Salman Otoukesh, M.D.

I always carried within me the inspiration to help those most suffering to live lengthier and happier lives.

Salman Otoukesh, M.D., brings international stature and experience to his work at City of Hope. He is the former chief medical officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a post he held for two years in his native Iran.

Dr. Otoukesh specializes in the treatment of leukemia with added emphasis on the lifesaving potential of stem cell transplants. He relishes the challenges presented by this complex disease. “I enjoy thinking always out of the box to beat this disease in different ways,” he said, “and adding more hope on the treatment horizon.”

The bilingual (English/Farsi) Otoukesh received his medical degree from Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. After six years in practice in Iran, he arrived in the U.S. where he advanced his training at Texas Tech University of Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas, Loma Linda University Health in Loma Linda, California, and most recently, completing a fellowship in stem cell transplantation at City of Hope.

In caring for his patients, Dr. Otoukesh follows the example of his father, “a passionate clinician and researcher in taking care of children with renal diseases.” He is excited to be part of the City of Hope family and shares its “above and beyond” philosophy. “I am truly a believer of the connection between mind and soul during and after active cancer treatment,” he said, “and I found City of Hope exquisitely modeling this.”