Speakers Bios

Dr. Aldulaimi grew up in Tucson and completed both her undergraduate degree in physiology and her medical degree at the University of Arizona.  She stayed at the University of Arizona for residency, completing her training at the South Campus Family Medicine Program, with her last year as Chief Resident.  Dr. Aldulaimi has a special interest in global health and caring for underserved populations domestically and abroad.  She created and implemented a global health track at her residency program, working with mentors and residents to develop a robust curriculum.  Dr. Aldulaimi was one of the first graduates of this track, and it has recently been recognized as an example for other programs nationally.  After residency Dr. Aldulaimi joined the faculty of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She currently serves at the Co-Director of Global Health Programs in the Office of Global and Border Health for the College of Medicine, and Director of Rural Health, Co-Director of the Global Health Track and Medical Director for the Tucson Family Advocacy Program (the medical legal partnership) for the Family Medicine Residency.

Clinically, Dr. Aldulaimi is a full-spectrum family physician, running the refugee program in the outpatient setting (including new refugee screening exams and complex care refugee clinics), inpatient medicine, obstetrics including deliveries and care of newborns.  She has continued to be active in global health since medical school and has experience working in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Bangladesh and Tanzania.  She also has brought education programs to some of these countries including a neonatal resuscitation program in Tanzania, a virtual lecture series in Myanmar, and Basic OB Life-Support in Bangladesh with MedGlobal. Her clinical and educational work domestically focuses on care of refugees, border health, and other underserved populations.

Nationally is on the American Academy of Family Physicians Center for Global Health Initiatives Advisory Board, and part of the American Academy of Pediatrics Global Neonatal Advisory Committee Content Expert Group. She also served as leadership for the Society for Family Medicine's Global Health Educators Collaborative in the past.

Professional Career:

• Managing director leading experience led transformation at Accenture Song
• Helping clients navigate strategies and roadmaps around growth, human centric
  experience, transformation and enabling technologies
• Helping with data led acceleration strategies

Philanthropy and Activism:

• Active with local and national community development, relief, service and
  development non-profit organizations
• Member of national board of advisors / trustees since 2013
• Member of the National Exec team - member at large, 2012
• Guide organizations with strategic planning
• Volunteer and activist on the local level since 1997 (youth, leadership development,
  outreach, professional networking)

Personal

• Married, blessed with 3
• Live in Chicago
• 30 years of corporate experience
• 25 years of non-profit experience
• Passionate problem-solver, board
  advisor and an activist

Dr. Thaer Ahmad is a board-certified emergency medicine physician with a medical degree from Rush in 2014 and specialty training completed at St. John Hospital in Detroit in 2017. He currently serves as an attending physician at Advocate Christ Medical Center and holds roles as the Assistant Program Director for the Emergency Medicine Residency Program and the Global Health Director for the emergency department at Advocate Christ. Dr. Ahmad also works as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Chicago and has pursued additional training in health emergencies and humanitarian response through programs at Johns Hopkins and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Joining MedGlobal in 2021, he has a particular focus on point-of-care ultrasound in resource-limited settings and local healthcare capacity building.

Nabil Ahmed is the Director and owner of Integral Global (IG). IG was formed in 2016 to assist federal agencies reach hard-to-access areas of the world. IG has projects in Africa, Middle-East, and South and Central Asia. Mr. Ahmed founded IG to serve as a link to Ministries of Health and carry out implementation of public health activities. Among some of its partners and stakeholders, IG has projects with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of State, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency,  Gilead Sciences, and the John C. Martin Foundation. IG is rapidly increasing its global presence and is proud to be a partner to multiple Ministries of Health in our effort to develop pragmatic and sustainable practices. 

Nabil Ahmed served as a staff member of the CDC from 2007 to 2016. His roles included serving as a Public Health Advisor for multiple Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP) in the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and Central America. Nabil was also the Deputy Branch Chief of the Global Disease Detection program for three years. Subsequently, he worked in Pakistan on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. He was the Global Health Security lead for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease at the Office of the Director before he left CDC. He has extensive experience in multiple countries throughout the world with the CDC, USAID, and WHO. Nabil was a Fulbright Scholar in Bangladesh where he spent two years working on reproductive and sexual health issues. Nabil holds a Masters of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins, Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Nahreen Ahmed is the MedGlobal Medical Director and  medical professional. She completed her medical degree at Drexel University College of Medicine and later specialized in Pulmonary and Critical Care. Dr. Ahmed founded the Bangladesh Ultrasound Initiative, training over 150 critical care physicians in bedside ultrasound. She also co-founded the Philadelphia Area Critical Care Ultrasound Program, unifying seven city hospitals to train Critical Care fellows in Point-of-Care Ultrasound. Dr. Ahmed's work extends to crisis zones globally through MedGlobal, focusing on technology and hands-on training for capacity building in global healthcare. 

Dr. Imran Akbar is an anesthesiologist in private practice in Chicago. He has led several missions with Medglobal, including to Yemen, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, and the Gaza Strip. He is interested in surgery in low resource settings, the use of regional anesthesia in such settings, and the development of sustainable educational programs in emerging countries. He has worked extensively with refugee communities, particularly the Rohingya community, and serves on the Board of the Rohingya Culture Center. He is the former Surgical Mission Lead for MedGlobal. Dr. Akbar completed his undergraduate education at the University of Chicago and his graduate and postgraduate medical education at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Nour Akhras is a pediatric infectious diseases physician and hospitalist who has been working at a free-standing Women and Children's hospital in the suburbs of Chicago for the last decade.  She trained in pediatrics at the University of Illinois - Chicago and completed her fellowship in Ann Arbor. She has traveled on multiple medical missions to serve Syrian refugees in Turkey and Greece as well as displaced victims of war in Yemen.  She has served on the boards of NGOs like MedGlobal and the Syrian-American Medical Society. Dr. Akhras has advocated for the rights of refugees by authoring op-eds in local and national newspapers and via speaking engagements, including presenting at Washington DC's National Press Club discussing the effects of Syrian war violence on the lives of women and children.  Her most recent work is a book titled Just One: A Journey of Perseverance and Conviction that was just released earlier this year.  As the Syrian crisis continues in its twelfth year, she continues to advocate for peaceful change such that the 6 million Syrian refugees displaced throughout the world can find a path home.

Suzanne Akhras is the founder and Executive Director of the Syrian Community Network (SCN). Under her leadership, SCN has grown exponentially to become a strong voice for refugee and immigrant rights and a community-based refugee support organization working in partnership with local and national refugee, immigrant rights, and faith-based organizations. She has led several community-based foundations and raised funds for many causes in Chicago and her homeland. Suzanne is passionate about community service, advocacy and human rights. She received UNICEF Chicago Humanitarian award and Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights annual humanitarian award. Suzanne was inducted to the Moraine Valley Community College Alumni Hall of Fame in 2020 for her work with SCN. In 2022, she was awarded empower10, one of ten Arab American women making a difference in her community. She is educated in Nonprofit management and leadership from Lewis University and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Suzanne has also served as a PTA president and a board member at Universal Islamic School. She is married with three children.

Dania Albaba, M.D. is a fourth year and chief psychiatry resident at Baylor College of Medicine’s Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. She graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2020, where she co-founded a Physicians for Human Rights chapter. She has experience working in both refugee and global mental health, and has led initiatives to provide aid, support and advocacy to these populations. She recently participated in a global mental health mission to Syria and Turkey following the February 2023 earthquakes, providing trainings to local psychosocial support staff. She has been working with MedGlobal since February on the creation of a substance use program in Northwest Syria as well as on other global mental health initiatives around the world.  She established a global mental health consultation clinic at Baylor College of Medicine, and presented both nationally and internationally on global mental health. 

