Board of Directors

Dr. Rosalynn Nazarian is a board-certified Dermatopathologist in the Pathology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. She has carved a unique area of expertise in the pathology of medical dermatology encompassing inflammatory and fibrosing disorders of the skin, including vasculitis, wound repair, and cutaneous drug eruptions. Her academic endeavors have led to over 100 peer-reviewed publications, 21 book chapters, and numerous national and international invited lectures. Dr. Nazarian serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, and Dermatopathology Consultant on challenging telepathology cases from Armenia, Tanzania, and Kenya. She has developed a international reputation for her contributions to the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory and fibrosing diseases in the skin.

Dr. Hovig Chitilian is the Division Chief for Neuro, Vascular and Thoracic anesthesia in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at the 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. 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; and years 2-4 at the University of Iowa, IA:1999). He 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 was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Dr. Arslanian 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, he 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 great city of Boston with my wife Araz, 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 is 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. Viken Babikian was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and graduated from the American University of Beirut School of Medicine. After completing his training at the University of Chicago Hospitals and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, he joined the Department of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, where he is a Professor of Neurology.

Dr. Babikian is a clinician and researcher, and his focus is on cerebral blood flow measurement and cerebrovascular disorders. He has published four textbooks and 150 research papers and book chapters in the field of stroke. He has given more than 140 national and international presentations.

Dr. Babikian is also the President of the Stroke Initiative Advisory Task Force for Armenia (SIATA), a group of Armenian, French, Russian, and American physicians who for the past 10+ years have collaborated to effectively improve stroke care in Armenia.

Dr Guzelian completed her undergraduate studies in biochemistry at Mt 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. She 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.

Nancy Barsamian has dedicated 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. Her 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.  She 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.