Behzad Mohit

Behzad Mohit, doctor, scientist, poet, philosopher, dancer to his own iconoclastic drummer, died at the age of 90 on November 2, 2023, Dia de Los Muertos, when the veil between the living and the dead is considered to be at its thinnest, a day of remembrance and celebration of life.That said, he was an avowed atheist, detested organized religion, and had little tolerance for authority of any kind. The soundtrack of his life would start with Sinatra singing "I Did it My Way."Behzad was born to Sedi Shahroudi and Nasrollah Mohit (Maffi) in the ancient city of Qazvin, Iran to a family of modest means. He later spent most of his formative years in Tehran. Shunning high school, which he deemed "utterly old fashioned," he preferred to study on his own, showing up only to pass final exams. Early in life he decided that the highest good was the pursuit of scientific knowledge. In his typically unconventional way, Behzad chose poker as the way to finance his educational dreams, winning enough to pay for his passage halfway around the world to Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Alas, the racism he observed and endured there combined with the college professors' enthusiastic efforts to convert him to their religious beliefs sent him seeking more hospitable climes. He headed to Boston where he completed his studies at Boston University and later graduated medical school at SUNY Downstate. He then returned to Boston where he undertook his anatomic pathology residency at Mallory Institute of Pathology, a joint affiliation of Harvard,Tufts and B.U., as well as a fellowship in Biochemistry at Brandeis University. Dr. Mohit's early career focused on fundamental science. He landed at the National Institutes of Health, completing his clinical pathology residency and beginning his research career. His research focused on microbiology and immunology and contributed to the development of monoclonal antibodies. But his restless mind and adventurous spirit led him and his young family out West to San Francisco where he continued research activities and completed a residency in dermatology at UCSF. That somewhat radical shift and his later move into cosmetic surgery both in Palm Springs and Moline, Illinois allowed him the autonomy he required and had the added bonus of allowing him to support his daughters and his step-daughters through college. Thank you Dad! After he retired from daily medical practice, he reignited his love of literature, poetry and music, writing The Mystics New Eyeglasses, a book of Sufi inspired poems, and hosted countless Creative Incubator gatherings at his home where musicians, poets and dancers gathered to express their many talents. In addition to poetry, Dr. Mohit wrote books, articles, and essays on a variety of topics including cell biology, biochemistry, healthcare economics, and evolution including his book The Chance of Life which explored theoretical realms, synthesizing the fields of thermodynamics, information and complexity theories to explain the emergence of increasingly complex adaptive systems in a physicochemical approach to evolution he termed "Thermoinfocomplexity".His spirit of adventure took him around the world, but in Marin County he found his true home. He would invariably cut short his far flung trips, as no place was as beautiful to him as the view from his patio looking out over the Bay and onto Mount Tamalpais. He is predeceased by his siblings Bahram Mohit and Nassrin Iovino and his step-daughter Leyla Moavenian and survived by his daughters, Maryam Mohit and Juliet Mohit (Ian Brown) of Marin County, his step-daughter Rana Varasteh of Paris, France, his sister Nastaran Shams of Palm Desert and brother, Behrooz Mohit of Petaluma, his ex-wives Roberta Huberman and Shahrzad Dowlatshai, Grandchildren Nico, Jasper and Milo Brown; Jake, Sedi and Ari Blachford; Step grandchildren Saam Morshedian and Leili and Dara Varasteh, along with 9 nieces and nephews in whom his spirit will live on. In his early 60s, Dr. Mohit was diagnosed with prostate cancer which, through both aggressive surgeries and rigorous dietary modifications, he was able to stave off for almost 30 years.His unorthodox, utterly original life is a testament to the vibrant power of curiosity. When his mind began to fail and he lost the spark of intellectual curiosity that had been his life's animating force, he began a slow fade which led to his ultimate death from metastatic cancer. He died peacefully, in his sleep, in his beloved home, surrounded by love, with a gardenia by his side. He always said that "love is the ether the universe swims in." Now our father, Papa Behz, brother, uncle, mentor and friend is a part of that ether.A private Celebration of Life will be held by the family in February. For inquiries and RSVP, please contact: mohitbrown@gmail.com.In lieu of flowers, if you are so moved, donations can be sent in his honor to The Cancer Research Institute, https://cancerresearch.org.