Dr. Asra Ali is a practicing dentist and holds a faculty position as an associate professor/clinical faculty member at Midwestern University’s College of Dental Medicine. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, a master’s degree from Purdue University, and a graduate degree from Indiana University’s School of Dentistry. Through her work at the dental school, Dr. Ali has also become more involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the university.  Her professional success was recognized when she was nominated by her peers to be inducted into the American College of Dentists in 2020. 

Dr. Ali is actively involved in community service, having served as a board member at the Mecca Center in Illinois and ISNA, where her leadership roles included serving as the executive secretary of the board, and chairing the steering committee for ISNA’s annual convention.  Currently, she dedicates her time to the board of GirlForward, an organization that supports refugee girls in Chicago and Austin. She has also recently been appointed to the national AMHP board where she holds the position of board secretary. Dr Ali’s commitment to humanitarian causes extends to her participation in medical missions and dental relief efforts. In the past, she has been a part of mission trips with IMANA, and locally with CCN and IMAN medical outreach. Her most recent mission was in January 2023 with IAC’s humanitarian mission trip that provided aid to Syrian refugees in Turkey. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, she received the Inspiring Women of the Year award from the Muslim Women’s Alliance in 2016.

Dr. Hisham Alshaer is a medical doctor, a biomedical engineer, scientist and inventor. He has over 20 years of scientific research experience in developing innovative medical technologies. He is the author of 60 scholarly publications and an inventor of 7 patent families. Over the last year he joined 3 medical missions to roll-out innovative wound care modality using manual negative pressure wound treatment, without electricity, that is designed specially for crisis zones and resource constrained environments.

Imam Hassan Mostafa Aly is the Principal Imam and Director of Religious affairs at The Mecca Center in Willowbrook, Illinois since December 2011. He is a graduate of prestigious  Al-Azhar University of Cairo, Egypt in Islamic Studies and Theology. He has held the position of Imam and served as the director of religious affairs in many Islamic centers and has taught at Islamic schools in Egypt and the USA. He is also the author of many articles published in newspapers and websites. Imam Aly is the recipient of the Best Religious Speech award from Al-Azhar University Cairo in 2002. He has also hosted many Islamic radio shows in U.S. Currently, he is a Ph.D candidate in Theology and Adjunct Professor at Lewis University and University of Chicago.

CEO and President UMR

Dr. Abed Ayoub has decades of experience in the relief sector. Dr. Ayoub holds a PhD in International Development. He is a former CEO for Islamic Relief USA. In 2010, he was appointed to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to serve on its Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA), and was reappointed in 2013, concluding two terms. Dr. Ayoub provided advice, analysis, and recommendations to USAID on the most pressing developmental issues in the world today. He also served a second term with the U.S. State Department’s Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group. Dr. Ayoub is an adjunct faculty member of The Fund Raising School at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Board of the Center on Muslim Philanthropy; as well as a member of the Board of Trustees, and faculty member, of the Nonprofit Management Department at The Islamic Seminary of America in Dallas, TX. He is certified as an Executive Director, Master Business Coach, and Professional Coach. He is also a Certified International Professional Trainer for German Jordanian University (GJU). Finally, he is a lecturer/trainer for Cambridge International College, U.K.

Dr. Baban specializes in Ophthalmology and completed her training at Saint Georges Hospital-University Medical Center in Beirut, Lebanon, in June 2018. During her residency, Dr. Baban co-founded the initiative "Overcoming Barriers to Vision Care for Nursing Home Residents," a project aimed at offering free vision screening for older residents at the Saint Georges Hospital-Nursing Home That same year, she also established the NGO-OPD clinic, providing complimentary eye exams for refugees referred by local and international NGOs. Through her efforts, she examined over 500 patients and performed more than 47 procedures, personally raising over $20,000 to cover surgical and medical costs In 2020, following the Beirut blast, she joined MedGlobal, starting as a Program Manager. Her focus was on providing essential support to Lebanon's struggling healthcare system during the COVID-19 crisis and the absence of adequate healthcare infrastructure By 2021, she was promoted to Country Representative, where she played a key role in strengthening MedGlobal's relationships with international stakeholders and forming a valuable partnership with the Ministry of Health.

Throughout her career, besides clinical passion, Dr. Baban has also been heavily involved in several clinical research studies and manuscripts resulting in 10 published manuscripts since 2015.

Sophia Banu, M.D., is a board-certified Adult , Child and Adolescent psychiatrist, Associate Professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Baylor College of Medicine . She completed her medical education in New Delhi, India, Psychiatry Residency and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at St Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University, New York and during her Psychosomatic fellowship at the Bellevue / NYU Hospital, she worked primarily with refugees and survivors of torture at the Bellevue/NYU program for Survivors of Torture.  

           Sophia has extensive experience working with refugees and survivors of torture and natural disasters in Nepal, New York, Greece, Bangladesh , Syria, Turkiye and Houston. She founded the Clinic for International Trauma Survivors for refugees and torture survivors under Harris Health System and Baylor College of Medicine, working with the refugee resettlement agencies, training  psychiatry residents, child and adolescent psychiatry fellows and medical students in cultural competency and cultural humility. She started the “Alliance Wellness Center “for refugees and the underserved population, providing mental health care to this vulnerable population. 

She is one of the faculty supervisors for the BCM students Physicians for Human rights chapter and Human Rights and Asylum Clinic. Dr. Banu is the co-founder and co-director of the Global Mental Health division under the dept. of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine. She is one of the co-authors of the Handbook of Refugee Experience “Trauma, Resilience and Recovery” She is fluent in English, Tibetan, Nepali, Urdu and Hindi, can communicate in Bengali and read Arabic fluently.  

She was one of the three refugee experts interviewed on Emmy winning PBS show “Houston Refugees: stories of courage” 2011. 

Mr. Anas Barbour, a pharmacist with a master's in public health, serves as the Syria/Turkey Country Representative & Regional Program Support for MedGlobal. In this role, he oversees program planning, strategy, and implementation in the Middle East. He ensures compliance with program objectives and donor regulations, seeks funding opportunities, fosters partnerships, develops proposals, and collaborates with field teams to improve healthcare access in the region.

Alicia Bean has worked as a registered nurse in several departments throughout the Chicagoland area ranging from ICU, PACU, Cardiac Cath lab to pediatric units. The majority of her career has been in the Emergency department. Working alongside Emergency medicine physicians, nurses, paramedics, and administration has given her a passion for all aspects of the emergency medical field. Recently she has been privileged enough to join the International Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) team and the MedGlobal team in Ukraine. Alicia was privileged to work alongside the amazing STMI team in Ukraine and assess and train some of the extraordinary medical staff from Ukraine helping to broaden their knowledge in emergent and trauma care.

From Texas, 

Graduate of West Point and originally commissioned as a Field Artillery officer.

Attended Univ of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for medical school and did his orthopedic training at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, HI.

His first assignment was as Chief, Orthopedic Service at Gorgas Army Hospital in Panama, Canal Zone.

He did his orthopedic oncology training under Dr. Henry Mankin at MGH and Harvard Univ and was then stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he started an orthopaedic oncology service. As part of his responsibilities at Walter Reed, he was put in charge of the amputee program and the Prosthetic and Orthotic Lab. He was also put in charge of the residency program.

He was selected as Chair of Orthopedics at Walter Reed, a position he held until his retirement from the Army in 1993 as well as serving s the Consultant to the Army Surgeon General for Orthopedics. 

