Entering graduate school is a significant milestone in one’s educational journey. It entails a multitude of steps, decisions, and transitions. In this week’s Victor’s in Grad School podcast, we gained valuable insights from Dr. Reza Amini, Director of the Health Care Management masters degree program at the University of Michigan-Flint as well a seasoned academic and health professional. Dr. Amini’s journey from Iran to the United States highlights the complexities, challenges, and rewards of pursuing advanced degrees. Here, we further explore the key takeaways from his experiences and advice for current and prospective graduate students.

From High School to Medical Degree: A Challenge of Adaptation

Dr. Amini began his educational journey in Iran, where the system significantly differs from that in the United States. Students can transition directly from high school to medical school, contingent on their national exam scores. Reflecting on his own experience, he described the initial struggle at medical school due to the heightened expectations and rigorous study demands compared to high school.

“It took me some time to adjust myself… I was not performing very well in the 1st, year, maybe the first three semesters,” Dr. Amini shared, emphasizing the importance of connecting with supportive mentors and peers to navigate these early challenges. His story underlines the critical role of resilience, hard work, and the willingness to seek help in overcoming initial hurdles.

Following a Passion: The Move to Public Health

After practicing medicine for several years, Dr. Amini chose to pursue a master’s degree in public health, driven by a desire to affect larger populations. His commitment to improving the lives of those with physical and mental disabilities, particularly veterans of the Iran-Iraq war, fueled this decision.

“I was passionate to help people, and I was doing it in clinical practice… but it was not enough for me. I wanted to help more people and to spend more time impacting more people’s lives,” he explained. For him, research became a powerful tool to influence health policies and create substantive changes. His experience underscores the importance of aligning one’s career with personal passions and motivations.

Crossing Continents: A PhD Journey in the United States

The decision to attain a PhD in sociology from the University of North Texas marked another transformative phase in Dr. Amini’s career. Moving to a new country posed its own set of challenges, including adjusting to a different educational system and overcoming language and cultural barriers. Despite these obstacles, Dr. Amini remained focused on his larger goal: enhancing his research capabilities to make a global impact.

He highlighted the value of international exposure to new academic environments and resources, which expanded his research scope and professional network.

Balancing Academic and Personal Life

Dr. Amini’s story is also a testament to the balancing act required of graduate students, particularly those with families. Balancing academic commitments with personal responsibilities is a recurring theme among graduate students, as noted by Dr. Amini, who juggled full-time work, study, and family life.

“Spending time at work, finding a specific time to study, it was very challenging working full time, spending enough time with my family, and at the same time doing my study,” he remarked. His advice to maintain a support network and manage time effectively is crucial for anyone navigating similar challenges.

Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Graduates

Drawing from both his own experiences and his role as a mentor, Dr. Amini offers essential advice to students contemplating graduate education:

1. Follow Your Passion : Choose a field that you are passionate about to ensure personal satisfaction and fulfillment.
2. Be Resilient : Graduate school is demanding, and resilience is key to pushing through tough times.
3. Seek Support : Never hesitate to ask for help from mentors, peers, or family members. A strong support system can make a significant difference.

