Farzaneh Daghigh received her PhD in biochemistry from Temple University, School of Medicine. Later, she conducted postdoctoral research at the DuPont-Merck Pharmaceuticals. She then joined the faculty at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine as an Assistant Professor in 1998. Currently, she is a Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Bio-Medical Sciences at PCOM.
Dr. Daghigh is the biochemistry content expert in the pre-clinical curriculum. She teaches biochemistry and nutrition to medical students and graduate students. She serves as the course director for the longitudinal CRIBS course for first-year medical students and co-director of the Culinary Medicine elective course. Dr. Daghigh’s passion is helping students understand, appreciate and integrate the basic sciences to remain as inquisitive physicians during their lifelong medical practice.
Dr. Daghigh believes in engaging students in their own learning and developed many collaborative active learning sessions. Her medical education research is geared towards the goal of inclusion of nutrition in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) curriculum and the use of nutrition education and behavior change in individuals with overweight, obesity and metabolic syndrome. She also studies the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on arginine metabolism in airway remodeling in asthmatic patients.
Postdoctoral fellow - DuPont-Merck Pharmaceutical
1996-1998
Temple University School of Medicine
PhD in Biochemistry, 1995
The College of New Jersey
BS in Chemistry, 1988, summa cum laude
Dr. Daghigh’s current research projects:
Project 1
Examine the possibility of dietary ω-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil or oily fish,
in diminishing chronic inflammation in human lung fibroblast (HLF) by reducing nitric
oxide. DHA and EPA, ω-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory actions that may benefit
asthmatic patients health.
Project 2
This study focuses on portion control as the pillar for an intervention featuring
participant nutrition education counseling. This study will offer the participants
ways to self-regulate and feel accountable at home. The participants are assigned
readings on nutrition topics, logging their meal selections and quantities as well
as their physical activity. The goal of this study is to improve participants’ portion
control awareness through nutritional coaching: an intervention based on nutrition
education and weight loss motivation.
June 2008-June 2009: Principal Investigator, one year grant for $10,000 funded by CCDA (the center for Chronic Disease of Aging). This project is titled, “Determination of the physiologically and pathophysiologically relevance of arginase isoforms in NO production by human gingival fibroblasts”.
2007-2008: Co-Principal Investigator of AOA Grant # 07-10-557 “Documenting Mechanics and Mechanisms in Pedal Pump OMT” for $22,712.
2006-2007: Co-Principal Investigator of a grant from the Korman’s Foundation for $400,000 titled “Pilot: Gait Analysis, Balance, Nitric Oxide, Fluid Distribution, and Quality-of-Life of Patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) treated with Whole Body, Periodic Acceleration or Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT)”.
October 2003: Co-Principal Investigator of a grant from the Karen and Herbert Lotman Foundation for $25,000 titled “A pilot study to establish a protocol to determine the change in nitric oxide (NO) concentrations after treatment with the Accelerated Therapeutic 101 (AT101) table in normal healthy subjects and patient volunteers”.
Media Dr. Daghigh discussed the costs and benefits of a vegetarian diet. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 9, 2014
Dr. Daghigh discussed the health ramifications of a vegetarian diet at Franklin Institute's program "To Veg or Not to Veg.", May 30, 2014
Dr. Daghigh Weighs in on Diet Cookies, Farzaneh Daghigh, PhD, professor, biochemistry/molecular biology, was tapped by Channel Six to weigh in on the ingredients of a popular diet cookie. Video on PCOM’s Facebook page, October 7, 2009
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