Other military duties included deployments with the USNS Mercy to the Philippines, Honduras, Guatemala, and advisor in El Salvador Armed Forces. He deployed to Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield/Storm and was deputy commander of the 85^th Evacuation Hospital a 400-bed hospital in Dharan. It was the third US Army hospital in theater and was very active throughout the operation. The hospital received the Distinguished Unit Citation and Dr. Berrey received the Bronze Star award for their efforts throughout the conflict.

He joined the faculty of University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and established the first orthopedic oncology program at that institution as part of the Simmons Cancer Center.

He joined the faculty of the University of Florida Orthopedic Department as Professor and Chair and was with the University for 20 years, working on both campuses, Jacksonville, and Gainesville. He moved to Jacksonville to revamp the orthopedic program which he did, doubling the resident contingent to 4 per year, starting a podiatry residency program and establishing an office in the community for easier patient access.

In 2008, he was recalled to Army active duty and deployed to Iraq before returning to Jacksonville in 2009.  He retired from UF in2016 and subsequently started his third orthopaedic oncology program at Baptist MD Anderson here in Jacksonville. He retired from BMDA in 2020, his third time and maybe his last.

He has received many awards and honors for his work, both in the Army and in the civilian community, has been a frequent visiting professor and an accomplished clinical investigator.

His passions in life have been his patients, students, and residents. He has had Rolly, his lovely wife of 48 years by his side throughout. They have two daughters and 4 grandchildren.  He is an active SCUBA diver, gardener and sailor, having sailed from Majorca to St. Maarten in 2021. 

Maya Bizri, MD MPH is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine at the American University of Beirut.She was the founding director of the Psychiatry Psycho-oncology program and Consultation Liaison Psychiatry at AUBMC. She also has a background in public health and joined MedGlobal inNovember 2022. Her interest in global mental health, particularly in addressing the mental health needs of healthcare workers developed post working in disaster and low resource settings in Beirut in 2019. This year, as part of MedGlobal’s expanding work, Dr Bizri conducted a trauma-informed care training in Lviv, Ukraine for healthcare workers addressing burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and management of patients exposed to trauma. She has also conducted substance use training in Gaziantep for healthcare workers in Northwest Syria as part of a joint effort by WHO and Medglobal. 

Dr. Tanya Bucierka is a proud 2nd generation Ukrainian American and Emergency Medicine Physician currently practicing in Eugene, Oregon.

Dr. Bucierka has gone on 3 mission trips to Ukraine during the russian invasion of Ukraine. Each trip she has volunteered with MedGlobal teaching point of care ultrasound (POCUS) to physicians on the front lines to be able to quickly diagnose life threatening injuries. She has also treated refugees in Western Ukraine by setting up 1 day clinics at various housing locations.

 On 10/10/22 Dr. Bucierka was awarded the “Golden Cross” from the Military Chaplain Center and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church for her volunteer efforts and collecting money to help provide for the Ukrainian Army.

Dr. Bucierka is a proud member of Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA). She grew up in a large Ukrainian Community in Rochester, NY where she was a Ukrainian Dancer in Dunay, a member of the Ukrainian American Youth Association and a member of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Epiphany. Dr. Bucierka attended medical school at LMU-DCOM and completed a 3 year Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Rochester where she was chief resident.

Isra Chaker is a Syrian-American civil rights activist, humanitarian advocate, and public speaker. She currently serves as Senior Campaign manager at Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), where she is a strategic leader, fostering innovation and creativity, and leading a cross-organizational team of volunteers and staff to deliver winning campaigns. She also serves as a key thought partner to the National Director of Campaigns and Crisis Response in developing and winning AIUSA’s Campaigns.

Previously, Isra served as a Campaign Strategist at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and as the Senior Refugee, Migration and Protection Campaign Lead at Oxfam America. In these capacities, she led campaigns on issues including immigrant, refugee and asylum seeker rights, racial justice, and discriminatory policies such as the Muslim Bans. 

 One of her infamous projects that went viral in 2017 was bringing refugees to President Trump’s childhood home in Queens, New York to share their experiences and their “American Dream”.

She is an appointed Ambassador for One Young World (OYW), a global forum of young innovative leaders and has served as a speaker at their annual OYW Summit in London (2019), and Manchester (2022). She is a Public Advocate for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency USA (UNRWA) for her invaluable contributions in raising awareness and funds for their projects supporting Palestine refugees.

In addition, Isra was recognized as an Icon for the "We The Future" campaign by Amplifier, which recognizes ten young activists from across the United States in their leading work on current social justice issues affecting humanity. Isra was chosen to represent the refugee and immigration justice theme, known as "We the Future, will not be Banned". She is the only Muslim in the campaign, and art work of Isra as well as a curriculum she designed to break down the stereotypes and misconceptions of Muslims, refugees and immigrants was taught to over 400,000 students in schools across the United States in the 2019 academic year.

Isra has been interviewed and featured on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman, NowThis, AJ+, ABC News, Al Jazeera, CNN, the Associated Press, VICE News, the Washington Post, etc.

Isra’s previous work experience includes serving as the Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator at Syria Relief and Development; a leading humanitarian NGO working on the ground in Syria. She served as a lead advocate in the United Nations, meeting with the Special Envoy to Syria in consultations on the greater Syria strategy. Her leadership elevated the voice of Syrians to the highest level meetings at the White House, Capitol Hill, the US National Security Council and the United Nations Security Council.

Isra is a firm believer in positive social change and believes that “Change is On Us”. She created a social media platform @IsraSpeaks to empower people around the world to use their personal narrative to become engaged and active global citizens who use their voice to create positive change. She uses her platform to educate people on social justice and political challenges facing humanity, to advocate for underrepresented populations, and to put a spotlight on leaders and organizations doing positive social change work. Isra has been invited to speak at the United Nations, major global conferences, and a multitude of local organizations and university campuses across the United States and world. Her story of choosing a life of purpose to shatter stereotypes of Muslim women because of islamophobia and discrimination she endured growing up Muslim in America, is the reason she is a powerful, eloquent and successful public speaker and engaging over 250,000 people on her social media platforms.

Melissa Cook is the Executive Director at Heartland Alliance International, the global arm of parent company, Heartland Alliance, a 135-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to advancing human rights and providing vital services to people in need around the world. Prior to this she was the Vice President of corporate operations for Panagora Group, a rapidly growing women-owned small business/implementing partner for USAID, where she led numerous organizational and development initiatives that improved employee engagement and operational efficiency to facilitate sustainable growth. She also spent 17 years working for USAID's largest implementing partner, Chemonics International in a variety of global roles. With Chemonics, Melissa led the operations in Ethiopia on USAID's Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project in Addis Ababa. Before this she was based in the Philippines leading the USAID/E-PESO project, supporting the Government of the Philippines to modernize its payment industry and deepen financial inclusion, which exceeded goals by generating more than a 20-fold increase in national electronic payments over five years. Later as Managing Director, Melissa managed the company's digital transformation, enabling more than 5,000 global staff across 70 countries to go paperless. Melissa Cook is best known for her ability to build and manage strong teams and lead programs to success despite challenging situations. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Marymount University; is Project Management Professional (PMP) trained; and is certified by Prosci in Change Management. She has lived overseas in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She speaks proficient French, basic Amharic, and Tagalog. She presently lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband, three children, and two dogs.