Dr. Reza Amini’s journey is a powerful testament to the determination, adaptability, and passion needed to succeed in graduate school. His experiences provide invaluable lessons for anyone on the path to advanced education, reminding us all that with the right mindset and support, achieving academic and professional goals is within reach.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:01]:
Welcome to the Victor’s in Grad School, where we have conversations with students, alumni, and experts about what it takes to find success in graduate school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:11]:
Welcome back to Victor’s in Grad School. I’m your host, doctor Christopher Lewis, director of graduate programs at the University of Michigan Flint. Really excited to have you back again this week. Every week, I love being on this journey with you, and I call it a journey. I know I say this every week, but it is so true. You are on a journey, whether you’re at the very beginning and just starting to think about, do I want to continue my education? And what kind of education might I want to get additional to my bachelor’s degree? Or maybe you’ve applied and you’re waiting on that answer, or you got the answer and and you got accepted and you’re ready to go. Or maybe you’re in the program and you’re looking for that light at the end of the tunnel. And no matter where you are in that continuum, in that journey, you are on a journey.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:59]:
And there are things that you can do. There are people that you can learn from that can give you some tools for your toolbox to help you to find success sooner. And that’s what this show is all about. This show is all about helping you to find success in graduate school. No matter what type of graduate school you want to go through, we’re gonna be giving you tools that will help you along the way. And that’s why every week, I bring you different guests with different experiences that can talk to you about the journey that they have gone on. Today, I got another great guest. Doctor Reza Amini is with us today.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:35]:
And Dr. Amini has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan Flint for a number of years, and he leads our health care management program as well as our health services administration master’s degrees. And we’re gonna be talking to him about his experience, not only as a student himself, but as a faculty member to give you some perspective on what he’s learned along the way. Reza, thanks so much for being here today.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:02:02]:
Thank you for having me.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:02:03]:
I’m really excited to have you. And one of the things that I love doing first and foremost is having an opportunity to be able to turn the clock back in time. And you’ve gotten a number of different graduate degrees. So you went from getting that medical doctorate degree from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, and then from there, you got a master’s degree in public health from the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences in Tehran. And then even beyond that, you got a PhD in sociology from the University of North Texas. So I wanna go back in time. I wanna go back to those years when you were a student thinking for yourself. What made you decide that you wanted to continue and go and get that initial graduate degree?

Dr. Reza Amini [00:02:51]:
Thank you so much for giving this opportunity to me to share my experience. In Iran, the education system is a little bit different from here in the United States. Students in high school, they can go straight to medical school, but they need to sit on exam, which is a national exam and get a national rank first. And based on their national rank, they can pick the programs that they they’re eligible to go to. So in my experience, I was involved in many activities that I was exposed to medical, science and medical practice. When I was in middle school, many of my family members, my relatives, they were medical doctors. And, traditionally, my family, they were somehow involved in medical practice in traditional medicine in Iran. So, yeah, I had some incentives and some motivations for my family members, and I studied hard in the last two years of my high school to get a good rank.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:04:06]:
But in the first attempt, I was not very good. So my rank was about 9,000 in in the nation. But I studied 1 I spent one more year to study after graduating from high school, and my the second attempt, my rank was about 950 in the nation. So, something at that time about 2,000 people could go to medical school straight from high school, and I was eligible to do that based on my rank. So I started medical school. It takes 7 years to complete med school. It’s a combination combined undergraduate and graduate section that usually student do in the United States. So that was challenging, especially in the first few years because you’re in medical school, the expectation is much different from high school.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:05:10]:
Right? So you go straight to a program that requires more intensive studies. It took me some time to adjust myself. I was not performing very well in the 1st, year, maybe the first three semesters, but I had good connections with my faculty members and my, I found some great mentors in my peers, and they helped me to adjust myself with the new environment and new expectations. And it helped me to go through the 7 years of education. And after that, I graduated, from medical school, and I started doing medical practice as a general physician, which is very similar to family physician role in the US.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:06:05]:
Many times individuals at that point would say, I’m good. I don’t need to continue my education. I have a career. I’ve got a career that pays a good salary, that I can stay in for my entire life. Now you decided to continue on after a number of years of practice and getting a master’s degree in public health still in your country. So talk to me about what was the impetus for you to decide that you wanted to continue and get that master’s degree after you had been working for those number of years?

