
Palisadian Dr. Simon J. Simonian, Who Helped Eradicate Smallpox, is on a Mission to Save the World
By JACQUELINE PRIMO | Reporter
Dressed in a dark suit jacket, French cuff dress shirt and striped tie with an American flag pinned to his collar, El Medio resident Dr. Simon J. Simonian was the picture of class over lunch with the Palisadian-Post at Casa Nostra in the Highlands on Friday, Aug. 21.
The vibrant 83-year-old, who has served more than 50,000 patients throughout his medical career, is as gentlemanly and gracious as he is accomplished.

Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
“Accomplished” is an understatement.
Throughout his lifetime, Simonian has played a vital role in saving the lives of millions of people worldwide. Of significant note is his work as part of the team that produced the first smallpox vaccine that was used by the World Health Organization to eradicate the disease in 1977, Simonian told the Post.
Since that global health breakthrough, Simonian has turned his attention to the areas of kidney transplantation, venous vascular disease (phlebology), lymphatic vascular disease and immunogenetics. In his spare time, he’s a violinist, international speaker, author and spiritual leader.

Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
And that pendant on his collar? Given to him by President (and former Palisadian) Ronald Reagan when he served as Surgeon-in-Chief during Reagan’s visit to Detroit in 1988. Simonian also served in that capacity for George H.W. Bush in 1989.
Over summer salads and fettuccini, Simonian spoke with enthusiasm about his extensive medical career, storied family history, 50-year marriage and what’s next.
A Family’s Tragedy
“We chose the Palisades because of its beauty and its view of the ocean. My wife and I walk on the beach path every day,” said Simonian, who moved to Pacific Palisades with his wife Arpi in 2009. Two of their three sons live nearby in Malibu and Westwood.
Simonian’s journey to his beautiful Palisades home was anything but glamorous.

“I never met my grandparents on either side. They were massacred. They were killed,” Simonian said matter-of-factly of his grandparents, who were murdered during the Armenian genocide in 1915. This year marks the 100th anniversary of that tragedy, when his father and mother were orphaned at the ages of 9 and 6, respectively, Simonian said.
“As an orphan, she had to fend for herself all her life,” he said of his mother who was “saved by Quakers” and later educated as a nurse at American University of Beirut.
Despite the trauma his parents underwent as children and the difficulties they faced growing up, they both lived very long lives—his father dying in 1998 at the age of 93 and his mother passing away in 2006 at 96.
A loving son, Simonian held his mother’s hand as she died.
“I wanted to be close to them because they were orphaned,” he said, adding that he lived near them toward the end of their lives near Washington, D.C.
His mother’s Quaker background and career in medicine inspired him to follow in her footsteps, both religiously and career-wise.
A LEGACY IN MEDICINE
Simonian’s resume is longer than most people’s memoirs would be. A quick look through the 2013 edition of Marquis “Who’s Who in the World” directory bears testament to his achievements.
Simonian alone merits 339 lines (or seven typed pages) in the tome, which lauds top leaders for their efforts to better the world.

