Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi

Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi is an Iranian physician, university professor, and politician who served as Minister of Health and Medical Education from September 2009 to December 2012, making her the first female cabinet minister in the history of the Islamic Republic. She was confirmed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly with 175 votes in favor.

A graduate of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Vahid-Dastjerdi specialized in obstetrics and gynecology and served as a faculty member at the university. She was elected to parliament representing Tehran in 1996 and served in the fifth Majlis.

Appointed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to his second cabinet, Vahid-Dastjerdi was dismissed on 27 December 2012 after publicly criticizing budget cuts to her ministry and the impact of sanctions on pharmaceutical imports. Her dismissal was seen as punishment for breaking ranks with the president's narrative that sanctions had minimal impact on Iran.