Q&A with Dr. Dara Farhadi

Dara Farhadi, MD, MS, is a PGY-3 neurosurgery resident at the University of Arizona – Tucson. He is from Phoenix and studied neuroscience at the University of Arizona and obtained a master’s in science journalism at Boston University before starting medical school at the College of Medicine – Phoenix. He has research interests in functional neurosurgery, and has personal interests in journalism, art and tennis.

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What drew you to medical school?

I’ve been interested in medicine since the end of high school and have found neuroscience and the brain especially fascinating. In college, I had my first exposure to medicine by shadowing a cardiothoracic surgeon. As a reporter for the university’s newspaper, The Daily Wildcat, I was supposed to interview the cardiothoracic surgeon when he was then called in for an emergency surgery. I asked if I could join and watch, and he agreed. It was an open-heart surgery where a valve destroyed by vegetations was being replaced. The experience was incredible and reaffirmed my interest in medicine.

At the same time, I wanted to explore journalism more seriously and see how I could do something outside medicine and combine the two. I moved to Boston and completed a master’s degree in science journalism at Boston University. Afterward, I returned to Phoenix to do freelance work. I applied to medical school twice and was accepted the second time at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Can you share about your time in medical school and your research journey?

At the start of medical school, I knew I wanted to pursue something neuroscience-related, like neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry or even anesthesiology. I knew that I enjoyed working with my hands. During journalism school, I had some exposure to neurosurgery, which I found fascinating. Knowing that neurosurgery is very competitive, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get in, but ultimately, I felt it was worth exploring seriously.

I became class president and got involved in neurosurgery. At the time, we worked closely with Barrow Neurological Institute where I did extensive research. During my second year, we were lucky that Dr. Nakaji, the previous program director at Barrow, became our department chair. I worked closely with him and became one of the first medical students to help develop the neurosurgery department and Project Waterfall.

I took a research year working with Dr. Nakaji, secured grant funding and continued developing Project Waterfall. It has been incredibly rewarding to see something I helped start grow into such a successful mentorship program.

I ultimately matched at the College of Medicine – Tucson, where I am now a PGY-3. I met my wife, Megan Cadigan, during my first year of medical school at the College of Medicine – Phoenix. We were both initially interested in neurosurgery, but after Step 1, she realized she wanted more work-life balance and chose something even harder to do, which is primary care. She just started as an attending in Tucson, and we got married in November 2025. I have a lot to be grateful for at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, for the medical school, neurosurgery and the mentors I’ve had.

Can you share more about the goals and inspiration behind establishing Project Palo Verde in Tucson?

When I started residency in Tucson, we wanted to recreate something similar to Project Waterfall. The medical school here is physically in the same building as the hospital, making student meetings much more accessible than in Phoenix. We wanted to emulate Project Waterfall, but our symbol here is the palo verde tree, which thrives in the Sonoran Desert and provides shade for other plants, especially young saguaro cactuses. The idea is that mentors provide support and protection for trainees, who eventually grow into mentors themselves, like the palo verde tree with young cactuses. We’re still growing and not yet as established as Project Waterfall, but we’re making progress and are interested in working together.

How has your experience been so far in neurosurgery residency?

My experience has been great, though neurosurgery residency is difficult. Some stereotypes about neurosurgery are true, but not all of them. If the negative stereotypes were all true, I wouldn’t have chosen this field. Mentors like Dr. Nakaji, Dr. Bina, Dr. Baaj and others at the College of Medicine – Phoenix showed me that neurosurgeons can be hardworking, empathetic and deeply invested in their patients, families and teams. I’ve found that the majority of neurosurgeons today are well-rounded, thoughtful individuals who care deeply about patient care, research and maintaining meaningful personal lives.

Residency is demanding, although I wouldn’t say it is any different than other subspecialty fields. Every program is different. The first year at our program is particularly challenging because interns take on significant responsibility early, including managing the service and performing procedures like external ventricular drain (EVD) placements, which in other programs is usually a PGY-2 role. The learning curve is steep, but it builds confidence quickly. Call can be tough, depending on the program size and structure, it is also where you learn a great deal.

Currently, as a PGY-3, I’m rotating at the VA, which is slower-paced and allows for one-on-one time with attendings. It’s an ideal environment for learning foundational neurosurgery, doing research, studying and getting married. Next year will be more intense when we return to the main service at the university. Overall, residency is very rewarding if you truly enjoy the field. Neurosurgery is a seven-year commitment, so it’s important to choose it thoughtfully.

How did you prepare for residency applications?

For competitive specialties like neurosurgery, starting early is helpful, though not absolutely required, but it can make third and fourth years more manageable. That’s one of the main values of Project Waterfall.

You don’t really understand what field you want to go into until you shadow or join the service, see the patients, and learn about the people in the field, the work-life balance and the pathology.

During my third year, I realized neurosurgery was the right fit for me. Neurosurgery programs value research, sub-internship performance, clinical evaluations and strong professional relationships. Decent grades are expected, but they’re only one component. Because my Step 1 score was lower and I was deeply interested in basic science research, I decided to take a research year to work with Dr. Nakaji. The worst thing that you can do during a research year is not use that time wisely. It’s an opportunity to be intentional, to align your interests with your application and address any weaknesses. I used that year productively: I studied for Step 2, secured two grants for funding, completed rotations and strengthened my application.

Can you describe your experiences with your gap year and other ways to bolster your residency applications?

When I took a research year, there was a lot of hesitation and concern. People worried about how it would look on my application. It sounds like attitudes have changed about research years.

Dual applying is another area that still carries some stigma, especially in neurosurgery. Many applicants are hesitant to talk openly about it. I think this will continue to change as priorities shift and people become more transparent about their goals.

What are your future aspirations, and what experiences in medical school and residency helped prepare you for that path?

I know that I want to pursue functional neurosurgery. That interest likely began during my time working as a science journalist, when I wrote for the Epilepsy Foundation. My role was to translate research papers for a general audience — patients, families and others interested in epilepsy. That work introduced me to functional neurosurgery, where epilepsy surgery is a major subspecialty.

In medical school, watching functional neurosurgery cases further solidified my interest. Seeing electrodes implanted and a patient’s tremor resolve immediately during surgery is a powerful experience. Patients are woken up during these procedures so you can test the effect in real time. It’s remarkable to see such an immediate improvement in quality of life. These procedures may not always be described as lifesaving, but in many ways, they truly are. They restore independence, mobility and the ability to participate fully in life. Conditions like Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and essential tremor can be devastating, and functional neurosurgery can make a profound difference.

A major influence was my sub-internship at the College of Medicine – Tucson. They treated me like a home program student because they knew Dr. Nakaji and that the College of Medicine – Phoenix program was brand new. The faculty were personable, supportive and aligned with my values. One particularly influential mentor was Dr. Paul Larson, a well-known leader in functional neurosurgery worldwide who trained at the College of Medicine – Tucson and returned to Tucson. Watching how he practiced, spoke with patients and treated patients was a major factor in ranking Tucson highly. Today I feel especially lucky to have matched here as we now have Dr. Julie Pilitsis, who is a giant in functional neurosurgery, as our chair and has since hired an epilepsy surgeon, Dr. Nehaw Sarmey, as well as many others to elevate our department and education further.

Originally printed in the College of Medicine – Phoenix August 2026 Specialty Report Newsletter and reprinted here with permission.

Specialty Report Newsletter Editors: Fatemah Alzuhairi, Hannie Lynch, Eric Dudebout, Tagwa Salih, Tanner Sandberg.