TEHRAN – Majid Ghayur Mobarkhan, an Iranian professor at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, has been awarded the Kuwait National Award for the control of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The award, run by the World Health Organization (WHO), recognizes the work of eminent scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the prevention, control and research of one or more disease groups: cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Mr. Mobarkhan received the award for his “Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease in the MASHAD Cohort Study,” known as one of Asia’s leading health projects. Prediction of cardiovascular risk factors may aid in early diagnosis, decision-making and treatment of high-risk patients, reports the Ministry of Health’s website.
He is also the founder of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Center for Health-Related Basic Sciences and Human Nutrition.
Prizes consist of bronze medals and cash prizes.
Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi accepted the award on behalf of Mobarkhan during the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Commission for the Eastern Mediterranean (RC72) held in Cairo, Egypt from October 15 to 17, but was absent from the ceremony due to visa issuance delays.
Davud Hariri, an epidemiologist and professor at the Metabolic Disease Prevention Research Center at the Institute of Gland Sciences at Shahid Vashti Medical University, Afshin Ostvar, a professor at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and Fereydun Azizi, director of the Iranian Institute of Endocrine Sciences, received the award in 2023. 2022 and 2007 respectively.
Iranian researchers ranked among top 2% in the world
According to the latest international data, the presence of Iranian researchers in the world’s top two percent list based on citation indicators continues to trend upward, indicating an improvement in the quality of the country’s scientific production.
The well-regarded Standardized Citation Index Science-Wide Author Database Update, which provides an updated version of scientist rankings based on standardized indicators, reported on September 19 that Iran has achieved unprecedented growth in both one-year performance and scientific lifetime indicators, IRNA quoted Deputy Science Minister Peyman Salehi as saying.
Based on this report, the number of Iranian researchers highly cited in one-year performance index increased from 2,326 in Iran 1403 (2024-2025) to 2,533 in Iran 1404 (2025-2026).
He explained that this figure represents an increase of 207 people compared to the previous year and clearly indicates the improvement in the quality and impact of the country’s scientific production in 2024.
Additionally, the number of highly cited Iranian researchers in the lifetime index increased significantly from 1,018 in 1403 to 1,021 in 1404. Salehi added that a five-year trend analysis showed that Iran achieved this remarkable achievement from 1,399 people to 433 people, almost tripling in growth over this period.
“The Career Long Index refers to a researcher’s scientific achievements over their entire career and includes the total number of citations that a researcher’s papers received by the end of 2024. The index evaluates metrics such as citation counts, h-index, and a researcher’s contribution to collaborative papers.”
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Photo: Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi accepted the award on behalf of Mobarkhan.