Mahtab Jafari
Biography
Mahtab Jafari, Pharm.D., is Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Founding Director of the UCI Center for Healthspan Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. She received her Pharm.D. from the University of California, San Francisco in 1994. Jafari was a founding faculty member of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCI in 2005, where she developed the first B.S. degree program in Pharmaceutical Sciences in the UC system and served as Director of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Program from 2007 to 2013 and Vice Chair of the department from 2015 to 2019.
Jafari's research focuses on healthspan pharmacology, a term she coined in 2015, which aims to identify and characterize natural products that extend lifespan and improve healthspan. Her laboratory has discovered five natural products that significantly extend lifespan and enhance healthspan in Drosophila melanogaster: Rhodiola rosea, Rosa damascena, curcumin, cinnamon, and Angelica keiskei. Her work spans basic research using fruit flies and mice to evaluate the mechanisms of botanical extracts on aging pathways, including nutrient signaling, mitochondrial bioenergetics, autophagy, and the microbiome. She has also expanded her research to include clinical studies and educational research, particularly examining the impact of teaching scientific wellness on student health through her Life101: Mental and Physical Self-Care course.
Jafari has received multiple teaching awards, including the UCI Distinguished Professor Award for Teaching in 2008 and 2014, and the UCI Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research in 2008. She is an elected Fellow of the UCI Faculty Academy for Teaching Excellence and received the UCI Paul Silverman Sciences and Ethics Award in 2023. Jafari has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications and the book "The Truth About Dietary Supplements: An Evidence-Based Guide to a Safe Medicine Cabinet." She served as President of the UCSF School of Pharmacy Alumni Association from 2021 to 2023 and has been a member of various NIH study sections and editorial boards.
Return to topDistinctions
- The UCI Paul Silverman Sciences and Ethics Award, 2023
- The UCI Carol Connor Equity Advisor Impact Award, 2024
- UCI Womxn's Social Justice Activist Award, 2023
- The FDA Collaboration Award for the FDA/UCI Internship Program, 2013
- UCSF Campaign Dedicated Alumni Award, 2018
- Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Book Award (The Truth About Dietary Supplements), 2021
- Royal Dragonfly Book Award (The Truth About Dietary Supplements), 2021
- Silver Literary Titan Award (The Truth About Dietary Supplements), 2022
- Readers View Readers' Choice Silver Book Award (The Truth About Dietary Supplements), 2022
- Fellow, UCI Faculty Academy for Teaching Excellence (FATE), 2022
Areas of Expertise
- Healthspan Pharmacology
- Botanical Lifespan Extension
- Mitochondrial Bioenergetics Pathways
- Microbiome Aging Interactions
- Dietary Supplement Safety
- Student Wellness Education
- Clinical Pharmacy Practice
Recent Publications
- Porwollik S., Jafari M., “The quality and safety of Rhodiola rosea supplements on the U.S. market: An analysis of biomarkers, heavy metals, and pesticide residues” (opens in new tab), Plos One, vol. 21, 2026.
- Alex Shahverdian, Mahtab Jafari, “Dietary Supplement Safety in Older Individuals: A Review of Published Case Reports” (opens in new tab), Senior Care Pharmacist, vol. 40, pp. 32-49, 2025.
- Alex Shahverdian, Simin Torabzadeh, David Watts, Steffen Porwollik, Monica Padilla, Jeong Su Lee, Gabriella Perez, Mahtab Jafari, “Comparison of Mineral Levels in Blood and Hair Samples of Healthy Adults: Evaluating the Clinical Utility of Hair Mineral Analysis” (opens in new tab), Biological Trace Element Research, vol. 204, pp. 1915-1927, 2025.
- Jafari M, “Can an online course, Life101: Mental and Physical Self-Care, improve the wellbeing of college students?” (opens in new tab), Jmir Medical Education, vol. 10, 2024.
- Jafari M, Shahverdian S, Sadigh G, Van Etten Ra, “The Impact of Patient Personality on Adherence to Oral Anti-Cancer Medications: An Opportunity?” (opens in new tab), JMIR Cancer, vol. 10, 2024.
- Steffen Porwollik, Jessica Dawn Pratt, Benis Nchine Egoh, Elizabeth Braver, Kameryn Denaro, Mahtab Jafari, “Nature Wellness Stations: Improving the Mental Health of College Students Through Nature Therapy”, Science of the Total Environment, 2024.