Dr. Reza Amini [00:06:41]:
That’s a great question and somehow complex. So I try to make summarize it and at the same time explain the the incentives and motivation behind the pursuing an Miles per hour after my MD. So one of the things that almost all of the physicians and those who are working in health services and health care system, they have the passion to help other people. And it was the same for me. I was passionate to help people, and I was doing it in clinical practice in my office and also in some other clinics that I shared, my practice with some of my colleagues. We established, the 1st private clinic, working on addiction treatment in Iran, and it was very rewarding to have those kind of create some environment to help other people in those clinics, but it was not enough for me. I wanted to help more people and to spend more time and impacting more people’s lives with with my time. So although the job as as medical doctors, nurses, other practitioners doing, they are great and they are very valuable, but I wanted to do more and impact more people’s lives.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:08:11]:
So I got involved in research in public health. So I was doing research and collaborating with, some researcher in a medical research center in Iran. The focus was on helping people with physical and mental disabilities to have a better life. And your audience may not know that Iran and Iraq were in war for 8 years. It was the bloodiest war in the 20th century. Half a 1000000 wounded and injured on each side, and we had a huge number of people with physical disabilities, and they were overlooked in health care system, in policy making, and in many aspects of health care. So I got involved because I saw the need for involving myself and sharing my experience and knowledge. But when you’re in research, you know that there are so many things that you don’t know.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:09:15]:
You learn that, and it gives you more incentive to do more research, to do more studies, and expand your knowledge. So because of that, I learned during that time that there are so many things that I don’t know, and I need to know that in order to do my research and achieve my goals, which was helping people and creating the opportunity for policy makers to create and develop policies that can help these people. But if you create not accurate information for policy makers, their direction and decision making can have negative impacts on people’s lives. And we see that in the in everywhere in the US right now and any aspects of our lives. Right? So wrong policies can have more negative impacts on people. So I wanted to know learn more about aging and public health in order to do my research and create more knowledge for policy makers that are more accurate and, the the highest level of accuracy of the knowledge that we were creating. So that was the the main incentive that I went to another graduate school to do my Miles per hour, and my Miles per hour was focused on gerontology, which is about older adults and helping them to have a better quality of life. Right? Understanding what drives the health status and health issues, chronic health diseases in older adults.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:11:09]:
And the the the reason I chose gerontology was that during my research, I I learned that people with physical disability, they were experiencing accelerated aging. So, for example, we have 65 years old as the aging margin in our population in the United States. Right? So people over age of 65, they are considered older adults. That’s it. Age is just a number, but at the population level, you need to have a a certain margin to categorize people, right, in order to create more policies and more services for them. But in that population with physical limitations and disabilities, they were experiencing older adults’ health disorders in much younger ages, like 45 or 50 years old, so they were experiencing aging much sooner than they were expected to. So that was one of the findings of my research. So I I started to study more about aging and older adults, and that was one of the reason I enrolled in that program.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:12:30]:
Well, I appreciate you sharing that. Now you finished that program and then continued on and got a final degree, a PhD, this time in the United States at the University of North Texas. Now you already had a terminal degree. Now it’s not a terminal degree in the United States, but it was a terminal degree plus another master’s degree. And then you decided to take that research to the next level to be able to get that research degree from the United States. Talk to me about that. Not only moving to a a brand new continent, a new country, but deciding to move from practical work experience in the community, in a clinical setting, into a research based degree and on an academic track and why you chose a PhD?

Dr. Reza Amini [00:13:19]:
As you see that, at that point, I was in a transition when I said I was involved in research. I was transitioning from clinical practice to more research, and I was the director of the research section of that medical research center I just mentioned for 10 years. So and, I was doing more research. I learned that there are, again, some areas that I lacked the knowledge, and I cannot take that knowledge in the situation that I was. And those people around me, they were great people. They had wonderful experience, a great amount of knowledge, but at that point, I couldn’t grow my knowledge more in that situation. So I started searching and learning more about the programs research programs in other continents in Europe and in the United States, and I was exposed to many of the scholars from many countries when I was attending conferences overseas, like in Turkey, that we call it Turkey now. So they changed the name of the country.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:14:38]:
So I was exposed to those scholars. We had some connections and communication after conferences, which is we was, you know, a new phase in my life because that exposure to other scholars in conferences, it expanded my vision and expanded my view into research and also the future of the research studies I wanted to do. So I got involved in those connections with other scholars, and after a while, I learned that I thought that it’s time to improve again my research skills and, also get involved in some focus more on research because I was enjoying it. The results of my research, I could see that can impact so many peoples, and it was very different from clinical practice. As I said, it’s very valuable to see patients 1 on 1, but with just a research project after 1 year, I could impact thousands of people’s lives, and I give you an example. I was working on health needs of people with lack of visual equity and blind people who were injured in Iran Iraq war. They had no voices in the health policy and health care system and in the health care system. They were overlooked for more than 10 years, and they received no health insurance.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:16:21]:
They had no health coverages, but the result of my research and my my teams also, it was a team effort, Help them to be visible to policy makers. And after my research, they received comprehensive health insurance coverage for their health needs, not only themselves, but also for their family members. And it passed in the congress after my research was published. And, they started the the people, the injured people, they started to create their own society, and they started to lobby with the policy makers after that. So it was so rewarding to see how my research was helping people. So that was the the another way that I was looking as the result of my work. So because of that, that’s just one example. I started thinking, I can go beyond the boundaries of Iran.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:17:29]:
I can do something that I can help people around the world, but there were limitations and barriers to that. And coming to the United States, having a degree, not just a degree, but getting exposure to scholars and researchers in the United States with the so many resources that are available here that are were not there in my home country in Iran could give me the opportunity to achieve that goal.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:18:01]:
Now every person that goes into graduate education goes through transitions. You mentioned that in your country, you go right you went from high school into a doctorate degree, a medical degree. You worked for a while and then made a transition back into education to get that master’s degree, and then transitioned to a new country, a new type of educational system into a different educational model, a different education degree. Talk to me about the transitions that you went through. What did you have to do as you transitioned into these programs to be able to find success? And what did you have to do to maintain that success throughout the entirety of each of those programs?

