Dr. Thaer Ahmad

Dr. Ahmad is a board-certified emergency medicine physician, global health leader, and humanitarian who has provided medical relief in some of the world’s most devastated conflict zones, including Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, and Kenya. Based in Chicago, he serves as an Assistant Program Director for his department’s emergency medicine residency program and is the director of global health. He is also an assistant clinical professor at the University of Illinois and at Wake Forest School of Medicine. In a widely publicized moment, Dr. Ahmad delivered a powerful firsthand account during a private briefing with President Biden in 2024 and walked out in protest after calling for an immediate ceasefire—a moment that was covered by major news outlets and amplified the voices of the most vulnerable victims in Gaza.

Dr. Nahreen Ahmed

Dr. Ahmed is a second-generation Bangladeshi-American pulmonary and critical care physician. She is a humanitarian aid worker and global health leader in the areas of Emergency Response, Health Innovation and Capacity Building in areas of conflict. She founded the Bangladesh Ultrasound Initiative, a training program for Critical Care physicians in Dhaka, Bangladesh after which she went on to lead training programs across the globe, including in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. She is the former Medical Director at a US-based NGO MedGlobal, where she worked to implement innovative and sustainable programs that improve access to health care and systems strengthening with projects such as mobile clinics and capacity building for healthcare workers focused in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Yemen and Syria. In her most recent role she has led field-level emergency response efforts in Gaza with three deployments since October 2023, most recently returning in November 2024. She is a faculty member at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she continues to attend patients alongside her other role as a technical consultant with the Gates Foundation, focusing on the improvement of maternal and neonatal health outcomes through innovation in fragile contexts.

Dr. R. Myles Dickason

Dr. Dickason brings experience in emergency medicine, disaster response and global health to The Borgen Project’s mission of ending extreme poverty. Having served as a frontline physician and emergency planner in humanitarian crises — including work in Haiti, Lebanon, and El Salvador — he understands first-hand how conflict, displacement and weak health systems exacerbate global inequality hunger, and poverty. With a foundation in public health and disaster medicine, he has collaborated with local ministries, NGOs and international partners to build sustainable systems for medical care, child health and crisis response. As a longtime advocate for health equity, Dr. Dickason shares The Borgen Project’s focus on global food security, maternal and child survival, and access to clean water and sanitation — using his clinical background, experience in global humanitarian operations, and policy-oriented mindset to help shape solutions that lift vulnerable populations out of poverty.

Dr. Ayesha Khan

Dr. Khan is a humanitarian physician and global health advocate whose career spans nearly two decades of frontline medical service, systems-building in crisis zones, and international policy leadership. Her work has taken her from earthquake relief in Pakistan and Haiti to AIDS response in Lesotho, refugee care for the Rohingya, and most recently, emergency medical service in Gaza with the World Health Organization. Recognized with a Humanitarian Award from Relief International early in her career, Dr. Khan has since become a leading voice in the protection of children in conflict. In 2025, she provided expert testimony to the U.S. Congress, the UN Secretary-General’s Office, UNICEF, and the European Union, advancing global accountability and humanitarian access in Gaza. She has also co-authored a UN Human Rights Council report proposing a formal medical definition of genocide. Her advocacy and field experience have been featured in The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and on major broadcast networks. As an Advisory Board member for The Borgen Project, Dr. Khan continues to champion policies that strengthen humanitarian response, equity in global health, and the rights of vulnerable populations worldwide.

Dr. Javeria Shaheen Qureshi

Dr. Qureshi is a general trauma surgeon practicing in northern Illinois. She received her medical degree from Rush University and completed her general surgery training at the University of North Carolina Hospital – Chapel Hill, where she spent two years completing public health research in trauma care in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a first-generation immigrant to the U.S., it was her dream to share her skills and knowledge beyond American borders, something she is now able to fulfill with her humanitarian surgical work primarily in Africa and the Middle East.  Her most recent humanitarian trip was with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) in Gaza in September 2025.

Dr. Nour Sharaf

Dr. Nour Sharaf is an Emergency Medicine Physician committed to advancing compassionate, equitable care both locally and abroad. She earned her Medical Degree from Pacific Northwest University and completed her residency at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Sharaf has dedicated her career to serving vulnerable and underserved populations. She has worked with numerous charitable organizations supporting children’s hospitals, the homeless community in Dallas, and international orphan care initiatives. Her humanitarian focus continues globally—she traveled to Gaza in July 2025 with GODA (Gift of Disability and Alleviation) to provide emergency medical aid and support for communities affected by the conflict.

Dr. Feroze Sidhwa

Dr. Feroze Sidhwa is a general, trauma, and critical care surgeon in California. He is also a humanitarian surgeon, having worked most extensively in Palestine, but also in Ukraine, Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Burkina Faso. He most recently volunteered at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza from March 25-April 8, 2024, with the World Health Organization, and again from March 3-April 1, 2025 with American NGO MedGlobal. Feroze has written and spoken extensively about surgical humanitarian work, the United States’ role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the political consequences of medical relief work. He approaches the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a secular American and as a humanitarian physician.