Meet The Disruptors: Drs. Sharyar Baradaran and Arya Nick Shamie On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
Take your hardships to help make you stronger- As we emigrated to the U.S. to escape the Persian revolution, we realize life is not always easy. We’ve taken this occurrence in our youth and used it as a way to empower our futures and to be to me the best we can be both professionally and personally.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing. Dr. Sharyar Baradaran and and Dr. Arya Nick Shamie.
Dr. Sharyar Baradaran is a top-ranked dentist and periodontist, providing state-of-the-art care for patients in and around Beverly Hills, CA. At his practice on Camden Drive, Dr. Baradaran offers the most advanced care options for patients facing an array of oral health issues and concerns, including routine cleanings and advanced dental hygiene treatments, periodontal surgery, gum disease care including root planing and scaling, gum surgery including gum contouring and gum grafting, bone grafting, and skilled dental implant placement, as well as cosmetic treatments like Zoom teeth whitening treatments, veneers, and comprehensive smile design and makeover treatment plans.
Dr. Arya Nick Shamie is a Board Certified Spinal Surgeon who has served on the UCLA School of Medicine’s Faculty since 2000. Since 2013, he has served as the Professorand Chief of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery and Professor of Neurosurgery at UCLA School of Medicine. He was also awarded an Honorary Professorship at Zhejiang University recognizing his years of contributions in educating and training surgeons at this top international university. Dr. Shamie is actively involved in graduate medical education, offering his expertise to help educate medical students, residents and fellows. He is the director of the UCLA Spine Fellowship Program that has trained highly successful academic and private practice surgeons over the last several decades. Additionally, he is actively involved in scientific and clinical research projects pertinent to spinal disorders. Dr. Shamie was the recipient of the UCI School of Medicine Award for Excellence in Research and Scoliosis Research Society’s Dawson Traveling Fellowship. He has served three terms as the President of American College of Spine Surgery. He is also a Qualified Medical Evaluator for the State of California and was elected as an Expert Reviewer for the Medical Board of California. He was also recently designated as an expert consultant for California’s Commission on Judicial Performance.
In additional to his leadership and teaching roles in his academic practice, he leads a busy clinical practice. His expertise and reputation have also attracted the most discerning patients to his practice: Presidents, dignitaries, athletes and celebrities both nationally and internationally. He was appointed as the Vice Chair of International Affairs for Orthopaedic Surgery at UCLA. He has been awarded by several prominent consumer organizations, including: Super Doctors, Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors, America’s Most Compassionate Doctors, and was named on the US Top 10 academic spine surgeons list.
Dr. Shamie received his medical degree at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his internship in Surgery at Los Angeles County and USC Medical Centers and his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco. He completed two fellowships at the UCLA School of Medicine in Spine Surgery and Biologics Research Lab. He is currently practicing at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, as well as in Santa Monica, CA.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
We are specialists in Los Angeles. Dr. Sharyar Baradaran is a leading Periodontist specializing in gum surgery & dental implants. Dr. Arya Shamie is a leading Orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine surgery.
We are extremely sought-after doctors. Not only have we built successful lives and careers, we also revolutionized the way we treat patients with the latest technology and innovation. We have achievied a high level of recreationally and internationally. However, the passion we share for helping people’s lives through their profession is only a small part of the picture.
We were both born in Iran to renowned physicians and were friends and classmates in elementary school until the Persian revolution hit in 1979. We both escaped Iran with our families and emigrated to Los Angeles and have been best friends ever since.
Besides sharing these personal events such as fleeing their homeland and beginning a new life in the U.S., we share similar passions/hobbies including being car enthusiasts. and happen to live in the same neighborhood, the Pacific Palisades
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
We are extremely sought-after doctors. Not only have built successful lives and careers, we also revolutionized the way we treat patients with the latest technology and innovation, achieving a high level of respect nationally and internationally.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Too many to count!
Too many to count! However, we both agree that we have learned a lot from each other.
Also, we’ve learned a tremendous amount from our patients.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
In the medical field, it’s important to make sure that you are valuing human interactions. With modern medicine and with how many practices want to ensure a profit sometimes human connections are lost. On the other hand, modern medicine has allowed us to treat patients more effectively and that’s also important and valuable.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey?
- Make time for family- We enjoy having dinner with our family; we make it a point to get home in time for dinner as much as possible even with your busy schedules.
- Make time to follow your passions outside of work- For example, we both love exotic cars so we make it an effort to learn more about them outside of work. Through learning more about our passions we have become more balanced and can be more present when we are working.
- Embracing our local community- We both live in the Pacific Palisades and love it. We take time to ensure that the area is kept safe for our families and for future generations that will move to the area.
- Take your hardships to help make you stronger- As we emigrated to the U.S. to escape the Persian revolution, we realize life is not always easy. We’ve taken this occurrence in our youth and used it as a way to empower our futures and to be to me the best we can be both professionally and personally
- Embrace exercise- We both enjoy yoga and spin. Exercise routines have kept us in shape physically and mentally.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Stay tuned. We have a lot of exciting things that are planned for 2023 both professionally and personally.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
We both love Ferraris and are fans of the various podcasts on luxury cars.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
We believe in the golden rule. Making sure to treat yourself like you’d treat your neighbor is part of what keeps us honest at work and in our personal lives.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Be kind and smile. You never know if your smile will make someone’s day better.
How can our readers follow you online?
Visit our websites https://www.drbaradaranperio.com/ and https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/arya-shamie.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
