Dr. Massood Bral, a prominent pediatrician and healer of the Los Angeles community, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 78 on October 22, 2022. He was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1944. At age 13, he started working for his father, Dr. Mousa Bral, at Rey Pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy that represented global products such as Guigoz baby formula. Inspired by the local doctors who came before him, Dr. Bral applied to the University of Tehran’s School of Medicine. After graduating medical school at the top of his class in 1969, he spent six months training in Iran’s obligatory military service and 18 months providing medical care as a First Lieutenant Medical Officer.
In 1972, Dr. Bral left Iran to complete his residencies at D.C. General Hospital in Washington, D.C., followed by Mount Sinai Hospital and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital (of Case Western Reserve University) in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1977, he joined the pediatric office of Dr. David Levi in Beverly Hills and in 1979 established his own solo practice in Westwood, subsequently moving to Brentwood and, finally, Santa Monica. Early in his career, Dr. Bral worked part-time at the Los Angeles County Central Juvenile Hall and at USC’s Pediatric Pavilion ER; and he volunteered for six years at the UCLA School of Nursing Health Center at St. Joseph’s Parish, helping those experiencing homelessness.
For decades, Dr. Bral worked as an attending physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center, and Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. For 10 years, he served as Assistant Professor at UCLA School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and UCLA School of Nursing. In 2018, he became a member of Children’s Hospital LA’s Care Network.
2022 marked 50 years that Dr. Bral selflessly dedicated his life to pediatric and adolescent medicine in the United States.
Dr. Bral was a gifted diagnostician and truly understood the art of medicine. He maintained the highest level of professional, moral, and ethical standards that earned him his reputation as a truly honorable person.
Like his father (who headed the Health Committee in Iran’s Parliament, served as chair of the Department of Nutrition, Food Chemistry, and Toxicology of Tehran University and authored several books, including “The Medicinal Plants of Iran”), Dr. Bral was passionate about healthcare and integrative medicine. He incorporated nutrition and natural remedies into his practice in combination with what he called “miracle” Western medicine.
As a patient’s father said, he brought “a small-town doctor experience to the big city.”
Dr. Bral was a true tzadik who personified righteously living out one’s Jewish values. His sole motivation was to provide service to others, even extending his benevolence to strangers. He was known for treating each child like his own – going above and beyond to optimize their overall health, with a compassionate and soulful approach. Without any regard for office hours nor financial considerations, he provided limitless care, exhausted every professional resource, and regularly made house calls. As a patient’s father said, he brought “a small-town doctor experience to the big city.”
Generations of patients and their families describe Dr. Bral as being more than just a doctor: he was a source of comfort, encouragement, hope, and laughter – a kind person who made people feel seen and heard. He was adored for his authenticity and his playful nature; always making special efforts to lift the spirits of every child.
The death of Dr. Bral is a loss not just for the medical community but for humanity. He will forever be remembered in the hearts of all who crossed his path.
