Early Life and Education
Early Life and Family Background
Dr. Safai was born in the town Ardestan, Iran. His father’s fine and affluent character afforded him the opportunity to marry his mother, who came from an aristocratic family (the Hakim family) with a rich Iranian history of over 350 years of community leadership and medicine.
Shortly after their marriage and birth of Dr. Safai and his sister, his father fell bankrupt when his retail merchant customers failed to pay back their debts during WWII in the 1940s. In order to make ends meet, he unfortunately had to auction off his mother’s inherited real estate property.
Despite these devastating financial setbacks, however, both his parents persevered with pride, confidence, and dedication to provide a future for their family. With the birth of their last child, a son, this completes Dr. Safai’s family.
Education as The Silver Lining
Arising from the hardships of a post-WWII world, Dr. Safai believes that there was a crucial silver lining that his family held onto for hope for a better future: education and the importance of serving one’s community.
The highest and most prestigious level of education-then and now in Iran was Medical Sciences. Both Dr. Safai and his sister were admitted to the top medical school right after high school, having passed the Iranian national university entrance exam Konkor. In this crucial, life-defining exam, Dr. Safai ranked fifth in the nation and earned his medical doctorate from Tehran University.
Dr. Safai credits this mother as the steadfast, nurturing, and loving foundation to his resilience and success in his life endeavors. His mother was a home schooled young woman who was well-versed in math, history and literature. During these hard times, she raised and educated her children on the importance and value of academia, spending countless hours teaching, guiding and helping her children study. It is from his mother that he and his siblings’ life paths were defined and fostered.
Dr. Safai attended the School of Medical Sciences of Tehran University after ranking 5th in the nation on the Iranian university entrance exam (Konkur).