At a glance . . .
Where were you born?
Houston, Texas.
What high school did you attend?
Clements High School.
Where did you earn your medical degree?
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Who is in your immediate family?
My wife, who is a psychiatrist, and my 2-year-old son.
Favorite hobby outside of work:
Lifting weights.
Something few people know about you:
I’m a black belt in tae kwon do.
Get to Know Ryan Riahi, MD
Like most boys growing up in Texas, Dr. Ryan Riahi had plenty of possible career paths open for him. The one he ended up selecting brought him to DermSurgery Associates as a dermatologist specializing in general and cosmetic dermatology as well as dermatologic surgery. One path he didn’t choose might have seen him achieving great things in the world of professional sports as an athlete.
“I have many family members who played sports, both in college and professionally,” Dr. Riahi says. “I entertained pursuing athletics but soon found myself wanting to pursue medicine instead.”
Undecided about the ideal career through high school, he enrolled at Houston Baptist University, where he would graduate summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. Early in this phase of his education, he decided where his path would lead.
“I made the decision to go into medicine during my first year of college,” he says. “I worked in a family medicine clinic (while in school) and realized how rewarding a career in medicine would be.”
After Houston Baptist, Dr. Riahi attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and received the Alpha Omega Alpha honors society award for being in the top of his class. He then relocated to Louisiana to serve his internship at Tulane University Hospital in New Orleans.
As to why he chose to become a dermatologist, he explains: “I was fortunate to have a dermatologist as a mentor who opened my eyes to the breadth of knowledge required to be a dermatologist. Skin issues can severely impact an individual’s self-esteem. There’s something very rewarding about giving people confidence and helping them feel comfortable in their skin.”
The next logical step after internship was a dermatology residency at the Louisiana State University Department of Dermatology, where he served as chief resident.
Dr. Riahi is an only child and the first person in his extended family to become a doctor. While a sports career never panned out, he does stay very active in and around his Sugar Land home with tae kwon do practice, weightlifting and other invigorating forms of exercise. Whatever his path may hold in the future, he knows that his work helping others at DermSurgery’s Sugar Land office was the right choice.
“I love dermatology,” he says. “Each day is a new adventure where I get to enjoy the variety and variability within the field. I get to deal with complex medical dermatology while also performing surgical and cosmetic procedures.”
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DermSurgery Associates Sugar Land clinic is located at 1415 Highway 6 South, C-400. The phone number is 281.491.9278.
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