Sahand Eftekari Interview 

Sahand Eftekari graduated from RFHS and is on his way to becoming a plastic surgeon. Read more about his journey in the following article:

Article: Sahand Eftekari Interview

Writer: Hana Soltani

For his undergraduate degree, Sahand decided to study biomedical engineering and computer programming because of his passion for mathematics. Sahand believes “It is important to remember not every student needs to study biology to get accepted into medical school. I have many friends who studied different subjects such as philosophy. It is essential to remember to study the subjects you are interested in and passionate about”.  In fact, studying computer programming helped him understand bioengineering a lot better. Sahand continued his medical school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

During his time in medical school, Sahand changed interests a few times. At first, he was interested in becoming an orthopedic surgeon due to the high accuracy needed in this career and its constant use of mathematics and numbers. Then he learned more about plastic surgery and decided to become a plastic surgeon in the future. Plastic surgery is not only for cosmetics, it is a predominant major in reconstructive procedures as well such as: severe burns and trauma. Plastic surgery also requires high accuracy. Sahand is interested in becoming a reconstructive plastic surgeon. 

Another reason that Sahand decided to study in medical school was his encounter with a police officer, who had an amputated right leg and was unable to enjoy playing sports or any extreme physical activity. Sahand and his team tried to design a different and innovative prosthetic leg to help bring back his abilities and to improve his quality of life. After three tries, they were successful, and Sahand and the police officer are still friends to this day.

As mentioned before, Sahand always enjoyed innovation and hands-on activities, therefore, another innovation that he and his team made is a portable surgical microscope which allows surgeons to perform more accurate surgery since it can easily be used during the surgical procedure.

Sahand is starting his Plastic Surgery residency at the Mayo Clinic. When asked if he would change anything if he could go back he replied: “As long as I remember, I have always believed in working hard and playing hard. Even though sometimes medical school can become challenging, it is important to remember to also have fun. I am under the firm belief that if it’s not fun, it’s not worth it. Taking time to be with your friends, explore different hobbies, and having those nights when you’re goofing around are very important. Those helped me figure out who I am as a person and what I want to do”. 

Medical school is expensive and challenging, but if you are passionate and determined about your goals you can definitely succeed. Sahand’s journey proves the necessity of working hard, having fun, creativity, innovation, and keeping an open mind.