Dr. Saman Yaghmaee has been a lecturer with the School of Social Work since 2006. He received his Master’s degree in Counseling and doctorate in Education from SDSU all while working with non-profit organizations and governmental agencies. He has served on numerous task force, advisory committees and board of directors for local and state organizations, including San Diego Regional Center, the largest non-profit organization in San Diego County. He currently serves as a San Diego County Health and Human Services Deputy Director, responsible for assisting Public Health Officers with the oversight of nearly 500 employees with an annual budget of approximately $105M serving a county of 3.2 million residents.
Dr. Yaghmaee chose human services as his profession when he settled and declared San Diego his home in 1987. He has a long history of providing essential services to most vulnerable citizens in our community, in particular, the elderly, and adults struggling with social and physical disability issues. He has provided direct social services as protective services investigator, public guardian administrator and caregiver coordinator. Dr. Yaghmaee also developed numerous programs and services to prevent elder abuse and help them stay in their own homes, while retaining their independence for as long as possible. He is currently working with San Diego City College as the chairperson in the implementation of the Certificate and Associate Degree program in Gerontology. “There are about 1000 cases of Elder Abuse reported every month and approximately 2/3 are family caregivers—real things are happening and education and awareness is key.” The program aims to bring awareness to caregivers and inspire individuals to begin a career in gerontology.
Dr. Yaghmaee is multi-tasked/academic/practitioner professional individual. He works in the field and is a part-time lecturer. Dr. Yaghmaee has also conducted research on how to increase student success in college and enjoys teaching research courses. He helps students understand how to apply multiple strategies to influence the use of evidence base practices in social work. He is currently working on establishing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to provide students with research and educational opportunities, along with training experiences and observational opportunities in public health and other social/health related areas.
Dr. Yaghmaee has found his career very rewarding and hopes to pass on his knowledge and experience to others. He brings up-to-date news and real-world knowledge directly into the classroom, inspiring students to persist in social science coursework and careers. He strives to inspire students to further the meaning of what they want to do with their education. “This is a very broad field that allows for real profession and real job opportunities—don’t sell yourselves short!” Dr. Yaghmaee wants students to know that success is a state of mind and that when they look back, they need to make sure they maximized their potential in life.
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Written by Claudia Gonzalez, BSW
