NM

Project ECHO Rheumatology Topic Presentation, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, February 2025, Albuquerque, NM

Medical students tutoring on Med I Cardiovascular disease, November 2014