And better the world he has. His successes in the medical field are particularly impressive.
Simonian served as part of the collaborative team at London University that produced the first freeze-dried, heat-stable smallpox vaccine. Until their breakthrough, previous smallpox vaccines had a short shelf life—about one day, according to Simonian.
Thanks to their efforts, “it meant the vaccine could last about 60 weeks, so it could be sent around the world,” he said.
By 1977, smallpox, which was killing three people worldwide each minute and 5,000 people each day, was gone. It is the first disease eradicated in history, saving an estimated two million lives a year and approximately 70 million lives to date, Simonian said.
The teams that collaborated on the vaccine and the WHO eradication program have been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine three times, he said.
Considering his efforts in creating a vaccine that has saved millions, it’s no surprise that Simonian is a firm believer in mandatory childhood vaccines. When asked about his thoughts on how some people believe childhood vaccines may be to blame for developmental delays and autism, Simonian said, “It’s unfounded scientifically. It’s emotional. Vaccination not only prevents disease but can eradicate disease. I am for mandatory vaccination. It saves lives.”
The additional medical accolades he has received are too numerous to mention. As part of a team at Harvard Medical School, he helped pioneer the field of immunogenetics (the study of the relationship between genetics and immunity).
He worked alongside his mentor Joseph Murray, MD, a 1990 winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, who performed the first successful human organ transplant in 1954. Simonian acted as Immunology Division Director of a team at Harvard that made kidney transplantation a medical specialty (subsequently performing nearly 300 kidney transplants himself).
He led a team at the University of Chicago that produced a prototype of a cancer cell-killing agent with the advice of Charles Huggins, a 1966 Nobel Prize winner. The agent “would kill the cancer cells only,” Simonian said of his work in immunology with advisor Huggins, compared to chemotherapy, which “kills all cells.”
Simonian has also served as a leader in the development of two medical specialties: venous vascular disease (which can lead to blood clots and varicose veins) and lymphatic vascular disease. In 1990, he founded the Vein Institute in Fairfax County, Virginia.
In addition, he has co-authored 300 scientific articles and four books; given more than 350 speeches worldwide; and earned five degrees, including doctorates, from Oxford, Harvard and London Universities.
After so many accomplishments, Simonian has never forgotten how important his mentors were to him.
To celebrate the power of the student-teacher relationship, Simonian established the Joint Joseph E. Murray, MD, and Simon J. Simonian, MD, ScD Research Excellence in Surgery Award. Harvard Medical School presents the award each year to both a mentee and mentor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
THE SECRET OF HIS SUCCESS
“The secret of success is collaboration,” Simonian said—words of wisdom he has applied not only to his achievements in medicine alongside some of the industry’s greatest pioneers, but also to his outlook on religion and science, as well as marriage.
Simonian and his wife Arpi celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 11.

“Loving relationships are the treasure of evolution. I am very fortunate. My wife is my friend, teacher and constant companion,” he said.
Arpi has served alongside Simonian on the Leadership Council of the Harvard School of Public Health and the Harvard Nutrition Round Table. She has a Master of Science degree from Harvard University, is a published author of two books nutrition and has two endowed Arpi Simonian Prizes in Nutrition at Harvard and one endowed Arpi Simonian Prize in Leadership at Oxford, both jointly with Simon J. Simonian.
Her expertise in nutrition translates into the couple’s daily life in the Palisades. “We eat a healthy Mediterranean diet with lots of legumes, vegetables, nutss, fruit, chicken and fish—little or no red or processed meat,” Simonian said.
The couple have eight grandchildren, five of whom live close to the Palisades. Some of them may be following Simonian into the field of medicine. “My granddaughter is showing an interest in neuroscience,” he said, beaming with pride.
BLENDING SCIENCE
AND RELIGION
With his mother’s influence, Simonian has been a lifelong Quaker and is an active minister at the Santa Monica Friends Meeting, the nearest Quaker Meeting House.
“Quakers are for peace, non-violence, justice, social order, integrity, trustworthiness, equality, community, sustainability of life and living, unity, stewardship, the Golden Rule, education, temperance, moderation and simplicity,” Simonian said.
While many people struggle to balance religious beliefs with scientific knowledge, for Simonian, balancing both aspects of his life is integral.
“Religion seeks truth using faith, morality and ethics. Science seeks truth using experiments and observation, which are reproducible to confirm they are factual. In this way, religion and science collaborate and mutually enhance each other’s capacity to resolve problems for the common good,” he said.
“The scientists and the spiritual leaders have to collaborate,” he added.
After a lifetime of saving lives through medicine, Simonian is now focusing on saving lives by promoting peace throughout the world and is currently co-authoring the book “Building Culture of Peace: To Empower Local/Global Communities.”
On June 18 of this year, Simonian was asked to bring his message of peace to the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles alongside Mayor Eric Garcetti in the wake of the mass church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
Garcetti and the rest of the congregation clapped as Simonian delivered an impassioned and inspiring talk. “It could have been sad, but instead it was an uplifting moment,” he said.
“Having healed in medicine, I want to heal now in society,” he said, his eyes lighting up.
Michael Aushenker contributed to this story.
Smallpox Statistics Worldwide
Number of people killed by smallpox prior to its eradication in 1977:
3 people per minute
5,000 per day
2 million per year
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