"I am "Ukrainian-by-marriage." My wife is a native of Lviv, Ukraine and we are both physicians living in Wisconsin. She came over as an exchange student after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, and we met in medical school on the East Coast. Before the full-scale invasion, I was a practicing neuroradiologist and emergency radiologist with a large Midwest private practice.  Subsequently, I've taken extended leave from clinical work and have been working full time on medical and other humanitarian relief efforts for Ukraine via a number of NGOs.  I had no prior experience in humanitarian global health before the war, so this has been a rapidly and continually evolving experience and education for me, and one which has mainly involved leveraging our family's healthcare backgrounds and networks in the USA and in Ukraine.  So, I consider myself very fortunate to have connected with a number of highly impactful groups and experienced humanitarians in this space over the past 18 months.  In addition to UMANA's work with MedGlobal, our family has also worked closely on Ukraine aid projects with Mountain Seed Foundation, Milwaukee Rotary/Rotary International, Be An Angel (their Milwaukee based affiliate), and Give To The World. "

Yasir Yousif Elamin is an assistant professor of medical oncology and cancer researcher at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is the President of the Sudanese American Physicians Association (SAPA), the largest Sudanese medical organization. SAPA is a nonprofit professional organization that provides humanitarian relief and healthcare support in Sudan and the United States.

Born in Redding, California, Sharon Eubank is the daughter of Mark and Jean Eubank. She served as a full-time missionary for the church in the Finland, Helsinki mission and received a bachelor's degree in English from Brigham Young University. Early in her career, she taught English as a second language in Japan, worked as a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate, and owned a retail education store in Provo, Utah.

Since 1998 Sharon has been employed by the Church's Welfare Self-Reliance Department. In 2011 she was named the director of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints humanitarian work worldwide. From 2017 and 2022, she served as first counselor to President Jean B. Bingham in the general Relief Society presidency. Today, she continues as the director of Humanitarian Services which as expanded to include the Perpetual Education Fund and Just Serve.

Sarah Eyring is Director of Operations for The Stirling Foundation, a Utah-based global humanitarian organization with projects in over 35 countries around the world. Sarah’s role includes the management of the foundation’s U.S.-based projects, which range in topic from the promotion of interreligious dialogue to the mitigation of sexual exploitation. Prior to joining the Stirling Foundation, she completed a Master of Public Administration at Brigham Young University.

Johannes Favi is a community and human rights activist who received the 2021 Jeanne and Joseph Sullivan Human Rights Award from the National Immigrant Justice Center.

Favi is an immigrant from Benin, a small country in West Africa. Upon release from detention, he started advocating for and providing support to other immigrants in ICE detention. He educated students and congregations on the impact of immigrant detention. He wrote several articles championing the abolition of immigrant detention centers in Illinois that ultimately led to the passage of the The Illinois Way Forward Act, disrupting the police to immigration detention and deportation pipeline.

Conrad Fischer, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Pharmacology at Touro College of Medicine. Dr. Fischer is responsible for the content of the Physiology Course for the first year curriculum. He also helps arrange clinical rotations at the third and fourth year student level for Touro College of Medicine at our affiliate hospitals in Brooklyn. He received his medical degree from Albany Medical College, has been in practice for 27 years, an infectious disease specialist, and a Residency Program Director, Vice Chair Medicine, One Brooklyn Health System, NYC. In addition, Dr Fischer is the residency program director in Internal Medicine for 100 trainees at Brookdale University Medical Center in Brooklyn.

He has taught courses nationally and internationally for 25 years. He has received eight teacher of the year awards. His “Master the Boards” series for USMLE review reaches 20,000 medical students per year and is the leading textbook for USMLE preparation in the world.

Boyce Fitzgerald is the Director, Temporal Affairs of Middle East/North Africa Area for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints based at the Church’s global headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this capacity, a position he has held since 2017, he manages all aspects of the Church’s operations, including humanitarian projects and volunteers, membership records and historical information, security, facilities, and finances. Previously, he was the Church’s Director for Temporal Affairs in the Europe East Area since 2012. From 2002 to 2012, Boyce was the Director of International Areas for the Church’s Security Department. Boyce served in the United States Army and worked for the U.S. Department of State for 15 years before being hired by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2002. Boyce served a Church mission in South Korea and then attended Brigham Young University. He graduated with degrees in Linguistics, Korean, and Russian. Boyce is married to Sandra Hasler Fitzgerald. They have four children and ten grandchildren.

Kathleen Gallagher, MD is currently a fifth-year General Surgery resident at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN. Prior to attending medical school, she served for seven years as an Army combat medic and deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. In that role, she worked closely with, and provided medical care to, the local populations of both countries. Close interface with those most directly affected by, and often most powerless against, the war sparked a life-long interest in humanitarian work in conflict zones. She has travelled to Ukraine three times with MedGlobal to provide triage and mass casualty training to surgeons and emergency medicine physicians and nurses in the Lviv area.

Born and raised in Ukraine, Iryna Gudyma is a humanitarian expert and child rights advocate with over a decade of experience at international organizations, including the United Nations, where her latest role at UNICEF was dedicated to ending violence against children.

Amidst the escalating war in Ukraine, Iryna plays a pivotal role in the emergency response programs at Razom for Ukraine, securing humanitarian and medical relief. She has organized medical missions, initiated projects supporting victims of violence, and is currently focusing on development and mental health programs.

Iryna's dedication to supporting conflict-affected communities spans over a decade. Before joining the UN, she served as a Press Officer in war-torn areas of Ukraine's Donbas, contributing to peace and security efforts in the region. She initiated an advocacy campaign on the Danger of Mines and Unexploded Ordnance to protect children in war-affected areas. Iryna also worked as a first responder and a spokesperson at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

Iryna holds a master's degree in Globalization and Development Communication from Temple University, earned as a Fulbright scholar, and a master's degree in International Business from Kyiv National Economic University.

Abdul Hamid Halabi is Founder and CEO of Clinlab.AI, a Technology company delivering AI powered Laboratories as a Service to Physician Offices in the Community. These labs empower physicians to have all the data they need on their patients at their fingertips while providing them a supplemental revenue stream to keep the mission of delivering great access to care in the community going.

Prior to that Abdul headed up Translational Artificial Intelligence at Tempus Labs, a leader in AI & Precision Medicine. Abdul drove the strategy for digital and AI solutions across oncology, urology, and pathology. He built and launched Tempus Edge, a platform enabling Actionable AI applications to pathology supporting Precision Medicine initiatives for Patients. In addition, Abdul Launched Tempus LENS, data and AI precision medicine platform enabling scalable access to genotypic and phenotypic data and rapid insight for the life science community. 

Before that Abdul Hamid Halabi led NVIDIA’s healthcare startup driving business growth and innovation into medicine and medical devices. He has been at the forefront of advanced technologies in AI and HPC for several decades, working with top global thought leaders and world-class organizations, such as the American College of Radiology to bring AI to Healthcare. Abdul launched NVIDIA’s Health platform, Clara, to reach thousands of developers and deployment sites. He also grew NVIDIA’s healthcare industry presence to a healthy 9-figure and accelerating business. Abdul pioneered key concepts of intelligent medical devices and hospitals of the future. Prior to his current role, Abdul was a leader within NVIDIA’s engineering organization where he led the Hardware Design effort of the mobile processor powering NVIDIA’s DRIVE platform.

Dr. Harris is a general pediatrician who has taught newborn resuscitation in high income settings for over 20 years. While on a deployment with MedGlobal in the Rohingya refugee camp in 2018 she learned that neonatal resuscitation was identified as an area of high need in the region. Dr. Harris led a MedGlobal team to take the first Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) training program to Cox’s Bazar the following year; a team of seven taught over 200 midwives, nurses, and doctors, 28 of whom were trained as trainers. Since then, Dr. Harris has taught HBB in person in Yemen in the train-the-trainer model and represented MedGlobal on a Gates’ grant research project led by the American Academy of Pediatrics, piloting remote newborn resuscitation training in Cox’s Bazar in 2021. Dr. Harris now works 6 months of the year for Médecins Sans Frontières, and 6 months in Canada, but still has the opportunity to volunteer for MedGlobal’s newborn resuscitation team, most recently in Idlib, Syria, in October.

