April 10, 2021 | Virtual over Zoom
The Iranian Gala @Harvard is a black-tie evening that honors leading community members in various fields. Founded by a group of Harvard students of Persian heritage, the Gala strives to bring together leading professionals, artists, and academics who have dedicated themselves to furthering the study, understanding, and appreciation of Iranian culture, history, and society. The vision of the Gala is to mobilize and empower the next generation of leaders in the Iranian community.
The Iranian Gala @Harvard is presented by Harvard College Iranian Association (HCIA) in partnership with Harvard alumni, faculty, and affiliates.
The Iranian Gala @Harvard is a black-tie evening that honors leading community members in various fields. Founded by a group of Harvard students of Persian heritage, the Gala strives to bring together leading professionals, artists, and academics who have dedicated themselves to furthering the study, understanding, and appreciation of Iranian culture, history, and society. The vision of the Gala is to mobilize and empower the next generation of leaders in the Iranian community.
The Iranian Gala @Harvard is presented by Harvard College Iranian Association (HCIA) in partnership with Harvard alumni, faculty, and affiliates.
2021 Keynote
Justine Landau, PhD
Associate Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Justine Landau is a scholar of classical Persian literature and poetics. Before joining Harvard in 2015, she taught Persian literature at the Sorbonne Nouvelle and at UCLA, and was a researcher at the Austrian Academy of Sciences's Institute of Iranian Studies from 2010 to 2015. She is the author of De rythme & de raison. Lecture croisée de deux traités de poétique persans du XIIIe siècle (Presses de la Sorbonne Nouvelle/IFRI, 2013), and the French translator (with Agathe Sultan) of Daniel Heller-Roazen’s Echolalias: On the Forgetting of Language (Editions du Seuil, 2007). Her next book project explores the aesthetics of occasion and circumstance in early Persian court poetry. She is the co-chair, with Sheida Dayani and Hajnalka Kovacs, of the Persian & Persianate Studies seminar at the Mahindra Humanities Center. |
2021 Honorees
Lily Sarafan
Healthcare Entrepreneur Lily Sarafan is Executive Chair of Home Care Assistance (HCA), where she led the company from startup to 10,000+ employee industry leader and largest private provider of home care for seniors in North America. She also serves on the boards of game-changing companies like Thumbtack and Counsyl (acquired by MYGN). Lily serves on the Stanford University Board of Trustees, Freeman Spogli Institute Council, Undergraduate Cabinet, and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Council. She is also Founding Partner of Project BIG: The Brain Immune Gut Initiative. An appointee to the California Governor's Alzheimer's Task Force, Lily serves in various other leadership roles to advance precision health and digital medicine, economic development and entrepreneurship, and informed civic engagement. Lily holds an M.S. in Management Science and Engineering and B.S. in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford. She has been named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Women Health Care Executives Woman of the Year, and a Fortune 40 Under 40. Lily is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. |
Dr. Jamshid Ghajar
Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University Dr. Ghajar is currently Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery and the Moghadam Family Director of the Stanford Brain Performance Center. In 2009 he founded SyncThink, a portable VR/AR technology platform that assesses eye tracking impairments precisely and reliably within a minute to analyze brain performance with applications spanning dementia, ADHD, and concussion.The technology is used by major medical centers, professional sport teams and the Pac-12. Dr. Jamshid Ghajar was born in Berkeley, California, and raised in Iran, England and Los Angeles. He completed his MD/PhD at Cornell University Medical College in New York, where he spent almost 40 years of his career before moving to Stanford. He invented and patented several neurosurgical devices that are currently used worldwide. In 1987, he founded the Brain Trauma Foundation which developed the severe Traumatic brain injury evidence-based guidelines that are now considered the standard of care for U.S. trauma centers, leading to a 45% decline in deaths. Dr. Ghajar is currently Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of the Stanford Brain Performance Center. |
Alan Khazei
Social Entrepreneur Alan was born to an Italian American mother and Iranian American immigrant father. He is an Honors graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Alan was appointed to the Commission on National and Community Service by President George H.W. Bush and served as a Vice-Chair from 1990-1992. Alan has also served on numerous non-profit boards focused on fighting hunger, empowering opportunity youth, educating children, fighting poverty, reviving local journalism, and providing more people with opportunities to serve. He has been a recipient of several honorary degrees and numerous awards. US News and World Report named Alan one of America's 25 Best Leaders and the Boston Globe Magazine recognized him as one of 11 Bostonians Changing the World. The Nonprofit Times has named Alan one of America’s 50 most important non profit leaders. |
Mr. and Mrs. Madanipour
Educators Mr. And Mrs. Madanipour have been a hallmark within the Greater Boston Persian community as they have made it their mission to teach Farsi and deepen a greater appreciation of the Persian Culture to countless youths for over 30 years. Their selfless dedication to this cause has led to the strengthening of the roots of Iranian culture in the Greater Boston area. The service they have given has been truly remarkable, and their leadership has kept the Persian language and culture alive within the Iranian-American youth over decades. |
Former Honoree and 2021 Musical Performer
Darya Dadvar Soprano Soloist, Composer Darya grew up in an artistic environment in Iran. In 1999, she obtained her “Diplome d’Etude Musicale” (Musical studies diploma – Gold Medal) in vocal training. One year later, she finished her musical education in the National Conservatory of Toulouse/France and obtained a first-class diploma, as well as a Diploma specializing in Baroque Style. In 2001 she moved to Paris, and engaged in a successful career as a soprano, attracting listeners from around the world. Her concerts are continuously popular. Darya creates her own music by combining the traditional music of Iran, in the European classical style. Her unique talent in arranging Iranian music – with styles such as baroque, classical, jazz and blues with traditional elements – sets her apart as one of the most innovative artists in “World Music” today. She will also occasionally combine different musical styles within one song, bringing historical periods together, and crossing languages and dialects. Above all, she follows her own instincts. In short, she has dared to create a new style of singing all her own. |
