Farhad Sahiar, M.D., M.S., FAsMA, received the 2020 John A. Tamisiea Award for his dedication to the advancement of aerospace medicine. His career has spanned many years and many facets of aerospace medicine and his contributions to this field have been substantial. Since 2015, Dr. Sahiar has been the Manager of the Medical Officers’ Branch at the FAA, Civil Aerospace Medical Institute in Oklahoma City where he supervises a team of Medical Officers processing tens of thousands of Special Issuances annually. He is responsible for administration and review of cases at the Federal Air Surgeon’s (FAS) Cardiology Panel. Since 2014, he has directed the FAS Neurology Panel reviewing hundreds of complex neurology cases. In 2015, he received the FAA-Soaring Eagles award for his contributions to the Neurology Panel and in 2016, he received the FAA, Civil Aerospace Medical Institute’s Leader of the Year award.
Dr. Sahiar earned his medical degree from the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) S-batch, Pune, India in 1985. During his 5 years’ service in the Indian Air Force, he completed additional training at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bangalore. He served as a flight surgeon and his responsibilities included providing medical care to flight crews operating in remote and unforgiving environment of the Himalayas. He returned to AFMC for residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.
In 1993, Dr. Sahiar completed aerospace medicine residency training from Wright State University (WSU), Dayton, OH, as well as earning his Master of Science degree. He received the Antoinne St. Pierre award from the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine and the Graduate Student Excellence award from WSU.
Dr. Sahiar served as the Director, Division of Aerospace Medicine; Program Director, Aerospace Medicine residency program; and Director, Aerospace Medicine Master of Science program at WSU, Boonshoft School of Medicine where for more than 20 years he trained residents and graduate students from more than 35 different nations. Dr. Sahiar continues to teach residents from the United States Air Force, Army, Navy, and other international military and civilian residents during their rotation at the FAA.
Dr. Sahiar is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association, Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association, and an Honorary Life Member of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine. He has written several scientific publications and presented at national and international meetings. He is a Life Member of the Space Medicine Association and the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine. Dr. Sahiar is board certified in Aerospace Medicine. He holds a private pilot certificate with instrument rating and enjoys collaborating and flying with fellow pilots.
This award was established and sponsored by the Civil Aviation Medical Association in memory of John A. Tamisiea, M.D. The award is given annually to an aviation medical examiner or other individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the art and science of aviation medicine in its application to the general aviation field.
The wonderful Parsis are a dying race.The world can not afford to loose the sweetness that this minuscule community adds to the world.We pray for their well being and protection from our Creator.