Harriet Hawkins, RN is a Resuscitation educator at Lurie Children’s Hospital with 39 years of experience in neonatal and pediatric critical care and emergency medicine who has received dozens of awards for her work and expertise in training and education.

With 44 years of experience, Joshua "Josh" Hoyt is a seasoned organizer in community, electoral, immigrant rights, faith, and consumer advocacy. He has held leadership positions at various levels, from local to national, and has played pivotal roles in the immigrant rights movement, including serving as the founding Executive Director of the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) from 2012 to 2020 and as the Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) from 2002 to 2012. Josh has a track record of orchestrating impactful campaigns that have shaped policies and made significant societal changes. He is a board member of the American Business Immigration Coalition and MedGlobal, and his career has been marked by collaboration with leading organizing networks in the U.S.

Dr. Hena Ibrahim is a Pediatrician based in Chicago. She graduated Cum Laude with a BA from Loyola University and received her MD from St. George's University.  She completed her residency at Cook County Hospital and is currently in private practice at Saint Anthony Hospital where she also served as Medical Director of Ambulatory Services. 

Dr. Ibrahim began her medical relief work in 2016, assisting Syrian refugees stranded along the Greece/Macedonia border. Since then, she has participated, led and established medical programs around the world.  She served as Executive Director of MedGlobal and is an outspoken advocate for women, child & refugee health and gun violence.  

Sireen Jaber is a Registered Nurse from Milwaukee, WI. Sireen graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics. She later pursued a Master of Nursing at Alverno College and graduated in 2021. 

Sireen is an emergency department nurse at Advocate Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center and an adjunct instructor at Alverno College. She is currently pursuing a post-master’s certificate and at the University of South Alabama to become a Family and Emergency nurse practitioner. Sireen is also working on completing a medical Spanish certification to provide comprehensive care for Spanish speaking patients. 

Sireen has had a passion for medicine and working with vulnerable populations. She has volunteered with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society where she served on the mobile clinic in 2017. She has also volunteered with MedGlobal on two resiliency trips to Syria and Lebanon this year. Sireen hopes to continue working with humanitarian organizations to serve vulnerable populations globally. 

Dr. Kahler is a retired pediatrician who served as Chief Medical Officer for a Federally Qualified Health Center in Joliet, IL. With over 25 years of global health experience, he co-founded MedGlobal in 2017. His humanitarian work spans from Syria to Bangladesh, addressing the needs of refugees and displaced populations. Dr. Kahler is currently involved in MedGlobal's project in Colombia, focusing on Venezuelan migrants and refugees. He is also establishing a clinical presence at the Mexico-Texas border in Reynosa, Mexico, in collaboration with Global Response Management.

Dr. Taha Kass-Hout is Chief Technology Officer of GE HealthCare. Taha was Vice President/Distinguished Engineer-Health AI, and Chief Medical Officer, at Amazon Web Services (2017-2023), where he led Health AI strategy and efforts, including Amazon HealthLake, Amazon Comprehend Medical, and Amazon Omics. Taha also worked with teams at Amazon responsible for developing the science, technology, and scale for its own COVID-19 lab testing of associates. A physician executive and bio-statistician, Taha served two terms under President Obama, including the first Chief Health Informatics officer at the FDA. He holds a Doctor of Medicine and a Master of Science in Biostatistics from the University of Texas, and had his clinical training at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Dr. Taha Kass-Hout's career has been characterized by a remarkable blend of medical expertise, technology leadership, and a strong commitment to improving healthcare through data-driven innovations.

OLEKSANDRA KOZLOVSKA joined MedGlobal team as Ukraine Country Representative since March, 2023. She has more than 9 years of experience in management positions in Ukrainian state authorities.  Oleksandra has two Master’s Degrees in International Law and Administration.

Ms. Kozlovska was director of international cooperation departments in the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine and Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine.

Since February, 24, 2022 when russian full scaled invasion began Oleksandra coordinated all the humanitarian medical aid for Ukraine, took part in damage assessment process, was responsible for intergovernmental relations in healthcare sector, represented Ukraine in EU4Health program.

Dr. Lateef is the CEO Of RUSH University Health System. He was recently named to the list of 100 most influential people in health care in the US due to his effective management of the COVID-19 Pandemic for the Rush Medical System. He has worked on the National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality for the department of Health and Human Services. He brings a wealth of knowledge and wisdom and is a leading voice in understanding and managing healthcare crises as they unfold.

Dr. Olga Maihutiak 

MedGloball, UMANA, Razom Consortium Coordinator

UMANA Medical Relief for Ukraine Co-Founder

After working as a Chicago Firefighter, primarily on search and rescue units,for 12 years, Dr. Martin earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

He then completed 3 years of Emergency Medicine training at Cook County Hospital in Chicago followed by 2 years of Family Medicine residency at Mount

Sinai Hospital also in Chicago. He is board certified in Family Medicine.  He has extensive experience in Hospital Medicine at Cook County Hospital  and 

as teaching faculty for the University of Chicago's Family Medicine program.  He has deployed with various organizations to help provide medical care in the US

in New Orleans and Texas following Hurricane Katrina, in Port-au-Prince Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, at the Colombia-Venezuela border, in rural Ecuador, and most recently with Medglobal in IDP camps in war-torn Syria

Elder Alvin F. Meredith, III was sustained as a General

Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints on April 3, 2021. He is currently serving

in the Middle East/Africa North Area Presidency. Elder

Meredith received a Bachelor of Science degree in

psychology from Brigham Young University and an MBA

from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

In his professional career, he worked for GE Capital, The

Boston Consulting Group, and Asurion. He has worked in

Hong Kong and Singapore. Elder Meredith has served in

several other Church callings, including Area Seventy,

mission president, stake president, and bishop. He was

born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He and his wife,

Jennifer, are the parents of six children.

Mohsin Mohi Ud Din is a survivor of violence from war, an artist, community activist, and founder of the global non profit, #MeWe International Inc. (#MeWeIntl). #MeWeIntl is a global network of artists, scientists, and community-builders who design storytelling methodologies and tools for creative expression and communication skills-building to advance the healing, equity, and social cohesion in a fragmented and polarized world. For over 15 years, Mohsin has scaled his storytelling methodology across more than 15 countries, from the valley of Kashmir, to the Syrian refugee camps in the Middle East, to the mountains of Morocco, Honduras, and Mexico. His movement has supported more than 10,000 vulnerable youth and caregivers and dozens of community building organizations fighting violence, forced displacement, incarceration, and poverty. Mohsin previously worked for human rights organizations such as Human Rights First, and worked in the Strategic Communications Division for the MDGs and SDGs for the United Nations in New York. He is 2023 member of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leadership Network. His work has received honors from SOLVE Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the UN, and is a United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Fellow, Open Ideo awards recipient and others. In 2009, Mohsin received a Fulbright Scholarship to pilot his methodologies in Morocco. Over the years his words and visual pieces are featured in VICE News, Al Jazeera, Huffington Post, and The Nation. You can follow his organization at www.meweintl.org

David gained his medical degree from Manchester University and in 1992 gained his FRCS from the Royal College of Surgeons of England to become a Consultant Surgeon.

