Conference Speakers & Agenda
Our conference features leading experts in refugee and immigrant health, offering keynote speeches, workshops, and pre-courses. Topics include advocacy, global health, inspirational stories, clinical guidelines and more, providing comprehensive coverage of current best practices and emerging issues.
We have an outstanding lineup of refugee and immigrant health speakers
Register for the Conference
Our Featured Speakers
2026 Conference Agenda
We’re thrilled to announce that planning is underway for the 2026 International Refugee and Migration Health Conference in the sunny and warm city of San Diego, California, USA!
Our Featured Speakers represent the forefront of refugee and immigrant healthcare, bringing unparalleled expertise, innovation, and passion to the stage. Each speaker has been carefully selected to inspire, educate, and equip attendees with cutting-edge insights.
Discover how these thought leaders are shaping the future of healthcare for refugees and immigrants.
Dr. Drew Posey
Chief, Immigrant, Refugee, and Migrant Health Branch, CDC
Dr. Drew Posey, MD, MPH, oversees CDC’s Immigrant, Refugee, and Migrant Health Branch. He guides medical screening programs and public health interventions for immigrants and refugees, fostering global health improvements and patient advocacy.
Dr. Omar Reda
Global Trauma Expert, Psychiatrist, and Humanitarian Advocate at the Healing Trauma Institute
Dr. Omar Reda, board-certified psychiatrist and founder of Healing Trauma Institute, is a global leader in refugee mental health. Author of Untangled and The Wounded Healer, he equips caregivers with trauma-informed strategies to support displaced communities and break cycles of generational trauma.
Noun Abdelaziz
Advocacy Lead at the United Women of East Africa Support Team
Noun is a Advocacy Lead at the United Women of East Africa Support Team (UWEAST), where she works to uplift community voices and drive youth-centered initiatives. She also proudly represents UWEAST on the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition’s Policy Council, advocating for policies that reflect the needs and strengths of refugee communities.
Reem Zubaidi
Program Manager, UC San Diego Center for Community Health, Refugee and Immigrant Health Unit
Reem Zubaidi is a program manager at the UC San Diego Center for Community Health, Refugee and Immigrant Health Unit and a co-facilitator for the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition.
Nooria Esmaelzade
Director of Operations, San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition
Nooria Esmaelzade is the Director of Operations at the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition (SDRCC), where she oversees operations and supports programs serving refugee and immigrant communities in San Diego. She also serves as a State Advisory Council (SAC) Member, contributing her perspective to statewide discussions and initiatives.
Nao Kabashima
Executive Director, Karen Organization of San Diego
Nao Kabashima is the co-founder and Executive Director of Karen Organization of San Diego (KOSD). She served as the Secretary and Chair of the San Diego Refugee Forum in 2012-2013 and currently sits at the San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s AAPI Advisory Board. She is one of the awardees for the City of San Diego’s Women of Distinction in 2024.
Dr. Paul Spiegel
Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health
Paul B. Spiegel, MD MPH is a Canadian physician and epidemiologist with over 30 years of experience in humanitarian health. He is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health and Distinguished Professor of the Practice in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Guerline Jozef
Executive Director, Haitian Bridge Alliance
Guerline M. Jozef is a globally recognized human rights advocate, thought leader, and strategist whose fearless leadership has transformed the conversation on migration, race, and justice. As the Co- Founder and Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA)—A Black-led, women-led, Haitian-American-led organization serving migrants at the U.S.–Mexico border—she has built a movement that centers people of African descent in migration while amplifying the voices of the most marginalized. She is also the visionary behind Tales from the Borderlands and Beyond, and co-founder of both the Black Immigrants Bail Fund (BIBF) and the Cameroon Advocacy Network.
Dr. Santino Severoni
Head of Special initiative on Health and Migration, WHO
Dr. Santino Severoni has pursued 25 years distinguished career with WHO, serving as global health leader with extensive experience managing complex multi-country programmes and driving transformative strategies at national, regional, and international levels.
Anisa Hagi-Mohamed, MA
Linguist, poet, author, and community leader
Anisa Hagi-Mohamed is a linguist, poet, author, and community leader whose journey spans Somalia, Kenya, California, and Minnesota. She is the co-founder and Board Chair of Maangaar Voices, a community-led initiative that centers culturally grounded advocacy, storytelling, and support for families navigating autism and developmental disabilities.
Chandra Bhatnagar, JD
Executive Director, ACLU of Southern California
Chandra S. Bhatnagar is executive director of the ACLU of Southern California. Chandra joined the SoCal affiliate in July 2025. A leading expert on civil rights and human rights, he brings a distinguished 20-year track record as an organizational leader and changemaker spanning the nonprofit sector, federal government and higher education.
Dr. Ietza Bojórquez, MD, MSc, PhD
Co-lead, Border Humanitarian Health Initiative
Dr. Bojórquez holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology, and a MSc in Public Health. Her main research interest is on the social determinants of health, in the areas of migrant health, mental health, health policies and health-related practices.