Dr. Reza Amini [00:18:49]:
There are different ways to explain that. From high school and to medical school, I I I think I touched that a little bit. It was it was very challenging situation because, as I said, coming from high school straight to a doctorate program and the the amount of work expectations, the study time, and everything was totally different, and it was very difficult. And as I said, having some supports, like mentors, advisors, and, great professors I had. They helped me to adjust myself. But hard work is the key, and so being passionate about your goal and not giving up and be resilient. So that was the key elements of my success. But in the second time, I was practicing, and I was out of school for more than 12 years.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:19:51]:
And after 12 years, I went to back to education, and the whole education system was different at after 10 years. Right? So it it was again a challenge having a balance between always married at the time. I had the kid. My son was a toddler at the time. Spending time at work, finding a specific time to study, it was very challenging working full time, spending enough time with my family, and at the same time doing my study was very, very challenging. So I had to reduce my hobby times or spending my weekends more on studying for my degree and also, again, relying on some of the resources that I had and also some other supports from amazing faculty members who were great mentors during that time. That helped me. After the time difference between my master’s and my PhD was about 2 years, it was not a long time.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:20:58]:
But coming from another country to the United States, the first thing that was very difficult for me to adjust was the culture shock. So I haven’t the experience of living overseas, language barrier, culture barriers, and also the education system here is is totally different from Iran. So their relationship between the faculty and the students, the students student relationships, and student staff relationships. They were so so much different, and it was somehow challenging to adjust myself. But, again, being open to changing myself a little bit, at the same time keeping my values untouched. So I try to keep my values, but at the same time be open to change my vision, to change some of my cultural values, and adjusting myself with the new environment. It took me about 1 year to learn more about American culture, but I was fortunate to have my family next to me. My wife and my son, they supported me a lot.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:22:19]:
And coming back home and having that kind of support was crucial for me to survive these challenging situations. So and there are so many things that we can talk, but I don’t think the time will allow. But I would be happy to share more of my experience in those situations with your audience. If they are interested to learn more, they can contact me directly if they need some kind of advice or any suggestions.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:22:52]:
So I’m kind of interested now because, you know, you have a a degree as a doctor, as a public health specialist, as a doctorate of sociology as a doctorate of sociology. And now you are a faculty member. You’re working in health care management, health services administration, working with students in that regard, teaching within those programs. Talk to me about now that you’ve completed those other degrees and you’ve moved into this academic portion of your life, your career, how did those past degrees prepare you for the work that you’re doing now as a faculty member?