- Mahtab Jafari, Samuel E. Schriner, Yun-Seo Kil, Sally T. Pham, Eun Kyoung Seo, “Angelica keiskei Impacts the Lifespan and Healthspan of Drosophila melanogaster in a Sex and Strain-Dependent Manner” (opens in new tab), Pharmaceuticals, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 738, 2023.
- Mahtab Jafari, Parya Saberi, “Scientific Awakening: Violation of Human Rights of Academic Scholars and Healthcare Professionals in Iran” (opens in new tab), Health and Human Rights Journal, 2023.
- Jafari M, Arabit JGJ, Courville R, Kiani D, Chaston J, Nguyen CD, Jena N, Zhong-Ying, Tata P, Van Etten RA, “The impact of Rhodiola rosea on biomarkers of diabetes and inflammation and the gut microbiota in a leptin receptor-knockout mouse model” (opens in new tab), Scientific Reports, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 10581, 2022.
- Rutledge GA, Phang HJ, Le MN, Bui L, Rose MR, Mueller LD, Jafari M, “Diet and Botanical Supplementation: Combination Therapy for Healthspan Improvement?” (opens in new tab), Rejuvenation Research, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 331-344, 2021.
- Jafari M, De Roche M, Eshaghi MR, “COVID-19, Stress and Mental Health: What Our Students Expect From Academic Institutions During a Pandemic” (opens in new tab), Journal of American College Health, vol. 71, pp. 1976-1983, 2021.
- Mahtab Jafari, “The Truth About Dietary Supplements: An Evidence-Based Guide to a Safe Medicine Cabinet” (opens in new tab), Archangel Inc. Amazon, 2021.
Most Cited Publications
- Lee K-S, Lee B-S, Semnani S, Avanesian A, Um S-Y, Jeon H-J, Yu K, Min K-J, Jafari M, “Curcumin Extends Lifespan, Improves Heal Span, and Modulate Aging Related Genes in Drosophila Melanogaster” (opens in new tab), Rejuvenation Research, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 1-10, 2010.
- Liu Z, Li X, Simoneau AR, Jafari M, Zi X, “Rhodiola rosea extracts and salidroside decrease the growth of bladder cancer cell lines via inhibition of the mTOR pathway and induction of autophagy” (opens in new tab), Molecular Carcinogenesis, vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 257-267, 2012.
- Jafari M, Felgner J, Khodayari B, Hutchili A, Bussel II, Vince-Cruz C, Rose MR, Mueller LD, “Rhodiola: A Promising Anti-Aging Chinese Herb” (opens in new tab), Rejuvenation Research, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 1-16, 2007.
- Dina R, Jafari M, “Angiotensin II-Receptor Antagonists: An Overview” (opens in new tab), American Journal of Health System Pharmacists, vol. 57, pp. 1231-1241, 2000.
- Nabavi SF, Habtemariam S, Jafari M, Sureda A, Nabavi SM, “Protective Role of Gallic Acid on Sodium Fluoride-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rat Brain” (opens in new tab), Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 89, no. 1, pp. 73-77, 2012.
- Schriner SE, Avanesian A, Liu Y, Luesch H, Jafari M, “Protection of human cultured cells against oxidative stress by Rhodiola rosea without activation of antioxidant defenses” (opens in new tab), Free Radical Biology and Medicine, vol. 47, pp. 577-584, 2009.
- Jafari M, Zarban A, Chang S, Wang T, “Rosa damascena decreases mortality in adult Drosophila” (opens in new tab), Journal of Medicinal Foods, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 9-13, 2008.
- Schriner SE, Lee K, Truong S, Salvadora KT, Maler S, Nam A, Lee T, Jafari M, “Extension of Drosophila lifespan by Rhodiola rosea through a mechanism independent from dietary restriction” (opens in new tab), PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. e63886, 2013.
- Schriner SE, Abrahamyan A, Avanesian A, Bussel I, Gazarian M, Holmbeck MA, Jafari M, “Decreased mitochondrial superoxide levels and enhanced protection against paraquat in Drosophila melanogaster supplemented with Rhodiola rosea” (opens in new tab), Free Radical Research, vol. 43, no. 9, pp. 836-843, 2009.
- Jafari M, Ebrahimi R, Balian H, Ahmadi M, Bashir M, “Efficacy of Alternate-Day Dosing versus Daily Dosing of Atorvastatin” (opens in new tab), Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 123-126, 2003.
Contact Information
Website: https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/jafarilab/
Email: mjafari@uci.edu
Phone: (949) 824-0145
Address: 3103 McGaugh Hall
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Last updated on 5/19/2026.