He is a Consultant Surgeon at St Mary’s Hospital where he specialises in vascular and trauma surgery and also performs cancer surgery at the Royal Marsden Hospital. David is an authority in laparoscopic surgery and was the first surgeon to combine laparoscopic and vascular surgery.

For the past 30 years David has taken unpaid leave to work for the aid agencies Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Syria Relief. He has provided surgical treatment to patients in conflict and catastrophe zones in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Chad, Darfur, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, Palestine, Nepal and Ukraine.

As well as treating patients affected by conflict and catastrophe and raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charitable causes, David teaches advanced surgical skills to local medics and surgeons when he is abroad. In Britain, he set up and led the teaching of the Surgical Training for the Austere Environment (STAE) course at the Royal College of Surgeons.

In 2015 David established the David Nott Foundation with his wife Elly. The Foundation supports surgeons in developing their operating skills for war zones and austere environments and has now trained over 1000 doctors through their bespoke Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course. In 2019, Picador published David’s bestselling memoir, War Doctor.

Most recently, David has trained over 300 surgeons across Ukraine in response to Russia’s brutal invasion in March 2022. David’s work was recently acknowledged by TIME Magazine as part of their Person of The Year Ukraine Special.  

Motivated by a desire to improve access to safe, skilled surgical care in conflict-affected communities, Elly established the David Nott Foundation in 2015 and leads it as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). 

Since 2015 the DNF has trained over 1,500 doctors in life and limb-saving surgical skills. Doctors have been taught on DNF-funded scholarships and on the Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course, a trademarked programme accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England and Imperial College London. Training is focused on certain regions assessed for severity of need and informed by a strategy set by Elly and the Board of Trustees. 

After graduating from St Hilda’s College, Oxford, Elly worked for a small social enterprise in southeast London. Between 2010 and 2014 Elly worked for the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank in London and Bahrain. Elly was recognised with David on Foreign Policy’s Global Thinkers list of 2016 for their work training doctors in conflict areas. She has contributed to The Telegraph, British Medical Journal, IISS Voices, CNN and has appeared on Sky News. 

Elly is a PhD student in the department of War Studies at King’s College London. Her research is supported by the Research for Health Systems Strengthening in Syria (R4HSSS) programme and focuses on the role of health organisations in providing governance from the ground up in northwest Syria. 

Denisse Pareja, MD, MSPH, is the Regional Program Manager for the medical INGO MedGlobal. She received her Medical Degree in Ecuador and her master’s degree in science of Public Health from the University of Miami. Beginning her work in MedGlobal as the volunteer coordinator, Denisse has helped establish MedGlobal’s program in Colombia and emergency responses in Ecuador and Lebanon. She is responsible for all aspects of program development for MedGlobal in Latin America and Europe. Her research interests are maternal and child health, global health and refugee health. Before starting her work in MedGlobal, Denisse worked as a Research Associate  at the University of Miami and at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami, Florida where she participated in research projects about diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

Ms. Angela Restrepo is an internationalist and political scientist, who works as the Colombia Program Manager coordinating MedGlobal’s operations and relations with partners, local government, and other NGOs. She used to work for the local government as part of the team at the border and as international cooperation secretary in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander. Angela worked with migrant and refugee populations coming from Venezuela, and created public policy, coordinated with GIFMM partners, and supported government programs designed to deliver services to migrant communities. She has also worked as a University Teacher at the Air Force Intelligence School located in Bogotá, Colombia. Angela holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from Nueva Granada Militar University.

Caroline Rose is the Director of the Strategic Blind Spots Portfolio at the New Lines Institute, where she leads the Project on the Captagon Trade and the Project on Post-Withdrawal Security Landscapes. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service teaching a graduate course on the nexus of illicit economies, armed conflict, and insecurity. Ms. Rose has repeatedly briefed US and partner country agencies, legislative bodies, and ministries on the captagon drug trade and the crime-conflict nexus in the Middle East, and her commentary has been featured in the Washington Post, CNN, Al Jazeera, BBC news, and other outlets. 

Leonard Rubenstein is Professor of the Practice in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Interim of its Center for Public Health and Human Rights. He is also a core faculty member at the Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Center for Humanitarian Health at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to coming to Johns Hopkins, Professor

Rubenstein was a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace and before that President of Physicians for Human Rights. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Public Health Association’s Sidel-Levy Award for Peace. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Harvard Law School. He founded and chairs the Safeguarding Health in Conflict

Coalition and is the author of Perilous Medicine: The Struggle to Protect Health Care from the Violence of War (Columbia University Press, 2021).

Dr Saeed is a consultant psychiatrist of more than 26 years standing, currently working as Regional advisor, Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean of WHO

He is currently coordinating the work on mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies in the region besides leading the work on policies, legislations, treatment systems and services for  mental health and substance use problem in 

countries of Eastern Mediterranean region

Mahdi Sahloul is a seasoned management consultant at Accenture Federal Services, specializing in the intersection of digital diplomacy and modernization strategies for federal agencies. With an impressive portfolio of past consulting engagements for esteemed institutions including the State Department and NASA, Mahdi possesses a wealth of experience in supporting the deployment of emerging technology solutions that enable federal agencies to pivot to the new. Mahdi holds an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago and is a proud Syrian American.

Dr Nida Sahouri Ali is a practicing clinical pharmacist with United health care. She has been an activist that works for Justice in Palestine for many years since she moved back from Palestine after the second intifada / uprising in Palestine where she had worked as a lecturer  of Pharmacology in Al-Quds University School of Medicine in Jerusalem.

She currently serves as the Chairwoman of American Muslims for Palestine ( AMP ) Chicago chapter.

Dr. Moeen Saleem is a physician, specializing in Cardiac Electrophysiology at the Advocate Medical Group in the western suburbs of Chicago. He received his M.D. at the University of South Carolina and did his residency in Internal Medicine at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s, where he was chief resident and completed a fellowship in Cardiology. He did a fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology at Northwestern Memorial University Hospital.

Dr. Nimra Sarfaraz is a nephrologist in Dallas, Texas and is affiliated with Methodist Mansfield Medical Center. She received her medical degree from NYIT College Of Osteopathic Medicine and has been in practice between 11-20 years. Dr. Sarfaraz has been a frequent volunteer on MedGlobal missions

Dr. Jawad Shah studied at McGill University in Montreal and the University of Manitoba prior to completing medical school at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He completed subspecialty training in skull base neurosurgery at the University of Arkansas. His areas of specialty include brain stem surgery, vascular neurosurgery, brain tumors, complex spine, and neuromodulation. He is involved in extensive research projects including clinical, patent work, biological/mechanical and electrical product development, industry-sponsored studies, and theoretical philosophy. He is a faculty member at the Michigan State University Medical School and the Co-Director of the Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, jointly administered by the University of Michigan and Insight.

Dr. Shah is the Senior Director of Global Health at Butterfly Network. An emergency physician and educator by training, her career in academics and the non-profit sector led to impactful research on the value of point-of-care-ultrasound in limited-resource settings. She has dedicated her career to academic medicine and at Butterfly is now bringing innovative ultrasound services to the farthest corners of the world to serve the most marginalized communities. She has served as Butterfly's lead for The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded Butterfly 1,000 Probe Partnership and continues to expand upon Butterfly's health equity agenda.