Dr. Reza Amini [00:23:31]:
Being in, medical practice and at the same time, as I said briefly, that we established the first clinic in Iran that the first private clinic in Iran treating people with addiction problems, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and some others. I was involved in health care administration. So I was part of the team running the clinic. It was it had, 2 branches and one day care center and one just clinic that visiting patients. So that part helped me to use my daily experience with the health care administration in my current role, helping my student to learn from my experience in the field running a health care entity. So from different perspective, from, patient care, financial management, supply chain management because we’re I was responsible for all of those tasks and activities and aspects. Although I didn’t have the formal education about that, but I was studying how to run those those clinics. And I learned more in the in the field, so I was doing it.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:24:56]:
And when I was in my PhD program, I had some courses about the these tasks and activities. Although my degree is in sociology, the focus was in health services. So in that regard, I’m sharing my experience, my personal experience, along with my study and knowledge and the result of my research in in the classroom with the students. And, there is a link between my practice as as you noticed with my research. So the access to health care services is part of my research right now. It has been part of my research for for many, many years, how people can give access to the need the health services that they need, how the health insurance can facilitate those accessibility and financial barriers, the so so many other barriers, like cultural barriers. And I use that again in my my classroom to teach students how they can evaluate accessibility to health care services when they are practicing as a health care professional, as a health care administrator, or as a public health professional, in the field. So a combination of my professional experience, my research, and also my graduate degree studies, you know, courses into my courses that I’m teaching.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:26:34]:
Now I know that you’ve had a lot of opportunities to be able to not only have your own experiences in going through graduate school and everything that you learned along the way through those experiences, but you also have worked with a number of graduate students over the years, not only here at the University of Michigan Flint, but also at other institutions in helping them to find success in their graduate school journey. As you think back to your own experiences, to the experiences you’ve had mentoring other students, and you think of students that are going to graduate school, whether it be in the health care arena or some other area, what are some pieces of advice that you’d want to give to every student considering graduate education that would help them find success sooner?

Dr. Reza Amini [00:27:21]:
So follow your passion. Whatever is your passion, follow it and try to find the way that you can link your passion to your graduated studies. If you are doing something that you’re you do not love it, you will not be happy. You will not be happy with your life, with your studies. So it’s better to find something that you’re passionate about and be resilient. So there are so many, many, graduate studies, graduate programs that you can link it to your passion. And when you find it, you need to be resilient. You need to work hard to achieve your goals and never give up.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:28:09]:
There are so many situations that we I was thinking, I I cannot go further. I cannot continue this situation. But giving up in the middle of the studies, in the middle of what you are passionate to do, it is not the best thing to think about. It’s okay if we get a break for some time, but it’s important to go back to what I was doing and connect it, create a bridge between the what I was doing and what I wanted to achieve. So as I said, be consistent. The other thing is do not hesitate to reach for help. So we cannot survive alone. We need support from other people.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:28:57]:
It doesn’t matter how strong we are or how talented we are. We cannot do anything alone, so we need to communicate with others. I have had, as I said, so many great supports and mentors, peers that they helped me along the way, and I cannot thank them enough. So it’s the same for everyone. When you need help, do not hesitate to ask for help from your family members, from your peers, from your faculty members, your advisers. In your, tier of influence, we are available to our students all the time, and sometimes I’m replying to emails during the weekend at night because I think that the student, on the other side, he or she needs help right away. She needs an an he needs an answer right now, and tomorrow might be late to get the answer. Because of my experience, I put myself in their shoes, and I try to support them as much as possible.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:30:09]:
So you have the support here because we share the same experience that you are in. We have had the same experience as you are exposed to right now. So we support our students always no matter what. So do not hesitate to ask for help.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:30:30]:
Well, Reza, I just wanna say thank you. Thank you for sharing your journey today through all of the different phases and steps that you went through and for sharing some of the things that were challenging as well as the things that went well along the way. And I truly wish you all the best.

Dr. Reza Amini [00:30:49]:
Thank you so much for having me. It was my pleasure and honor to be with you and your audience here. I hope my experience helps some people to achieve their goals. Thank you.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:31:01]:
The University of Michigan Flint has a full array of masters and doctorate programs if you are interested in continuing your education. Whether you’re looking for in person or online learning options, the University of Michigan Flint has programs that will meet your needs. For more information on any of our graduate programs, visit umflint.edu/graduateprograms to find out more. Thanks again for spending time with me as you prepare to be a victor in grad school. I look forward to speaking with you again soon as we embark together on your graduate school journey. If you have any questions or want to reach out, email me at flintgradoffice@umflint.edu.

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