This fall, Parish Sedghizadeh will begin the prestigious leadership training program, which has propelled many university presidents, provosts, deans and others into powerful positions within academia.

PROFESSOR OF CLINICAL DENTISTRY PARISH SEDGHIZADEH DDS ’01 has been selected as one of USC’s five candidates for the Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program, a prestigious year-long fellowship that has helped shape some of the most influential figures in American higher education.

Since its founding in 1989, the program has produced university presidents, provosts and deans across the country. Sedghizadeh will join fellows from major research universities for seminars at Michigan State University, Northwestern University and the University of Michigan beginning this fall.

When the letter arrived from the USC Provost’s Office, Sedghizadeh admitted his first reaction was not exactly composed.

“I was like, ‘Uh-oh, what’d I do?’ And then it said congratulations, and I was like, ‘Oh wow!’,” Sedghizadeh said, with a laugh.

The 180

Sedghizadeh’s path to academic leadership was not one he originally mapped out. Growing up, he watched his contractor father build things and eventually picked up the trade himself. He liked working with his hands, and dental school seemed like a strong fit offering him a skilled profession, a good income and a stable life.

“I thought, OK, I’m going to dental school, I’m going to have a good career practicing dentistry somewhere or open my own practice,” Sedghizadeh said. “And then I totally 180’d.”

That pivot began during dental school at USC, where exposure to research, oral pathology and oral medicine opened doors he didn’t know existed. He practiced dentistry for years, but academia kept pulling him forward.

Mentors including Dean Yang Chai PhD ’91, DDS ’96; Executive Associate Dean of Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs Mahvash Navazesh; Associate Dean of Applied Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Casey Chen and many others at Ostrow saw his potential and gave him support to grow. Eventually, the path led him to his current role as Department Co-Chair of Diagnostic Sciences, Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine, a position he has held for six years.

“I’ve always had really great mentors here at USC,” Sedghizadeh said. “And when the opportunity to lead my own department came up, I was honored by their trust in me, just as I was when I got the Provost’s letter about the Big 10 Leadership Program.”

Bigger Picture

The Academic Leadership Program is designed for faculty identified as exceptional future leaders at major research universities. For Sedghizadeh, the selection represents an opportunity to step outside USC and see how peer institutions approach the intersection of academia, research and administration.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how academia, research, teaching and leadership all come together at other institutions,” Sedghizadeh said. “It’s such a good opportunity to have formal training in administration like this.”

The recognition also has Sedghizadeh thinking carefully about the next stage of his career.

“I still love teaching and research, and I don’t want to lose that,” Sedghizadeh said. “I think leadership where I can still collaborate and mentor students and faculty is a natural fit.”

His advice to students navigating their own paths reflects his own journey: Stay open, because the career you plan and the career you build are not always the same thing.

“You have to always be open-minded and curious,” Sedghizadeh said. “Opportunities and change can suddenly spring up on you, and you have to be ready to adapt or you can get left behind.”