Dr. Sarrah Shahawy is an obstetrician-gynecologist clinician, researcher, and educator at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She holds an MD from Harvard Medical School and an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. After her OBGYN residency at Northwestern University, she completed a Global OBGYN fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Shahawy’s research expertise is at the intersection of local and global migrant women’s health, with a focus on optimizing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) by taking into account the ethical, social, and political realities that endanger and marginalize women globally. In the US, she conducts community-based, qualitative research with immigrant and refugee groups in multiple cities to identify innovative solutions to care delivery and SRH education and empowerment for these populations. Internationally, her research has focused on regions often overlooked in global health—namely, the Middle East North African (MENA) region. Her research has included the driving factors of the high national cesarean section rate in Egypt, the challenges accessing healthcare and family planning services for Palestinian women, the effect of female genital cutting on women in the diaspora, and the reproductive health of Muslim women. Working with MedGlobal, she has also led trainings of providers worldwide in obstetric and gynecologic techniques, including point of care ultrasound for front-line providers caring for Venezuelan refugees, operative vaginal delivery trainings in Egypt as part of a multi-pronged effort to reduce cesarean section rates, and gynecologic surgery in Gaza.

Dr. Suhail Sharif is a board-certified surgeon and a fellowship-trained surgical oncologist in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas. He specializing in the surgical management of advanced colorectal, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, melanoma/sarcoma, breast, and GI tract malignancies, Dr. Sharif also performs advanced loco-regional pancreatic and hepatic therapy for primary and metastatic malignancies, along with management of carcinomatosis with intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion therapy. Dr. Sharif is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX.  Currently, he is also the Medical Director of the National Pancreas Foundation, North Texas Division, and the Medical Director of Surgical Oncology at Medical City Fort Worth and Baylor All Saints Medical Center.  Dr. Sharif believes that educating the next generation of scholars and doctors is paramount for the future of medicine.  His vision has not only been limited to educating aspiring new physicians in the DFW area but also has led him to educate peers and colleagues from around the world.   Dr. Sharif has participated in multiple medical missions throughout the world.  He has been to Yemen twice and to Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Gaza Strip in Palestine, and most recently Uganda.  

I am a Pediatric Pulmonologist from California, having retired in 2014. While employed, I was the director of the Northern California Kaiser Cystic Fibrosis Teaching and Research Center caring for 250 patients with CF.  Additionally, I was a consultant in the PICU, NICU, Pediatric ward, Sleep Lab and Pulmonary Function Lab.  Since retirement, I have taken part in 30 Global Health trips throughout the world primarily in refugee camps, and cleft palate/burn missions. Occasionally, my wife Linda, a Pediatric Dermatologist, will go with me. I started working with MedGlobal in 2017 when I helped start up the clinic at the Rohingyan camp in Bangladesh. 

Dr. Siddiqui is a world-renowned clinical radiologist, pioneer in the field of AI and a serial entrepreneur. His astounding network stretches through medicine, academia, technology, government, clinical associations, and finance. He holds dozens of patents in deep learning, AI, image processing, data visualization, MR imaging, and secure patient information handling. His work at Microsoft in the early 2000’s included the first multimodal AI model in medical imaging and developing the necessary infrastructure and training for the large AI model behind Xbox Kinect, which was based on nearly one billion images. Dr. Siddiqui is a serial entrepreneur with a track record of success. He took Hyperfine, Inc., the creator of the world’s first FDA 510(k) cleared, portable MRI scanner, public via a SPAC process. He also founded higi, Inc., a consumer health technology company, which was acquired by a technology company in a $4.2 billion SPAC transaction.

Dr. Siddiqui has held significant roles at Microsoft, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland. He was the founding chair of the American College of Radiology’s Imaging and Informatics Commission and has demonstrated his leadership and expertise throughout the field of radiology. He contributed to dozens of academic radiology informatics programs in the United States and is a frequent lecturer on building highly scalable technology companies, building data driven digital health companies and the rapid commercialization of medical and digital health technologies, particularly, AI in radiology and medical imaging startups.

Finally, Dr. Siddiqui is a member of various boards and advisory committees for startups around the world, and he has given hundreds of invited talks. His work has been recognized globally, further solidifying his reputation as a leader in healthcare technology.

Farashin was born in Kurdistan of Iraq and relocated to Michigan in 1997 with a political asylum status.  As a new refugee to the USA, it was a struggle to do high school and even a college degree in Lansing, Michigan. That's when her passion began about helping refugees and disadvantaged people at the local, national, and international levels. 

She received her Bachelor degree in science, followed by a master in public health, then medical school; all at Michigan State University.

She is passionate about doing medical missions to any country in need whether due to conflict zones, natural disasters, or due to poverty. She provides them with direct medical care, capacity building, and provides public awareness and education. She has been on multiple medical missions; Jordan, Iraq, Colombia, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Syria, Turkey, Gaza (Palestine), Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica.

Judah Slavkovsky MD – is a surgical educator and General/Trauma Surgeon working at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. He has trained medical colleagues in diverse settings including 6 trips to Ukraine since the current conflict began. He recently spent 8 months leading the department of surgery at a regional hospital in rural Afghanistan.

Abdelnaser Soboh, BScN, MAEd, MAN, Ed.D, has served as the Health Cluster Coordinator for Gaza with WHO since 2009, navigating five military conflicts and natural disasters in the past 15 years. Dr. Soboh excels in assessing humanitarian health needs, leading teams in data analysis, and developing response plans. He also maintains the Health 4Ws tool, updates stakeholders, and briefs visiting medical teams.

Dr. Soboh's extensive 20+ years of clinical and managerial experience in hospitals and PHCs have led to significant service quality improvements in various countries. He's been dedicated to enhancing emergency services and community resilience, particularly in Gaza for the past 15 years. Furthermore, he's played a vital role in strengthening emergency preparedness for the Health Cluster partners.

In addition to his fieldwork, Dr. Soboh actively contributed to the Palestinian National Institution for Public Health (PNIPH) in Gaza. His responsibilities have included conducting assessments, participating in public health research, and coordinating international research visits over three years.

Dr. Sam Song was born in South Korea and raised on the island of Guam, USA from 7 years of age. She attended Academy of Our Lady of Guam, an all girls school on the island. She later attended University of Guam and on to Medical College of Pennsylvania.  Her residency was in Obstetrics at UCSF, Fresno. She is currently practicing outside of Seattle, Washington.  She has traveled to Jordan, Greece, Sierra Leone and Bangladesh on various mission trips. Her current focus is maternal mortality and teaching midwives and doctors to help improve quality of care. Dr. Song has been married for 22 years and currently has 3 children at various universities. 

Dr. Rolla Sweis is currently the Vice President of Operations at Advocate Christ Medical Center. She is responsible for the operations of the medical center and driving growth within all service lines. Before taking that role, Rolla served as the Executive Director of Pharmacy where she oversaw multiple advocate hospitals, specialty pharmacy, and ambulatory pharmacy services. Rolla was the Director of Pharmacy at Christ Medical Center and Children’s Hospital-Oak Lawn from 2012-2017. At Christ Medical Center, from 2009-2011 Rolla served as the clinical manager and from 2004-2009 Rolla was the ED Clinical Coordinator. Throughout her experience, Rolla set up clinical services in the ED, optimized and expanded clinical services throughout both hospitals, started the ED Pharmacy residency program, led the pharmacy renovation and expansion, and implemented automation in the pharmacy. Many of these initiatives resulted in several million dollars in savings annually. Prior to starting at Christ Medical Center, Rolla started her career as a pharmacist at South Suburban Hospital. Rolla received two ASHP Best Practices Awards for her work in the ED in 2006 and 2008. Rolla holds a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Illinois and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership.

