Amid weeks of unrest in Iran, Emory University School of Medicine Dean Sandra Wong announced in an email to medical school faculty on Jan. 24 that a doctor who is also the daughter of a senior Iranian government official is no longer a University employee.
The announcement follows a Jan. 19 protest where Iranian-American demonstrators gathered outside Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute to oppose the employment of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani by the University.
Ardeshir-Larijani is the daughter of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security Secretary Ali Larijani. The Supreme Council for National Security is the group responsible for Iran’s defense. In August 2025, Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved Larijiani to serve as the council’s secretary and represent Khamenei on the council.
Before her departure from Emory, Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani was an assistant professor in the department of hematology and medical oncology at the medical school. Her Emory faculty page and Emory Healthcare pages are no longer visible as of Jan. 24.