Mirzanejad, Dr. Yazdan
Dr. Yazdan Mirzanejad is a Clinical Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a staff Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine physician at Surrey Memorial Hospital. A graduate of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS) followed by postgrad training in UBC, U of M, Vanderbilt University and Gorgas Institute of Tropical Medicine. He has devoted over 28 years to clinical care, bedside teaching, and medical education in infectious diseases and tropical medicine in UBC and Fraser Valley. Since 2014, he has served as Site Lead for the ambulatory teaching curriculum at UBC’s Surrey Campus, where he is closely involved in undergraduate and postgrad medical education, learner mentorship, and faculty development.
Dr. Mirzanejad’s academic and clinical interests sit at the intersection of tropical medicine, antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial stewardship, severe infection and sepsis, emerging infections, and the health effects of climate change. His work reflects a One Health perspective, recognizing that human, animal, and environmental health are increasingly linked through travel, migration, changing ecosystems, and global antimicrobial pressure. He is particularly interested in translating epidemiologic and microbiologic data into practical, patient-centred decisions at the bedside.
His scholarly contributions include collaborative studies on severe sepsis and septic shock, cholangitis-associated septic shock, Candida septic shock, diabetic foot infection, Lyme carditis, Cryptococcus gattii in British Columbia, extensively drug-resistant Salmonella Typhi, and Canadian antimicrobial surveillance and real-world antimicrobial-use registries including CLEAR and CANWARD. Through these collaborations, he has contributed to clinical research addressing timely antimicrobial therapy, source control, antimicrobial resistance, novel and targeted agents, and emerging infectious diseases in Canada.
As an educator, Dr. Mirzanejad values the exchange of knowledge with learners and colleagues. He has been frequently recognized on the UBC Department of Medicine Honour Roll for Clinical Teaching Excellence for outstanding contributions to undergraduate and postgraduate inpatient teaching and undergraduate outpatient teaching. His teaching integrates clinical reasoning, microbiology, public health, and global medicine, with an emphasis on practical decision-making, patient safety, and humility in the face of complex infectious disease presentations. He has participated in national and international conferences as an organizer and speaker and enjoys connecting with colleagues across cultures and health systems.
Outside medicine, Dr. Mirzanejad is a proud father to a daughter with interests in health care education. He enjoys fitness, green-energy living, healthy cooking, music, film, travel, and learning from the cultures and communities he encounters around the world.