Dr. Massood and Simin Babai:
A reflection on their remarkable journey and a family legacy filled with hope and healing

This story originally appeared in the Summer 2024 edition of Promise magazine.

Esteemed members of the community Dr. Massood and Simin Babai recently made a leadership gift of $1 million to Summa Health that will significantly enhance behavioral health services and psychiatry resident education — two causes very close to their hearts.

Their generosity underscores the couple’s long-standing history of support and a family legacy marked by Dr. Babai’s dedication to the field of behavioral health.

Born in the small town of Zahedan near the Iran-Pakistan border, Dr. Babai overcame the odds to fulfill his dream of a career helping others through hope and healing. It was a passion sparked during his medical school rounds, despite his father’s wishes for his son to become a businessman.

A chance meeting between Dr. Babai and Simin beneath a tree, while he was studying in Tehran and she was in town visiting with her aunt, has led to 60-plus years of marriage and a lifetime together on another side of the world.

With his devoted wife and cherished family by his side, Dr. Babai’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, from his origins in Iran to becoming deeply ingrained in the behavioral health care community.

In 1967, Dr. Babai departed for the United States ahead of Simin and their three-year-old daughter, Mojgan. Simin remembers those eight months apart as “incredibly difficult.” Even after the family reunited in New York City, they faced the challenges of living in a new country and learning a different language.

Dr. Babai interned at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, and then he completed his psychiatry residency at Rollman Psychiatric Institute in Cincinnati before the family moved to Northeast Ohio. At Fallsview Psychiatric Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, and later St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Dr. Babai’s reputation for excellence in patient care and education flourished.

He also was among the first professors to teach at Northeast Ohio Medical University, when it opened its doors in 1973.

Two lifetimes of dedication

Dr. Babai’s commitment is well known and highly regarded – not only by his patients, residents and community – but also by friends, neighbors and family members.

Mojgan said her father was often called upon day and night to help anyone in need.

To stay connected with him while he worked, Mojgan and her sisters – Sarah and Dora – would join him at St. Thomas Hospital. “All three of us kids were dropped off at the doctors’ lounge where we would sneak snacks,” she recalled with a smile.

Dr. Babai’s dedication to his patients continued long into his career until he retired in 2017.

Simin’s involvement with the Women’s Board of Summa Health further exemplifies the couple’s commitment to patients and their families. She made baskets for delivery to new mothers every Monday, volunteered in the St. Thomas gift shop and organized large-scale rummage sales twice a year with proceeds supporting philanthropic efforts of the health system.

Dr. Babai and Simin’s journey has been as rewarding as it has been impactful.

"The most rewarding feeling is to know you are helping people during some of the most difficult and vulnerable times in their lives. To see patients turn their lives around and become successful and happy is truly remarkable,” said Dr. Babai.

Summa Health connection

Dr. Babai’s connection to Summa Health became deeply rooted in the merger of Akron City Hospital and St. Thomas Hospital in 1989. Over the next 25 years, he served as the chair of Psychiatry, training hundreds of psychiatrists and behavioral health professionals and impacting thousands of patients and their families.

His two former colleagues and friends, Dr. Joseph Varley, chair of Summa Health’s Department of Psychiatry, and the Jim and Vanita Oelschlager Endowed Chair in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, and Dr. David Deckert, director of Summa Health’s Inpatient Psychiatry and Psychiatry Residency Training Program, continue his legacy of compassionate care at Summa Health today.

Dr. Babai recently reconnected with Dr. Varley and Dr. Deckert for a tour of the Juve Family Behavioral Health Pavilion.

“Our family was all so impressed with the new pavilion. The architecture, the brightness and the calming décor really foster an environment of healing and serenity,” he said.

Dr. Babai was profoundly moved by the pavilion’s homage to the history of St. Thomas and Alcoholics Anonymous, especially in the wake of losing his dear friend, the late Dr. Robert Liebelt, a close affiliate of AA and a venerated figure in Akron’s medical community.

The couple’s admiration for the pavilion is a testament to the enduring legacy of St. Thomas and Summa Health’s vital role in behavioral health care. 

“Summa has always been at the forefront of psychiatric care in Akron. Having St. Thomas as a dedicated site for Summa’s Psychiatry Department helped foster this reputation and now having the incredible Juve Family Behavioral Health Pavilion will only grow and enhance the excellent care Summa provides,” said Dr. Babai.

Shaping the future of behavioral health care

The Babai family’s legacy is one of commitment to each other and the betterment of our community through healthcare and education.

The couple’s generosity is designated to strengthen the Psychiatry Residency Program, an especially meaningful gesture with Dr. Babai’s role as an educator and mentor to many in the medical community.

Their support of this program is instrumental in cultivating the next generation of mental health professionals and reinforces the vital role that residency programs, such as those experienced by their daughter Dr. Sarah Babai and son-in-law Dr. Costas Kefalas, both Summa Health physicians, play in developing skilled and compassionate caregivers.

Leaving a family legacy

The Babais believe that philanthropy extends beyond financial contributions, encompassing the giving of time and talent.

“Philanthropy and legacy can mean so many things. It can mean financial giving, but it can also mean giving of your time or talent. Studies show that helping others correlates with greater happiness and lower rates of depression and anxiety. When our community as a whole is doing better, we all do better,” said Dr. Babai.

In recognition of their legacy and commitment to the field of behavioral health care, the main lobby within the Juve Family Behavioral Health Pavilion on the Summa Health System – Akron Campus is named The Dr. Massood and Simin Babai Lobby. 

“I’m so proud of my parents for all that they have done,” said Mojgan. “They are leaving a family legacy that will continue at Summa Health and make the world a better place for years to come.”

For more information, contact Jessica Hudson at 330.375.4762 or hudsonj@summahealth.org.