Shokouh Mirfattah
Encyclopedia
Shokouh Mirfattah was born on 25 September 1946 in Tehran
, Iran
. After receiving a bachelor's degree
in physical education
, she moved to the United States to complete her advanced studies in this field. In 1978, while working on her Ph.D. dissertation at University of Texas in Houston, she got involved in a car accident and became paraplegic.
After moving to Iran and spending several years in rehabilitation, Mirfattah with a doctorate degree in physical education, decided to share her knowledge with those with disabilities to improve their lives in a society that did offer little support for the disabled. She held faculty positions at several universities in Iran. Her lectures were regularly attended by many nationally and internationally recognized athletes. She founded and co-founded several different organizations and support groups with the goal of improving the conditions of the disabled including the Paralympic Committee of Iran, and Iranian Spinal Cord Injury Association. She authored, co-authored, and translated several publications that introduced the issues of equal rights and equal opportunities for people with disabilities to the iranian community.
After several years of battling a series of serious health problems including kidney failures and going through dialysis, Mirfattah died in the early hours of June 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California. She was buried on June 22, 2010 in the "naamavaran" section of Behesht-e Zahra
cemetry of Tehran, Iran.
Mirfattah was the founder of the Iranian Society of Spinal Cord Injury. Her contributions to the field of sports medicine and particularly, the issues related to people and athletes with disabilities has had a significant impact on lives of many with disabilities.
Mirfattah also authored several articles in scientific journals and attended many international conferences on the topics of sports medicine for athletes with disabilities. She served on the executive committee of the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF) and International Paralympic Committee for several years.
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. After receiving a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, she moved to the United States to complete her advanced studies in this field. In 1978, while working on her Ph.D. dissertation at University of Texas in Houston, she got involved in a car accident and became paraplegic.
After moving to Iran and spending several years in rehabilitation, Mirfattah with a doctorate degree in physical education, decided to share her knowledge with those with disabilities to improve their lives in a society that did offer little support for the disabled. She held faculty positions at several universities in Iran. Her lectures were regularly attended by many nationally and internationally recognized athletes. She founded and co-founded several different organizations and support groups with the goal of improving the conditions of the disabled including the Paralympic Committee of Iran, and Iranian Spinal Cord Injury Association. She authored, co-authored, and translated several publications that introduced the issues of equal rights and equal opportunities for people with disabilities to the iranian community.
After several years of battling a series of serious health problems including kidney failures and going through dialysis, Mirfattah died in the early hours of June 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California. She was buried on June 22, 2010 in the "naamavaran" section of Behesht-e Zahra
Behesht-e Zahra
Behesht-e Zahra , is the largest cemetery in Iran. Located in the southern part of metropolitan Tehran, it is connected to the city by a metro line. The cemetery has been one of the inspirations for the popular webcomic, Zahra's Paradise.-History:...
cemetry of Tehran, Iran.
Mirfattah was the founder of the Iranian Society of Spinal Cord Injury. Her contributions to the field of sports medicine and particularly, the issues related to people and athletes with disabilities has had a significant impact on lives of many with disabilities.
Works
- Are You Really Disabled?
- Grading Disability in Sport and Medicine
- International Basketball Rules for the Disabled
- Special Sports for the Disabled
- Sexual Disorders Caused by Neural Problems
- Physiotherapy in Sport
- Essentials of Physical Fitness
Mirfattah also authored several articles in scientific journals and attended many international conferences on the topics of sports medicine for athletes with disabilities. She served on the executive committee of the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF) and International Paralympic Committee for several years.
External links
- http://www.scia.ir/ Iranian Spinal Cord Injury Association انجمن معلولین ضایعات نخاعی
- http://www.npc.ir/info/en/index.asp National Paralympic Committee Islamic Republic of Iran