Numerous protesters were killed in Iran during a government crackdown earlier this month.
Now, the shock waves from that conflict appear to have cost an Atlanta doctor her job.
Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani was a physician at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute. Her father is Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security.
On Jan. 15, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against Larijani and other Iranian officials. A news release said Larijani coordinated the response to the protests. It blamed him and his colleagues for “thousands of deaths and injuries.”
Emory has faced political pressure regarding Larijani’s daughter. A Change.org petition calling for her deportation has more than 96,000 signatures, and demonstrators gathered outside the Winship Cancer Institute. On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter publicized a letter to Emory and Georgia’s medical board calling for decisive action.
“I write to demand the immediate removal of Dr. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani from her position at Emory University and the revocation of her Georgia medical license,” wrote Carter, Republican of Savannah.
Carter argued that “allowing an individual with immediate familial ties to a senior official actively calling for the death of Americans to occupy such a position poses a threat to patient trust, institutional integrity, and national security.”
In response Sunday to an inquiry from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Emory spokesperson Andrea Clement provided this statement:
“A physician who is the daughter of a senior Iranian government official is no longer an employee of Emory. Because this is a personnel matter, we are unable to provide additional information.”
The statement went on to say that “Emory is committed to advancing patient care, research, and education. Our employees are hired in full compliance with state and federal laws and other applicable requirements.”
The statement did not make it clear whether the doctor was dismissed or left voluntarily. Noëlle McAfee, a professor who is also president of the Emory University Senate, shared an email with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicating that faculty members were worried about the news of the doctor’s departure.
“In the absence of any clear statement from Emory leadership on how Emory faculty will be treated in the event of controversy,” she wrote, “people will fill in what seems to be the worst-case scenario.”
The case raises questions about whether and how much someone is responsible for the actions of a relative.
An AJC reporter could not find a phone number or email address for Ardeshir-Larijani, but did find a listed address. The reporter knocked on the door Sunday. No one answered. The reporter left a note written on a business card.
Sunday afternoon, a spokesperson provided a statement from Carter on the end of the doctor’s employment at Emory:
“Good riddance — patient care has improved in Georgia now that this individual with ties to violent terrorists is no longer entrusted to protect our health and livelihoods.”
This was a striking choice of words, given the recent history between Carter and the university. Last September, after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, another Emory employee wrote “Good riddance” on Facebook.
Carter demanded the professor be fired and threatened Emory’s federal funding. The professor was fired.
When the AJC asked in October if there was any connection between Carter’s threat and the dismissal, an Emory spokesperson declined to answer.
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