Dr. Tara Tabatabaie

Dr. Tara Tabatabaie, an attorney and a scientist, brings an extremely unique combination of legal and scientific expertise to cases where science and scientific evidence are at the heart of the issues in question. Dr. Tabatabaie has served as a member of the Plaintiffs Steering Committees and Science Committees of a number of national, multi-district litigations, ​including, In Re: Abbott Laboratories, et al., Preterm Infant Nutrition Products Liability Litigation, MDL 3026, In re Roundup Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2741, In Re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2299,In Re: Fluoroquinolone Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2642, and In Re: Avandia Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1871. Her scientific expertise and unique skill set have made significant contributions to the successful resolution of these cases, many of which resulted in multi-billion-dollar settlements for the plaintiffs. Her ability to pinpoint critical scientific evidence, and her work regarding scientific experts in the cases she has been involved in have enabled plaintiffs to successfully develop and advance scientific theories that withstand attacks by experts retained by defendants, and defendants’ Daubert challenges.

Dr. Tabatabaie earned her PhD in Chemistry from University of Oklahoma in 1992, and her Juris Doctor degree, Magna Cum Laude, from Oklahoma City University in 2007.  She was the recipient of multiple awards and honors during her studies at both institutions.

​Prior to starting her legal career, Dr. Tabatabaie was a senior research scientist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City. In that position, she studied the biomedical processes involved in a variety of diseases, including cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and various environmental toxins. Dr. Tabatabaie is the author of numerous scientific articles and book chapters and has served as the peer reviewer for several prestigious scientific journals. ​

​Due to her extensive biomedical research experience, Dr. Tabatabaie is frequently requested to lecture and educate the legal community on the scientific issues involved in pharmaceutical litigation. Her latest contribution is an article published in the Journal of the American Association for Justice, Trial, entitled “Decoding General Causation Data.”

Education

• Ph.D., Chemistry University of Oklahoma
• Juris Doctorate, Magna Cum Laude Oklahoma City University School of Law

Publications 

• Tabatabaie, T., Vasquez-Weldon, A.M., Moore, D.R., & Kotake, Y. (2003) Free radicals and the pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes: Cytokine-mediated generation of free radicals by beta cells. Diabetes, 52: 1994-1999.
• Hensley, K., Tabatabaie, T., Stewart, C.A., Pye, Q.N., and Floyd, R.A. (1997) Nitric oxide and derived species as toxic agents in stroke, AIDS dementia, and chronic neurodegenerative disorders. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 10:527-532.
• Tabatabaie, T., Kotake, Y., Wallis, G., Jacob, J., and Floyd, R.A. (1997) Spin trapping agent phenyl N-tert-butylnitrone protects against the onset of drug-induced insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. FEBS Letters, 407:148-152.
• Tabatabaie, T., Stewart, C., Pye, Q.N., Kotake, Y., and Floyd, R.A. (1996) In Vivo trapping of nitric oxide in the brain of neonatal rats treated with the HIV-1 envelope protein GP 120: Protective effects of α-phenyl-Tert-butylnitrone. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 221:386-390.
• Tabatabaie, T., and Floyd, R.A., (1996) Protein damage and oxidative stress. IN Cellular Aging and Cell Death. (Holbrook, N.J., Martin, G.L., Lockshin, R.A., eds.) Wiley-Liss, Inc., pp 35-49.
• Tabatabaie, T., Goyal, R.N., Blank, C.L., and Dryhurst, G. (1993) Further insights into the mechanisms by which 5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine expresses its neurotoxicity. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 36:229-236.