Board & Staff

Dr. Simonian has more than 40 years changing lives as a teacher and administrator at Weber State University, she has built a legacy that has impacted both the WSU community and the field of medicine. Simonian, the Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions dean, has always valued learning and stewardship passion that is evident in decades of achievement. Dr. Simonian began her life far from the Wasatch Mountains; she was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. Early on, her parents knew they wanted to give her and her younger brother a different life. When Simonian’s brother was born, her mother applied for immigration to the United States, making monthly trips to the American embassy to check on their application status. After 12 years of waiting, her family was finally able to leave Iran. With the help of an uncle, who had emigrated years before and then graduated from Utah State University, her family came to the U.S. and settled in Utah. Simonian was just 15 years old at the time. Only five days after arriving, she began 10th grade at West High School in Salt Lake City. Knowing almost no English, American high school was daunting. But Simonian was no ordinary young woman. Already a high-achieving student, she quickly found clever ways to overcome any obstacle. She took up Spanish as a way to improve her English grammar and language skills.

After high school, Simonian pursued higher education at the University of Utah. The first in her family to attend college, she threw herself into her studies with a passion that is still present in her work today. While in college, she found a love for medicine specifically, hematology oncology, the study of cancer in the blood. Her interest in cancer research began years earlier when her grandmother was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. At just 8 years old, Simonian made the brave promise that she would come to the U.S. and study to find a cure for cancer one day. When the time came, she changed her major to focus on cancer research a path that would eventually apply to her own life more personally.

“I know we immigrated for education,” Simonian said during a 2020 Weber State Stewart Library oral history project interview. “We immigrated to the United States, so we could have a better life, so we could be free, so we can advance. I felt like I owed it to my family, everyone around me, to do the best I could do. To be the best I could be.” Her tenacity and determination meant Simonian excelled in college, even while working multiple jobs to help pay for her education. Her hard work paid off when she earned three degrees from the University of Utah: a bachelor’s and master’s in medical laboratory sciences (MLS), followed in 1998 by her doctoral degree in patient education and counseling. “If you are educated, it affects everything; you can make sound choices,” she said. “You can educate your kids, you can educate anyone around, you can find employment and improve your lives. You know, it’s powerful.”

Simonian’s achievements are almost innumerable, but they would not be complete without the crown jewel: her students. Simonian’s dedication has created a network of capable, confident and compassionate healthcare professionals that reaches far beyond Weber State. “She is an amazing teacher,” Pulido said. “She taught me about medicine, but she also helped me see the value of being genuine in everything I do. I'm where I am today because of Yas and her influential power and endless encouragement.” Her enthusiastic and caring approach to learning has helped thousands of students like Pulido, all while nurturing bonds that have lasted beyond the classroom. Many former students are still in touch with Simonian as colleagues, practitioners, physicians, clinicians, faculty and friends. Their constant contributions to healthcare locally, nationally and globally validate the value of their Weber State education and demonstrate the differences they continue to make in the communities they serve. As both an educator and administrator, she has served up a passion for education.

“Teaching what I know, the best way I know how, and getting the students interested, giving them appetizers so they can go for the full course, that’s what I like. I like helping the students be lifetime learners,” Simonian said.