AUA Pillar Dr. Narine Sarvazyan Appointed William Frazer Endowed Professor Initiated by Late Philanthropist Edward Avedisian 

AUA Pillar Dr. Narine Sarvazyan Appointed William Frazer Endowed Professor Initiated by Late Philanthropist Edward Avedisian 

The American University of Armenia (AUA) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Narine Sarvazyan as the William Frazer Endowed Professor. 

The Professorship, along with the C. Judson King Endowed Professorship, is established with funds donated to the University by the late visionary philanthropist and AUA benefactor, Edward Avedisian. 

Dr. Narine Sarvazyan received her BS and MSc degrees in physics and biophysics from the Lomonosov Moscow State University (1980–1986). She then joined the Institute of Experimental Biology at the National Armenian Academy of Sciences where, in 1991, she received her doctoral degree in biological sciences. She completed her post-doctoral studies at the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo, after which she joined the faculty ranks of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. In 2004, Dr. Sarvazyan moved her lab to the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where she is now a tenured Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology. She has published extensively across various renowned peer-reviewed journals and holds several patents in her name. In regard to her recent AUA appointment, Dr. Sarvazyan comments, “I have the highest level of respect for AUA’s longstanding efforts to provide high-quality western-style education to Armenian youth. I hope to make a positive impact by expanding the institution’s research activities. Professor Frazer is a renowned physicist and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Armenia Corporation. Being appointed to the William Frazer Professorship is a true honor as well as great responsibility. This appointment provides me with resources and motivation to advance my research and teaching endeavors at AUA for the years to come.”

With her husband, Arthur Petrosian, Dr. Narine Sarvazyan is among the 100 Pillars of AUA, through which she continues to support AUA students and is committed to investing in their future through education. “I feel a great responsibility to utilize my expertise and knowledge to teach and inspire many talented AUA students, making it possible for them to develop their own careers in bioscience without having to leave the country,” she says. 

In her outstanding research career, she has focused on the basic mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias, cardiotoxicity of cancer drugs and environmental contaminants, stem cell therapies and new imaging modalities to visualize ablation lesions and other pathophysiological tissue states. Her extensive experience in the field will be instrumental in leading the new Akian BioScience Laboratory at AUA where she will be directing similar research. 

Dr. Sarvazyan is a recipient of the prestigious Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association and the Fulbright Scholar Award from the U.S. State Department. More details on her research projects can be found at: sarvazyanlab.smhs.gwu.edu