Board of Directors

Dr. Hovig Chitilian is the Division Chief for Neuro, Vascular, and Thoracic anesthesia in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

He also serves as the Director of Liver Transplant Anesthesia at MGH.

Alexa is a board-certified Physician Assistant in Department of Internal Medicine at  Boston Medical Center on the Hospitalist Service, as well as in the Emergency Department at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, and is an Instructor of Medicine for Boston University’s Physician Assistant Program.

She graduated from Providence College in 2009 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biology and Psychology, and completed her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Northeastern University in 2014.

Her professional interests include patient safety and quality improvement, undertaking projects such as reducing readmission rates, improving patient flow and transitions of care, as well as improving access to healthcare for underserved populations and helping lead the COVID response at Boston Medical Center.

In her spare time, Alexa enjoys traveling, skiing, and playing the violin.

Dr. Guzelian completed her undergraduate studies in biochemistry at Mount Holyoke College in 1986 and graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1992.

 She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1996 at Tufts University as well. During her residency she spent a month working at the Erebuni Medical Center in Yerevan helping to launch the Women’s healthcare center.

After residency, she joined a private practice at Newton Wellesley Hospital for two years, and then returned to academic medicine joining the faculty at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in 1998.

Gail has been practicing general obstetrics and gynecology for 26 years as a member of the generalist division and became the Medical Director of the Brigham Obstetrics and Gynecology Group in 2018. She completed the Brigham Leadership Program in executive education at Harvard Business School in 2020. She is a clinical instructor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School.

She has been an active member of the Armenian American Medical Association for several years.

Dr. Shant Parseghian, born in Damascus Syria, graduated from Damascus University Medical School and completed his internal medicine residency at Marshall University in West Virginia and Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, NY.

He completed his fellowship in Endocrine and Metabolism at Saint Louis University before moving to Massachusetts in 2009, where he started his endocrinology practice for North Shore Medical Center, then part of the Partners Healthcare in Salem, Massachusetts.

In 2012, Shant started his current practice at Montvale Endocrine & Diabetes Center in Stoneham, Massachusetts, through Beth Israel Lahey Health.

In his current role he serves as the Chair of Endocrine Service for Winchester Hospital and director of the Diabetes Task Force for Winchester Physicians Associates.

Shant is married to Reem Parseghian, OD, and together have two sons Aara and Raffi.

Dr. Minassian completed his undergraduate studies in Biology at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon in 1990. He graduated as a medical doctor from the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), Lebanon in 1994.

After a one year internship at AUBMC, he moved to the United States where he completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology (year one at Oliveview /UCLA, CA: 1996; years 2-4 at the University of Iowa, IA: 1999).

Vatche then practiced for three years as a Generalist at Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, TX before moving to Canada to complete fellowship training at Mt. Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery in 2004. He then moved back to the United States and worked at Geisinger Medical Center, PA as a Urogynecologist for 7 years.

In 2011, he was offered the position of Chief of Urogynecology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA where he currently serves, and is an associate professor of OB/GYN at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Armen Arslanian, born in Beirut, Lebanon, graduated from the AGBU Demirjian,    Garmirian and Hovagimian schools.

He received a B.S. in Biology with distinction, and then graduated from the medical school at the American University of Beirut with the class of 1992.

Following graduation, Armen went into an Internal Medicine residency at the Medical College of Georgia, and was the director of an urgent care prior to his Geriatric Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio.

Armen came to the city of Boston with his wife, Araz, and daughters, Rose and Lily, in 2000.

He worked at the Veterans Administration Hospitals and Harvard Medical School as Instructor Of Medicine for 4 years, conducted metabolic clinical research for 10 years, and simultaneously joined what is now the Beth Israel Lahey Health Hospital System.

For 20 years, Dr. Arslanian has been an active member of the Armenian American Medical Association, as well as a past President.

Dr. Arslanian feels deeply privileged to be with this Executive Committee, and will continue to work towards advancing the group’s Mission and Legacy.

Dr. Mirzabegian is a graduate of Wellesley College, receiving her BA in Biology.

She received her medical education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and completed her Internal Medicine Residency at New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Mirzabegian practices Primary Care in Southboro, MA, at Reliant Medical Group, part of OptumCare.

She enjoys teaching medical students and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Umass Chan Medical School. She is interested in the role of Arts and Humanities in Medicine and Medical Education.

Dr. Mirzabegian has remained active over the years with the AAMA, serving in the past on the Executive Committee as President and Vice President.

Among her community activities, she serves on the boards of National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) and the Friends of Armenian Culture Society (FACS). She is also on the Steering Committee of the Friends of Armenian Heritage Park on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Dr. Nancy Barsamian has dedicated dicated her nursing career focused on providing care and improving the quality of care to the geriatric population.

She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Ursuline College, in Ohio, her Master of Public Health Degree from Boston University School of Public Health, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.

Nancy’s doctoral work focused on Palliative Care Educations for Persons Living with  Dementia in Armenia. She has over 10 years of acute care nursing experience in the U.S  and as a consultant to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office in the Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division, addressing elder abuse cases.

She has been involved with global health work since 1993 in Armenia, assisting with the production of a public health surveillance system with the Center for Disease Control and Armenia’s National Institute of Health, USAID funded project. 

Dr. Barsamian has also worked with the Umass Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine Emergency Armenia Medical Partnership Program educating nurses. She serves as a Board member to the Women’s Support Center in Yerevan, Alzheimer’s Care Armenia, and a clinical advisor to the Armenian Women’s Welfare Association in Boston, supporting an Elder Clinic in Stepanakert, Artsakh.

Nancy resides in Sherborn, Massachusetts, with her husband, Anthony and has two children, Tamar and Raffi.  

Dr. Vache Hambardzumyan is an orthopedic surgeon with extensive international experience in reconstructive orthopedics, orthopedic trauma, and spine surgery.

Originally from Armenia, Dr. Hambardzumyan earned his medicaldegree andcompleted his residency at Yerevan State Medical University before advancing his expertise through specialized training at renowned institutions, including Brown University, the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, and Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.

Prior to moving to the US, Dr. Hambardzumyan worked for many years in a Level 1 Trauma Center in Doha, Qatar.

Currently practicing at Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough, NH, Dr. Hambardzumyan provides general orthopedic care and advanced spine care with minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Hambardzumyan is a passionate advocate for global healthcare education. He remains deeply connected to his Armenian heritage through medical mission work and surgical training programs in Armenia, where he shares his expertise to advance Orthopedic and Trauma care.