Dr. Maryam Guiahi has been appointed vice president of medical affairs at Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC). She will oversee medical programs and services for PPCCC’s five tri-county health care centers.
Dr. Guiahi is an Iranian immigrant who grew up on Long Island, New York. She completed her undergraduate education at Cornell University and attended Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, where she completed obstetrics and gynecology residency training at Loyola University Medical Center.
During her time at Loyola University Medical Center, she was introduced to religious restrictions to care based on the institution’s Catholic principles, an experience that fueled her passion for comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion.
Dr. Guiahi completed a fellowship in family planning at Columbia University Medical Center and received a master’s in epidemiology from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
“Dr. Guiahi’s appointment comes at a time when our state and country are facing a public health crisis and access to affordable reproductive health care is under attack,” said Jenna Tosh, president/CEO of PPCCC. “Access to sexual and reproductive health care is crucial for our patients and communities, now more than ever.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Guiahi to the team and are eager to work alongside her to improve and expand our ability to connect patients to care — no matter what.”
Dr. Guiahi joins PPCCC after serving as an associate professor at University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she taught for nine years. She has more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, many specific to the implications of institutional religious restrictions to care on women’s health services and ob-gyn residency training.
As the most trusted provider of reproductive health care, PPCCC promotes the ability of all individuals to lead fulfilled lives, build healthy families, and make informed decisions through high-quality health services, education and advocacy.
PPCCC doctors and nurses provide a variety of essential health services, including cancer screenings, birth control, medication and in-clinic abortion, STD testing and treatment, well-person exams, and gender affirming care. Last year, more than 31,000 people received care at PPCCC’s five tri-county health centers.