Dr. Tavakoli works for the Department of Defense and is on faculty at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP), Virginia. He is the Head of Consultation-Liaison Services which covers all inpatient areas to include Intensive Care Units and Medical-Surgical wards, along with overseas medical evacuations. He served as the Director for Scholarly Activity and Research for the Department of Psychiatry at NMCP from 2009-2021 and as the Head of Psychiatric Emergency Department from 2016-2021. Furthermore, he is a Clinical Professor at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and community faculty at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Prior to his current positions, Dr. Tavakoli served in the United States Air Force as the Medical Director and Flight Commander for Behavioral Health Services at Langley Air Force Base. He was the Chief of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Wilford Hall Medical Center and an assistant professor for the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Dr. Tavakoli acquired his Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from Marshall University and then entered West Virginia University School of Medicine to obtain his Medical Doctorate. He completed his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in consultation-liaison psychiatry at Georgetown University and Fairfax Hospital.
In addition to being a reviewer for several peer reviewed journals, Dr. Tavakoli has received numerous awards and recognitions from Georgetown University, University of Texas, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Langley Air Force Base, and NMCP for excellence in teaching and significant contribution to education. He has had numerous publications in medical journals and several editorials in the Virginian-Pilot.
Dr. Tavakoli has conducted a number of Grand Rounds (formal medical lectures) and various presentations on a range of topics in academic medicine and psychiatry to promote and advance the education of our future physicians.
Dr. Tavakoli participates in national medical societies and is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the Academy of Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Psychiatry. In addition, he is a member of the American Medical Association, the Psychiatric Society of Virginia, and the Association for Academic Psychiatry.
Dr. Tavakoli is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in the specialty of Psychiatry and the subspecialty of C-L Psychiatry.
Dr. Tavakoli’s passion lies in teaching future physicians about psychiatry by exposing medical students and interns to the challenging, yet rewarding, cases at the interface of medicine, surgery, and psychiatry. He hopes this exposure will lead to increased awareness regarding the psychiatric needs of medically ill patients, in turn leading to increased interest, enthusiasm, and recruitment in the specialty of psychiatry. Dr. Tavakoli believes that in due course, these activities will improve and enhance the services these patients receive and desperately need.
Dr. Tavakoli immigrated to the United States from Iran in 1985 and grew up in West Virginia. His nickname in the Air Force was “The Iranian Hillbilly” which he embraced with pride. When not working, he enjoys spending time with family and friends; following the NFL; discussing history, philosophy, and politics; playing backgammon, and chess. He resides with his wife, and two children in Norfolk, Virginia.
Prior to his current positions, Dr. Tavakoli served in the United States Air Force as the Medical Director and Flight Commander for Behavioral Health Services at Langley Air Force Base. He was the Chief of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Wilford Hall Medical Center and an assistant professor for the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Dr. Tavakoli acquired his Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from Marshall University and then entered West Virginia University School of Medicine to obtain his Medical Doctorate. He completed his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in consultation-liaison psychiatry at Georgetown University and Fairfax Hospital.
In addition to being a reviewer for several peer reviewed journals, Dr. Tavakoli has received numerous awards and recognitions from Georgetown University, University of Texas, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Langley Air Force Base, and NMCP for excellence in teaching and significant contribution to education. He has had numerous publications in medical journals and several editorials in the Virginian-Pilot.
Dr. Tavakoli has conducted a number of Grand Rounds (formal medical lectures) and various presentations on a range of topics in academic medicine and psychiatry to promote and advance the education of our future physicians.
Dr. Tavakoli participates in national medical societies and is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the Academy of Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Psychiatry. In addition, he is a member of the American Medical Association, the Psychiatric Society of Virginia, and the Association for Academic Psychiatry.
Dr. Tavakoli is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in the specialty of Psychiatry and the subspecialty of C-L Psychiatry.
Dr. Tavakoli’s passion lies in teaching future physicians about psychiatry by exposing medical students and interns to the challenging, yet rewarding, cases at the interface of medicine, surgery, and psychiatry. He hopes this exposure will lead to increased awareness regarding the psychiatric needs of medically ill patients, in turn leading to increased interest, enthusiasm, and recruitment in the specialty of psychiatry. Dr. Tavakoli believes that in due course, these activities will improve and enhance the services these patients receive and desperately need.
Dr. Tavakoli immigrated to the United States from Iran in 1985 and grew up in West Virginia. His nickname in the Air Force was “The Iranian Hillbilly” which he embraced with pride. When not working, he enjoys spending time with family and friends; following the NFL; discussing history, philosophy, and politics; playing backgammon, and chess. He resides with his wife, and two children in Norfolk, Virginia.