Dr. Farjah is a thoracic surgeon, scientist, and educator at the University of Washington. He has advanced training in thoracic oncology and minimally-invasive surgery from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Farhood is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery, an Endowed Chair in Lung Cancer Research, and the Associate Medical Director for the Surgical Outcomes Research Center.
Dr. Farjah believes that, “Patients seek out specialists for a variety of reasons—symptoms, a diagnosis, a cure, advice on further testing, a first, second, or even third opinion, specialized treatment, follow-up care, palliative care, and hope. I am committed to understanding patients’ goals and helping them achieve their goals.” He has expertise is in multi-disciplinary management of lung and esophageal cancer, thymoma, mesothelioma, and rare tumors of the chest such as sarcoma; complex benign esophageal disease; thoracoscopic and robotic surgery; and advanced diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. In addition to caring for individuals, Dr. Farjah has helped lead a population health approach to promoting lung cancer screening among eligible primary care patients within UW Medicine. National organizations—including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, American College of Chest Physicians, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and the National Lung Cancer Roundtable—recognized his clinical expertise and invited him to serve on a number of leadership and practice guideline committees.
Dr. Farjah participates in clinical research because he "want(s) to do work that will benefit people that (he) will never meet.” The National Cancer Institute awarded him a $1.9 million grant to lead a multi-institutional team to better understand how intensely to evaluate individuals with incidentally (not screen) detected lung nodules. He has also received funding from the CHEST Foundation and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. His research aims to find the best diagnostic and treatment options for patients, develop and validate tools used by clinicians to make better decisions, and help health system leaders and other stakeholders make informed policy decisions based on scientific evidence. In addition to leading these research efforts, he is committed to mentoring the next generation of clinician-scientists and surgeon leaders through his role as the Associate Medical Director of the Surgical Outcomes Research Center. Dr. Farjah also serves on the editorial boards for CHEST, Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
Dr. Farjah loves trying out new restaurants as well as spending time with family, friends, and his pets. He enjoys cooking and grilling. Dr. Farjah used to play in a high school rock band and had both a mullet and an American-made neck-through-body Jackson Randy Rhoads Flying V guitar!
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Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Fellowship, 2012, Cardiothoracic Surgery
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UW - Dept. of General Surgery
Residency, 2010, Surgery
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UW - Dept. of General Surgery
Fellowship, 2008
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UW - School of Public Health
Master Public Health, 2007
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UW - Dept. of General Surgery
Residency, 2005, Surgery
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Oregon Health & Science University
Medical education, 2002
Board Certifications
- Thoracic Surgery, 2013, American Board of Thoracic Surgery
- Surgery, 2010, American Board of Surgery