[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 81 (Friday, June 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ON THE OCCASION OF FATHER'S DAY: A SALUTE TO RALPH R. SALIMPOUR, MD, 
                               DCH, FAAP

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2005

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, ``Blessed indeed is 
the man who hears gentle voices call him father!'' The name Ralph 
Salimpour has become synonymous with charity and commitment in the 
greater Los Angeles area. Indeed, Ralph Salimpour is blessed for 
selflessly giving him energy and his love, and dedicating his left to 
those most in need.
  Dr. Ralph R. Salimpour is the senior attending physician of the 
highly acclaimed Salimpour Pediatric Medical Group in Los Angeles. Dr. 
Salimpour is internationally recognized as a global expert in the 
fields of Tetanus, Malnutrition, and Rickets and has the largest 
published series on Tetanus and Rickets in the world.
  Dr. Salimpour graduated from medical school at the age of 23 and has 
practiced medicine on 3 continents over the span of nearly 5 decades. 
He attended the Shiraz School of Medicine in Iran, the Royal College of 
Physicians and Surgeons of England, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center--
UCLA School of Medicine.
  In Iran, Dr. Salimpour emerged as the Director of the Research 
Institute of Child Health where he described, for the first time, 
Rickets and its etiology in tropical countries. This pioneering 
research eventually helped to change the American Academy of 
Pediatrics' recommendations for Vitamin D Supplementation in breastfed 
babies, staving off the debilitating disease in America. His research 
and his leadership in the treatment of Tetanus cut the mortality rate 
of this horrific disease from a devastating 100 percent to half of that 
value, directly resulting in countless saved lives. Dr. Salimpour also 
tackled the issue of malnutrition in Iran, demonstrating that it 
resulted from poor education rather than poverty. Dr. Salimpour's 
scientific and clinical research propelled him to the world's medical 
center stage, gaining international acclaim for his pioneering 
research.
  After the 1979 Iranian revolution, Dr. Salimpour and his family moved 
to the United States where Dr. Salimpour, a man nearly in the 6th 
decade of his life, sat for and successfully passed the rigorous series 
of exams enabling him to once again practice medicine, this time in 
America. He has been awarded the prestigious Governor's Commendation 
from the State of California and the Award of Excellence from 
California's Vaccine for Children Program. Today, Dr. Salimpour serves 
as Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the UCLA School of 
Medicine and is a practicing pediatrician in Los Angeles.
  Dr. Salimpour is also a founding Board Member of the NexCare 
Collaborative, which created a state-of-the-art, highly-innovative and 
successful call center/web site and communications program aimed at 
families with young children. This program has assisted more than 
100,000 families and helped enroll more than 18,000 children into free 
or low cost health insurance programs.
  Married to his wife Farah for 44 years, the 2 have raised 4 children, 
Pejman, Sherry, Pedram, and Nilou. Dr. and Mrs. Salimpour also have 6 
grandchildren, Koby, Alexa, Branden, Gabriella, Allen, and Ariella. Dr. 
and Mrs. Salimpour have inspired a love of medicine and children 
amongst their sons. Doctors Pejman and Pedram Salimpour are practicing 
pediatricians and leaders in their field.
  Mother Teresa once said, ``I slept and I dreamed that life is all 
joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that 
service is joy.'' Dr. Salimpour has improved the human condition by way 
of perseverance and leadership. He has passed on these ideals to his 
students as a professor of pediatrics, to his tens of thousands of 
patients, and to his children and grandchildren. As we approach 
Father's Day, I salute Dr. Salimpour for his blessings as a ``father'' 
to many.

                          ____________________