Dr. Muhammad Nashatizadeh’s approach to leadership is a simple approach: listen carefully, study the details and guide others toward clarity. During Homecoming week, he will share how insights from neurology can help build a meaningful life with Emporia State students and the community as he delivers the 2025 Sam and Jeannene Hayes Lecture.
Nashatizadeh’s career began at Emporia State, where he earned a BS in biology in 1998 before moving to the University of Kansas to earn his medical degree. Today, he is a neurologist, neurohospitalist, movement disorder specialist and clinical associate professor with the University of Kansas Health System and School of Medicine.
He will share his presentation, "From Neurons to Networks: Learning, Leading and Helping Others," at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, in Webb Hall on the second floor of ESU’s Memorial Union. ESU students who attend the lecture are eligible to apply for one of 10 scholarships of $1,000 each.
Nashatizadeh believes strongly in mentorship and credits Emporia State faculty for modeling what he strives to provide today. Professors in biology, chemistry, philosophy, economics and beyond made time for conversations that went beyond coursework.
“They were open and approachable. Some of those casual talks became important moments of guidance,” he said. “You never know the impact of one conversation,” Nashatizadeh said. “You can jumpstart a person’s ability to believe in themselves. Even meeting someone once, you can plant a seed.”
Dr. Sam Hayes (BS 1962) and his wife, Jeannene, established the lecture series in 2011 as a way to engage Emporia State’s alumni in highlighting their successes. Individuals whose leadership qualities, skills and accomplishments have led to distinction are featured in each annual lecture.
The Sam and Jeannene Hayes Lecture is sponsored by ESU’s Blue Key Honor Society, which also organizes the scholarship award process.