Arif Chowdhury recently passed away on Monday, April 6 at age 72. He was a neurologist who first practiced in Layton, Utah from 1998 to 2014, later in Federal Way, Washington from 2015 to 2024, and finally in Anchorage, Alaska until he was diagnosed with cancer in late 2025. Since childhood, Arif aspired to be a doctor, and after completing his internship at Baylor College of Medicine, he selected neurology as his specialty, not only because he impressed his mentors at Baylor with his aptitude for neurology but also he wanted to help people with complex brain disorders. Arif’s father suffered a major stroke, impressing upon him the need to navigate patients through the brain’s ups and downs. This led Arif to his residency in neurology at the University of Washington and his fellowship under Dr. Mark Bromberg at the University of Utah in neuromuscular diseases. Arif treated every patient with exceptional care, recognizing that the human brain is remarkable and resilient, capable of recovering in unexpected ways.

Arif started life in a family of seven people, with three brothers and one sister, and his family only grew bigger with time. His childhood pranks and games garnered him love from dozens of cousins, uncles, and aunts, while his warmth and openness extended his family to include friends, colleagues, neighbors, and sometimes the local fire department. He showed his wife Marina, mother-in-law Inna, daughters Polina and Bashira, and son and daughter-in-law Kirill and Negla that kindness and compassion make a family, but lots of good food and warm smiles couldn’t hurt either. After his fight with cancer, Arif was laid to rest on Thursday, April 9 next to his first wife Mina at Redwood Memorial Estates in West Jordan, Utah. We are sure he is busy catching her up on all that has happened over the past 22 years. His final resting place Memorial Redwood Cemetery in West Jordan, Utah.