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Amid weeks of unrest in Iran, Emory University has confirmed that a physician who is also the daughter of a senior Iranian government official is no longer employed by the university, following protests and growing political scrutiny over her position.
In an email sent to medical school faculty on Jan. 24, Emory University School of Medicine Dean Sandra
Wong announced that Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, previously an assistant professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, is no longer a university employee.
The announcement came days after Iranian American demonstrators protested outside Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute, where Ardeshir-Larijani worked.
The university’s decision followed a protest on Jan. 19, when Iranian American demonstrators gathered outside the Winship Cancer Institute to oppose Ardeshir-Larijani’s employment.
Protesters linked their objections to her family ties and the Iranian government’s response to nationwide demonstrations.
The protest added public pressure on Emory as calls for her removal intensified. Demonstrators demanded that the university end her employment, citing her father’s role in Iran’s security apparatus and what they described as a brutal crackdown on protesters inside the country.
The protest took place amid ongoing unrest in Iran, which has drawn international attention and criticism of Iranian authorities.
While Emory did not publicly comment on the protest, the timing of the employment announcement closely followed the demonstration.
Ardeshir-Larijani is the daughter of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. The council is described as the body responsible for Iran’s defense and security policy.
In August 2025, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved Ali Larijani to serve as secretary of the council and to represent him on the body, according to the information provided.
His role placed him at the center of Iran’s national security decision-making during a period marked by widespread protests and political tension.
The family connection became central to the controversy surrounding Ardeshir-Larijani’s role at a major U.S. medical institution, particularly as criticism of Iranian authorities escalated internationally.
Separately, Emory University confirmed Ardeshir-Larijani’s dismissal in response to an inquiry from Iran International. In a statement attributed to Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute, the university said, “A physician who is the daughter of a senior Iranian government official is no longer an employee of Emory.”
The university added that, because the matter involves personnel issues, it could not provide additional information. Emory did not specify whether the decision was related to U.S. sanctions imposed on her father.
According to Iran International, the U.S. Treasury last week sanctioned Ali Larijani for “coordinating” the Islamic Republic’s response to nationwide protests on behalf of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and for publicly calling on security forces to use force to repress peaceful demonstrators.
He was sanctioned alongside other individuals described by the Treasury as “architects” of the deadliest crackdown on protests in Iran’s history earlier this month.
Emory said its employees are hired in full compliance with state and federal laws and other applicable requirements but did not elaborate further on the circumstances of Ardeshir-Larijani’s dismissal.
Political pressure also mounted in the days leading up to the dismissal. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia called for Ardeshir-Larijani’s removal from Emory and urged the revocation of her Georgia medical license.
In a letter sent to Emory University and the Georgia Composite Medical Board, Carter wrote that Ali Larijani had “recently and publicly advocated violence against Americans and U.S. allies” while holding a senior national security position.
He argued that his daughter’s continued role treating patients in the United States was unacceptable.
“Physicians are entrusted with intimate access to patients, sensitive personal information, and critical medical decision-making,” Carter wrote, adding that allowing someone with close family ties to a senior Iranian security official to hold such a position posed risks to patient trust, institutional integrity and national security.
Before her departure, Ardeshir-Larijani served as an assistant professor at Emory Medical School, where her official biography described her research as focusing on “new target discovery and defining an immune resistance mechanism in lung cancer.”
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