"Alysha Tagert, MSW, LICSW, is a Washington, DC-based mental health professional specializing in anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, and PTSD and is the Director of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support- US Programs at World Relief. She has worked in various roles offering technical expertise and knowledge management in UNICEF and USAID. Additionaly,  she is a former managing director of TASSC, a torture abolition advocacy non-profit, where she developed and implemented survivors' clinical programs." 

Kendall Thurman, DO, was born in Dallas, lived for two years in Chile as a church missionary, received his undergraduate from Idaho State University and his medical degree from Des Moines University.

He fulfilled a General Surgery internship, and then transitioned to an Emergency Medicine residency, both in Detroit. 

He has practiced in rural, inner-city, and academic emergency departments for the past 16 years, including a brief stint with NASA astronauts.

Currently he works part-time ER, full-time as a medical director for Molina Healthcare, and as a board member for MedGlobal, a nonprofit with which he recently went to Syria.

He is married to the Queen of Vancouver, and they have five really cool kids.

Merril Tydings hails from the Southwest, growing up in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM. She started her career in public service with a degree in Political Science, working in Washington DC as a Legislative Consultant for a US Senator. Wanting to serve people on a more personal level, she moved to Colorado and received her degree in Nursing. She has been a Critical Care Flight Nurse for 11 years, serving the most ill and injured people who live in rural communities amongst the Four Corners area. She began her international humanitarian work at a clinic in Limon, Honduras, and has since branched out to emergent Covid relief missions to Africa, and several trips to Ukraine to serve displaced people. She has worked closely with MedGlobal in their efforts to train soldiers and hospital workers called to the front lines in POCUS, BLS, and Stop the Bleed. She has also been designated as a "Unsung Hero" in her local community of Taos, NM, for her work in management of the Covid pandemic.

Medical School:  American University of Antigua College of Medicine

Residency:  Internal Medicine, Tripler Army Medical Center

Humanitarian Work:

With MedGlobal:  Cucuta, Colombia, and online lectures for healthcare providers in Bangladesh and Ecuador

Rescuers without borders:  Medyka, Poland, and various cities around Ukraine

Humanitarian Parole sponsorship:  Sponsored 47 Venezuelans to move to the USA under humanitarian parole.  To the best of my knowledge, I am the single largest sponsor in the program

Program Officer, Program Advocacy and Communications, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 

Marleen oversees the MNCH product advocacy strategy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She brings over a decade of specialized experience with Team Leader and Director roles in public health projects across South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout her career, she has worked on a range of global health issues in the areas of maternal and child health, family planning, HIV/AIDS, health systems governance, and health security.  Before joining the foundation, Marleen was Project Director for the MamaYe project, which works with civil society and governments in Nigeria and Kenya to translate complex health data into usable formats to inform policy and financing decisions. She holds an MSc degrees both in Public health (LSTHM, United Kingdom) and  Political Science (University of Amsterdam).

Hassan Wadi is a professional speaker, fitness expert, and a philanthropist. 

As a speaker he has spoken at events with up to 60,000 people in attendance, he's the founder of Youth Speaker Academy, and is a speech competition award winning speaker. 

As a Fitness expert, he has been recognized as one of the "Top 10 Fitness professionals in Canada" from Canfitpro and was a Fitness Supervisor for the City of Mississauga. 

As a philanthropist, he is the Director of Fundraising with HCI and has raised more than 40 million dollars for people in need. 

In 2021 Hassan was awarded Covid Hero award by the Mayor and Council and was recognized and selected as Canada's Top 25 Canadian Immigrants by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Wilford was born a Mexican citizen in Chihuahua, Mexico. He moved to Mexico City where he
completed high school. At the age of twenty one he moved to the United States on a student
visa. He applied for residency and upon graduating in Spanish and Physical Education received
his permanent residency. Three years later, US citizenship was granted.
While working as an educator he completed graduate degrees at the University of Kentucky and
National Louis University. While serving as Principal of West Leyden High School the Leyden
School District 212 was named the AP small school district of the year by the AP Board. While
at Leyden he worked with a student body that were mainly immigrants or children of immigrants.
He led student service trips to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where the students had the opportunity to
work in orphanages and schools for special needs students.
Today, he lives with his wife Leslie and loves to travel, participate in sports and serve in the
community.

Dr. Weine is Professor of Psychiatry at the UIC College of Medicine, where he is also Director of Global Medicine and Director of the Center for Global Health. For 30 years he has been conducting research both with refugees and migrants in the U.S. and in post-conflict countries, focused on mental health, health, and violence prevention. His research mission is to develop, implement, and evaluate psychosocial interventions that are feasible, acceptable, and effective with respect to the complex real-life contexts where at-risk populations live. This work has been supported by multiple grants from the NIMH, NICHD, DHS, NIJ, and other state, federal, and private funders, all with collaboration from community partners. This work has resulted in more than 130 publications and two books: When History is a Nightmare: Lives and Memories of Ethnic Cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Rutgers, 1999) and Testimony and Catastrophe: Narrating the Traumas of Political Violence (Northwestern, 2006). He has been awarded two Career Scientist Awards: “Services Based Research with Refugee Families” from the National Institute of Mental Health and “Labor Migration and Multilevel HIV Prevention” from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.  Dr. Weine is the 2020 recipient of the Abraham L. Halpern Humanitarian Award of the American Association for Social Psychiatry.

Eiman Abdelmoneim has 25+ years working in a variety of technology industries including telecommunications, internet, fintech and blockchain. Eiman currently is Head of Solutions at thirdweb, a Silicon Valley based growth startup focused on web3 and blockchain technologies.  In addition to his role at thirdweb, Eiman advises companies on their technology innovation strategies through his consulting company Maymana Group where he has worked with organizations like the World Economic Forum and Panasonic on their AI go to market strategies.

Critical care specialist and President of MedGlobal.

Dr. Mohammed Zaher Sahloul is a medical doctor, Chicagoan, humanitarian, faith, immigrant and civic leader, and influencer. Professionally, he is a Critical Care specialist at Advocate Christ Medical Center and Saint Anthony’s hospital and Associate Professor in Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago.  

Dr. Sahloul is considered one of the world’s experts on the humanitarian crisis in his homeland Syria and applying lessons learned to other disaster responses, including COVID-19. He led the Syrian American Medical Society from 2011-2015 to play a crucial role in providing humanitarian medical aid and organizing the Syrian American diaspora. He founded the American Relief Coalition for Syria, ARCS, and Syria Faith Initiative. He has published extensively on the Syrian crisis, refugees and immigration, disaster management, and COVID-19 impact on disadvantaged communities in Chicago, and has many media appearances locally, nationally, and internationally. He was instrumental in providing medical relief to help the civilian population in his homeland of Syria and testified to the U.S. Congress and the United Nations Security Council multiple times on defending medical neutrality, the use of siege and chemical weapons, and the siege of Aleppo. He was awarded Chicagoan of the Year in 2016 for risking his life with two other American doctors to provide healthcare to the civilians in Aleppo under siege and bombardment.

Dr. Sahloul sits on the advisory board of the Syrian Community Network and the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He was a member of the Illinois Board of Health from 2009-2016.

In 2020 , Dr. Sahloul was awarded the Gandhi Award for Peace for his humanitarian work in Syria and at the global level. He has also received many other awards including the “Heroes Among Us” award by American Red Cross, Dr. Robert Kirschner’s Award for Global Activism by Heartland Alliance Kovler Center 2017, the Commitment to Change Award by the National Immigration Justice Center for his commitment to human rights, and the Shine a Light on Global Refugee Crisis and annual humanitarian award by UNICEF Chicago 2017.

He is married to Suzanne Akhras Sahloul and has three children.