AAMS’ 19th Annual Hybrid Viva Las Vegas CME/CDE Presenters

Topic: Latest Updates in Treatment of Heart Failure
Presented By: Harry Balian, MD, FACC, FASCAI

Harry Balian, MD, FACC, FSCAI, received his Medical Degree from Chicago Medical School in 1997. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of California, Irvine where he also served as Chief Resident. Completed his Cardiology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine where he served as Chief Fellow. Dr. Balian completed his Interventional Cardiology and Vascular training at the George Washington University in Washington DC. Dr. Balian specializes in the treatment of heart disease, coronary artery percutaneous interventions and pacemaker insertions. He also performs peripheral vascular interventions including carotid stents, endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm stents, renal stents and lower extremity angioplasties. Dr. Balian is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases, Nuclear Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology and Vascular Medicine. Dr Balian is the Chairman of department of cardiology since 2015 and the Director of Structural Heart Program at Glendale Adventist, he started the TAVR (percutaneous aortic valve replacement) program since 2016. Dr. Balian is and has been a member of the Executive Committee of AAMS Since 2006. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the Society of Coronary angioplasty and Interventions and the American Heart Association. He has been the Medical Director of the Cardiac Cath Lab at Glendale Adventist Heart & Vascular Institute since 2006 and past Medical Director of the Peripheral Vascular Lab at St Vincent Hospital. He is an Associate Clinical Professor at Western University School of Medicine. He is an Associate Clinical Professor at Western University School of Medicine. Dr. Balian will be speaking on: "Latest Updates in Treatment of Heart Failure"

Topic: Updates on Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)
Presented By: Sherwin Hariri, MD, FAAAAI, FACAAI

Sherwin Hariri, MD, FAAAAI, FACAAI is a board-certified allergist & immunologist in Beverly Hills, CA. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he received his BS with a major in physiological sciences and a minor in Armenian Studies. He received his Doctorate of Medicine from Saint Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Hariri completed his internal medicine residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, after which he completed his specialty training in allergy & immunology at the UCLA West-LA VA fellowship program with pediatric rotations at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He is a clinical instructor of medicine at the David Geffen school of Medicine at UCLA, where he teaches allergists & immunologists in-training. Dr. Hariri is also an attending physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he sees and treats patients with complex allergic and immunologic diseases. Resident physicians from Cedars-Sinai rotate through his clinic, where he teaches them about his specialty. Dr. Hariri has published in several medical journals. He is a fellow of the American Academy of allergy, asthma, and immunology, as well as a fellow of the American College of allergy, asthma, and immunology. Dr. Hariri also serves as an advisory board member for Lupus LA., where he gives lectures on allergic and immunologic diseases, as it pertains to patients with autoimmune diseases. He is also on the specialty panel for the Center of the Undiagnosed Patient at Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Hariri is the Medical Director at Beverly Hills Allergy, where he treats both adult and pediatric patients with allergic rhinosinusitis, asthma, eczema, food allergies, immunodeficiencies, and various other skin conditions and allergic diseases. Appointed to the list of Super Docs featured in Los Angeles Magazine. Dr. Hariri will be speaking on: "Updates on Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)"

Topic: Updates in Cancer Screening for Primary Care Physicians
Presented By: Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

Sarmen Sarkissian, MD is board-certified in internal medicine and hematology and oncology. He completed his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at UCLA and earned his medical degree at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He then completed his internship through a categorical internal medicine program and served his residency at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center. It was there that he developed an interest in oncology and hematology and subsequently completed his fellowship training at the University of California, Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Sarkissian is a practicing hematologist and oncologist, serving the cities of Ventura, Simi Valley, and Long Beach. He is also affiliated with City of Hope as an associate professor. Dr. Sarkissian will be speaking on the following topic: "Updates in Cancer Screening for Primary Care Physicians"

Topic: Guardians of Wellness: Strengthening Mental Health Services for Healthcare Providers
Presented By: Anita Avedian

Anita Avedian is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has been practicing psychotherapy since 1996 in the greater Los Angeles area. She is the Executive Director of Avedian Counseling Center and Anger Management 818 with a group of counselors with various specialties offering in-person and virtual therapy sessions. Her specialties include working with relationships, anger, social anxiety, general anxiety, mood disorders, and addictions. Anita is a Certified Anger Management Specialist IV. She authored Anger Management Essentials, a workbook for aggression, which has been translated into Spanish, Armenian, and Hebrew, as well as the Anger Management Essentials: Teen's Edition, which has been translated into Spanish. Ms. Avedian will be speaking on the following topic: "Guardians of Wellness: Strengthening Mental Health Services for Healthcare Providers"

Topic: Stepping into the Shoes of the Person with Memory Loss or Validating the Reality of the Person with Memory Loss
Presented By: Jane Mahakian

Dr. Jane Mahakian is a Gerontologist and licensed mental health specialist who has worked and advocated for 30 years in the “realm of forgetfulness.” Dr. Mahakian is the president and founder of Alzheimer’s Care Armenia, a U.S. based 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization and registered NGO that develops sustainable programs and services for people with Alzheimer’s disease in Armenia. ACA works closely with institutions, governmental agencies and other non-governmental organizations in Armenia. Alzheimer's Care Armenia is a member of Alzheimer's Disease International. Most recently, ACA launched the Brain Health Armenia Project’s early detection memory screening and Alzheimer’s disease training project in Armenia, which was funded by Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative. Dr. Mahakian spearheaded the development of Armenia’s National Dementia Plan in cooperation with the Ministry of Health in 2022 which was formalized by Armenia’s government in March 2023. In 2021, Dr. Mahakian conceived the idea of utilizing a semi-autonomous robot named Robin the Robot with elders in a nursing home in Armenia to determine the efficacy of the robot as an emotional support for older adults suffering from isolation and loneliness in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 1998, I founded Aging Matters, Inc, a care management firm specializing in adults with memory loss. Prior to founding Aging Matters, I served as an adjunct visiting faculty member at the University of California San Francisco, Institute on Aging where she conducted research on productive and healthy aging. I also developed the University’s Elder Care Program. I was very fortunate to receive my clinical training at the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in San Francisco. I received her doctorate in clinical psychology in 1994 from the California School of Professional Psychology, in Berkeley, California. I specialize in helping adults (and their families) with cognitive impairment, caused primarily by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and has expertise in working with people with behavioral challenges caused by neurocognitive diseases.

Topic: What's New in Rheumatology
Presented By: Lilit Pilossyan, MD

Dr. Lilit Pilossyan is a board-certified rheumatologist providing care for her patients at her private practice in Van Nuys, California. She is also dual board-certified in internal medicine, completing her internal medicine residency at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, California. Dr. Pilossyan then served her rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine, where she completed her Rheumatology Fellowship. She specializes in caring for rheumatological conditions, including autoimmune diseases, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Dr. Pilossyan holds USSONAR certification, signifying her advanced diagnostic and clinical training in musculoskeletal ultrasound, enabling her to accurately diagnose and treat different kinds of arthritis and joint pain. Dr. Pilossyan also has a true passion for serving the Armenian community—greatly underserved in the treatment and diagnosis of arthritis and autoimmune diseases. Dr. Pilossyan will be speaking on the following topic: "What's New in Rheumatology"