Beyond Boundaries Mentorship
Bio
Saman Arfaie is a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery Candidate at McGill University, a nationally sought-after TEDx Speaker, internationally award-winning debater, Model United Nations Delegate, published researcher, classical pianist in training, and UC Berkeley honours graduate. He completed his B.Sc. in Neurobiology, Honours B.A. in Persian Literature, and double minors in chemistry and music, at the University of California, Berkeley and took 6 PhD classes as an undergraduate before conducting brain tumor research at UCSF. He simultaneously completed a third B.A. in Honours Psychology. Saman has co-authored/presented a dozen peer-reviewed papers/posters & won 30+ international & national awards. These include Top 25 Immigrants in Canada Finalist (one of the youngest in the nation), McGill Medicine T.F. Rose entrance scholarship, the William Osler Medal, Canadian Federation of Medical Students (Tier-1) Initiative Grants (x2), American Osler Society Bean Award, Molina Foundation Scholarship, MSS Leadership Award, UC Berkeley Research Fellowship. He is currently co-authoring a book on COVID-19 with University of Manitoba Press (2025) and is another book on the Neurobiology of Creativity with the famed neurologist-pianist, Professor Philip Pearl of Harvard Medical School, and Boston’s Children Hospital pending Cambridge University Press. Saman has received several invitations to present his work at prestigious conferences such as TEDx McGill University, TEDx University of Alberta, American Osler Society, and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Saman has a strong molecular biology background for work in systems and molecular neuroscience. Saman also conducts research in comparative literature, musicology, and philosophy. His honours thesis investigated the origins of historical consciousness in the works of the Iranian poet Mehdi Akhavan Sales. His book chapter on Robert Schumann's mental health conditions is to appear with Cambridge University Press in 2023. Saman is presently studying PET imaging biomarkers in Alzheimer's Disease and the role of surgical mastery and coordination at McGill. As a leader, he is the co-founder of the Canadian Medical Student Interest Group in Neurosurgery (https://camsign.ca/), Neuro International Collaboration (https://neuro.international/), and Presidents of the McGill Osler Society and McGill Student Interest Group in Neurology/Neurosurgery.