Dr. Reza Khatib, 95 Years Young, Celebrates a Legacy of Medical Research and Philanthropy

Stuart, FL – At 95 years of age, Dr. Reza Khatib can look back at an incredible legacy as an outstanding neurosurgeon, an acclaimed researcher on brain issues, and a beloved world-class philanthropist. 

 

Dr. Khatib celebrated his birthday festivities with friends, colleagues and his dear family from Iran.  They all joined him for a joyful party at Harbour Ridge in Palm City in October.  

 

His friend Dr. Amir Manbachi, an interdisciplinary academic in neurosurgery, biomedical engineering and ultrasound from  Johns Hopkins, played the Persian Tombak, a drum carved in one piece from a tree trunk with a drumhead made from goatskin. The guests who were able joined him in singing Happy Birthday in his native Farsi.  Everyone else then joined in English.

 

In keeping with his generosity, Dr. Khatib offered each guest a gift -  an accounting of his best advice for living a good life, and a reminder that Dr. Khatib is still busily pursuing his dreams of a cure for malignant brain cancer.

 

Dr. Reza Khatib is an acclaimed retired neurosurgeon who has been recognized locally, nationally and internationally for his thoughtful generosity, leadership and impressive contributions in bettering community life, institutions and organizations.

 

His influence on the Treasure Coast community is significant. He donated funds to the Council on Aging’s Day Primary Care program, for example, to provide patients the opportunity to receive specialized diagnostic PET scans to check for Alzheimer’s disease. These tests are not covered by insurance. His generosity has helped many patients learn if they had been incorrectly diagnosed and to confirm a more accurate diagnosis at no cost to the patient. The project is part of an extensive, ongoing Alzheimer’s disease research initiative with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

 

Dr. Khatib is also the founder and driving force behind the Khatib Bridge and Education Center in Stuart. At his nonprofit facility, members who formerly drove to West Palm Beach for sanctioned bridge matches can now participate close to home.

 

In 2017, the Council on Aging Martin County named Dr. Khatib as the Sage Award Honoree in category of Health Science and Medicine. Since that time, his energies have been largely devoted to finalizing a series of self-sustaining contracts, working with Johns Hopkins, Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, to subsidize the continuing search for a cure for glioblastoma and other malignant forms of brain cancer, an effort that has been a lifelong priority for him.

 

Dr. Khatib first decided to become a neurosurgeon as a boy of 10. Over the next 50 years he and his late wife Georgie built a thriving practice, an international reputation and the retirement fortune that has allowed for his philanthropic pursuits. In his hometown of Mashad, Iran, for example, the Khatibs established the Clinic and School for the Indigent and instituted Mashad’s first Hospice for the Terminally Ill.

 

Dr. Khatib’s skill, talent, intelligence, positive energy and generosity over his 95 years have resulted in contributions to medicine, science and the overall well-being of the local and international communities of which he is a part.

 

For more information about the Council on Aging Martin County, visit www.coamartin.org  or call 772-223-7800.

 

About the Council on Aging Martin County

For seniors, their families, and caregivers, the Council on Aging Martin County is their trusted and comprehensive hub for senior resources. We work with the community to reduce anxiety, depression, loneliness, and hunger. Together, we help seniors live a safer, healthier, and happier life.

 

From our Adult Day Club, Day Primary Care Center, case management, and memory enhancement programming, to our nutrition and exercise classes, games to improve memory, concerts and social events, the Council on Aging’s Kane Center on Salerno Road is a beehive of activities. Services also take to the road – like Meals on Wheels, providing a hot meal and a warm smile to more than 500 homebound and needy Martin County senior residents in their home each day, or Senior Dining Centers at locations throughout the county in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Indiantown and Hobe Sound. The Elder Care Mobile Outreach Bus brings knowledgeable and compassionate staff directly to seniors in local neighborhoods.

 

For 51 years, the Council on Aging Martin County has been working tirelessly to inspire a community that embraces, uplifts and encourages seniors to maintain lives of quality and purpose. Stay healthy. Be active. Eat well. Get help when you need it from the Council on Aging Martin County. Please visit us in person, online at coamartin.org, or on social media, and learn more about the many services of the Council on Aging Martin County. Our staff and volunteers are ready and eager to help.