Zhina Sadeghi
Biography
Zhina Sadeghi, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Urology and Endowed Presidential Chair in Reconstructive Urology in the Urology Department at the University of California Irvine. She received her medical degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and completed her urology residency at Case Western Reserve University, followed by a fellowship in Neurourology, Female Urology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Michigan. Sadeghi founded UCI's Multidisciplinary Pelvic Health program on Neurourology and Complex Reconstructive Urology Care, which brings together teams from multiple specialties including urology, urogynecology, colorectal surgery, neurology, and pain management.
Sadeghi's research focuses on understanding mechanisms of lower urinary tract dysfunction and developing novel therapeutic approaches including gene therapy, cell therapy, and neuromodulation. She has secured multiple federal grants as principal investigator, including an NIH-NIDDK K08 career development award, an NIH-NIA R21, and an AUA Care Foundation Research Scholarship. Her work on mesenchymal stem cell therapy for urinary incontinence and urethral aging has been published in journals including Tissue Engineering Part A and the American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Urology. She serves as an elected core faculty member of the National Bladder Research Group and the Society of Female Urology, Urodynamics and Reconstructive Urology.
Sadeghi has received recognition for her research contributions, including the UCI Rising Star award and multiple best presentation awards from the American Urological Association and the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction. She serves on abstract reviewing committees for national societies and as an invited grant reviewer for NIH programs. At UCI, she is an elected faculty member of the MSBATS program and the Physician Scientist program, and she mentors residents, fellows, medical students, and undergraduate researchers in her laboratory.
Return to topEducation
- High School Diploma, Farzanegan High School, Tehran, Iran (National Organization of Exceptional Talented Students), 2001
- M.D., School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, 2009
Distinctions
- NIH-CAIRIBU Best Podium award, 2024
- European Society of Pediatric Urology (ESPU) First Basic Science Poster prize, 2008
- European Society of Pediatric Urology (ESPU) First Clinical Poster prize, 2006
- Elected Core faculty of National Bladder Research Group, 2022
- Elected Core faculty of Society of Female Urology, Urodynamics and Reconstructive Urology (SUFU), 2024
- AUA First Basic Science Moderated Poster award, 2025
- SUFU Basic Science top10 Podium Presentations, 2025
- AUA Care Foundation Research Scholar award, 2024-2026
- SUFU Basic Science 1st Podium award, 2024
Areas of Expertise
- Neurourology and Pelvic Reconstruction
- Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy
- Urethral Dysfunction Mechanisms
- Bladder Tissue Engineering
- Aging Female Urethra Pathophysiology
- Chemokine-Mediated Regeneration
- Neuromodulation for Bladder Disorders
Recent Publications
- Afyouni AS, Khanmammadov N, Bozorgi A, Das AK, Gelman J, Sadeghi Z, “Urologic Manifestations of Nonrelaxing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Insights on Clinical Workup and Management” (opens in new tab), Current Urology Reports, vol. 26, pp. 66, 2025.
- Atwood, S, Lee, J, Gelman, J, Sadeghi, Z, “Perineal Urethral Diverticulectomy and Gracilis Muscle Flap in Female with Bowel Neo-Vagina and Neurogenic Bladder”, Video Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2025.
- Afyouni A, Wu XY, Balis U, DeLancey J, Sadeghi Z, “An overview of the effect of aging on the female urethra” (opens in new tab), Urologic Clinics of North America, vol. 51, no. 2, pp. 239-251, 2024.
- Sadeghi Z, Wu XY, Vu A, Song L, Phan W, Kim J, Keast J, Balis U, DeLancey J, Villalta A, Zi X, “Dysfunction of the aging female mouse urethral is associated with striated muscle loss and increased fibrosis: an initial report”, American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Urology, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 516-529, 2023.
- Moy BM, Andino JJ, Sadeghi Z, Gupta P, “Da Vinci-assisted laparoscopic removal of an intrauterine device in the bladder” (opens in new tab), International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, vol. 159, no. 2, pp. 601-603, 2022.
Most Cited Publications
- Cheng JW, Sadeghi Z, Levine AD, Penn MS, Von Recum HA, Caplan AI, Hijaz A, “The role of CXCL12 and CCL7 chemokines in immune regulation, embryonic development, and tissue regeneration” (opens in new tab), Cytokine, vol. 69, no. 2, pp. 277-83, 2014.
- Pipitone F, Sadeghi Z, DeLancey JOL, “Urethral function and failure: A review of current knowledge of urethral closure mechanisms, how they vary, and how they are affected by life events” (opens in new tab), Neurourology and Urodynamics, vol. 40, no. 8, pp. 1869-1879, 2021.
- Sadeghi Z, Isariyawongse J, Kavran M, Izgi K, Marini G, Molter J, Daneshgari F, Flask CA, Caplan A, Hijaz A, “Mesenchymal stem cell therapy in rat model of birth-trauma injury: functional improvement and biodistribution” (opens in new tab), International Urogynecology Journal, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 291-300, 2016.
- Hajimehdipoor H, Sadeghi Z, Elmi S, Elmi A, Ghazi-Khansari M, Amanzadeh Y, Sadat-Ebrahimi SE, “Protective effects of Swertia longifolia Boiss. and its active compound, swerchirin, on paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in mice” (opens in new tab), Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, vol. 58, no. 2, pp. 277-280, 2006.
- Sadeghi Z, Kajbafzadeh AM, Tajik P, Monajemzadeh M, Payabvash S, Elmi A, “Vitamin E administration at the onset of fever prevents renal scarring in acute pyelonephritis” (opens in new tab), Pediatric Nephrology, vol. 23, no. 9, pp. 1503-1510, 2008.
- Hijaz A, Sadeghi Z, Byrne L, Hou JC, Daneshgari F, “Advanced maternal age as a risk factor for stress urinary incontinence: a review of the literature” (opens in new tab), International Urogynecology Journal, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 395-401, 2012.
- Kajbafzadeh AM, Esfahani SA, Sadeghi Z, Elmi A, Monajemzadeh M, “Application of different scaffolds for bladder wall regeneration: The bladder as a natural bioreactor” (opens in new tab), Tissue Engineering Part A, vol. 18, no. 7-8, pp. 882-887, 2012.
Contact Information
Email: zhinas@uci.edu
Phone: (714) 456-5371
Address: 3800 W. Chapman Ave Ste 7200, Orange, CA 92868
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Last updated on 6/6/2026.