Dr. Alexander Klosovsky
Global Health Assessment Programme Coordinator
Dr. Alex Klosovsky, MD, MSc is the Global Health Assessment Programme Coordinator at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), based in Geneva. He works on refugee and migrant health in regular migration pathways, with a focus on continuity of care, health systems interfaces, and quality and efficiency of migration health services.
Past Speakers Who Inform, Inspire, and Challenge
Each year, our conference draws pioneers in refugee and immigrant health—from clinical leaders and policy experts to community voices and global changemakers. Below are some of the brilliant minds who’ve shaped our past programs. They set the tone for what’s next—and give a glimpse of the excellence we aim for in every year’s speaker lineup.
Kao Kalia Yang
Kao Kalia Yang, award-winning Hmong American writer and speaker, amplifies refugee and immigrant narratives. At the Global Refugee Healthcare Conference, she’ll share powerful insights on storytelling’s role in healing, advocacy, and cultural preservation for displaced communities.
Tareq Hadhad
Tareq Hadhad will tell his story. He was a Syrian refugee and now living his new life with his entrepreneurial family in Canada’s east coast. He is founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate.
Passionate about peace and entrepreneurship, his family relaunched the family business to recreate the chocolates they exported across the Middle East and their story turned into an international inspiring phenomenon.
Dr. Apostolos Veizis
Dr. Apostolos Veizis, Executive Director of INTERSOS HELLAS, leverages decades of global experience in humanitarian aid and refugee healthcare. At the International Refugee and Migration Health Conference, he’ll explore innovative strategies for delivering care in crisis settings and fostering health equity.
Dr. Alexander Tenorio
Dr. Alexander Tenorio, neurosurgery resident at UC San Diego Health, is a leading advocate for immigrant health equity. At the Global Refugee Healthcare Conference, he’ll discuss healthcare disparities and the humanitarian impact of U.S.-Mexico border policies on vulnerable populations.
Dr. Anisa Ibrahim
Dr. Anisa Ibrahim, MD, FAAP, a UW Clinic Associate Professor and medical director at Harborview Pediatrics Clinic, advocates for immigrant and refugee health.
Representative Ilhan Omar
Rep. Ilhan Omar, representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, is a trailblazing legislator and advocate for equity and inclusion. She brings her perspective as the first African refugee in Congress to inspire and empower diverse communities.
Faith Akovi Cooper
Faith Akovi Cooper, Regional Director at IRC, is a refugee advocate and leader. Drawing from lived expertise, she enhances refugee resettlement services and advances equitable global solutions for displaced populations.
Isra Chaker
Isra Chaker, Senior Campaign Manager at Amnesty International USA, is a Syrian-American advocate leading transformative campaigns for refugee and immigrant rights. Her impactful work inspires equity and shatters stereotypes.
Kelly Gauger
Kelly Gauger, Deputy Director at PRM, oversees critical aspects of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, including strategic planning, resettlement networks, and global refugee processing infrastructure.
Oballa Oballa
Oballa Oballa, a former refugee from Ethiopia, is a Senior Team Leader at Hormel Foods and an Austin City Councilman. He’s a passionate advocate for food security, education, and community leadership, with a background in social work and a history of groundbreaking initiatives in Minnesota.
Dr. David Fitter
Captain David Fitter, MD, Director of DGMH at NCEZD, is a global health expert with extensive experience in emergency response, vaccine distribution, and disease outbreak control in crisis regions.
Professor Bukola Salami
Professor Bukola Salami, Canada Research Chair in Black and Racialized Peoples Health, is a leading expert on migrant health. At the International Refugee and Migration Health Conference, she’ll share insights on healthcare access, Black mental health, and policy change for marginalized communities.
JJ Bola
JJ Bola is an international writer, poet and educator who is passionate about empowering people to transform their lives and who writes about refugee resilience and identity, fostering empathy and global solidarity.
Adeb Arianson
Adeb Arianson is an activist-survivor, artist-theatrist, community organizer, and emerging scholar committed to uplifting LGBTQIA+ refugees and newcomers. As the Founder and Director of GIDA Movement (Growth Initiative for Dedicated LGBTQ+ Advocacy), Adeb works on the frontlines of refugee rights, advocating for policies and community-based solutions that prioritize queer asylum seekers’ safety, dignity, and access to healthcare.
Dr. Katherine McKenzie
Dr. Katherine McKenzie, associate professor at Yale and director of the Yale Center for Asylum Medicine, is a leading expert in forensic asylum evaluations. At the International Refugee and Migration Health Conference, she’ll share insights on asylum medicine, physician advocacy, and human rights.
Dr. Samir Shaheen-Hussain
Samir Shaheen-Hussain, MDCM, is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics and an associate member of the School of Population and Global Health (both in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University) who works as a pediatric emergency physician.
Dr. Joanne Liu
Dr. Joanne Liu, a veteran humanitarian aid worker and former International President for Médecins Sans Frontières, is a Canadian practicing pediatric emergency physician at University of Montreal and professor at McGill University.
Jim Estill
Jim Estill is owner and CEO of Danby Appliances, a company he bought after growing his start up venture from zero to $2Billion in sales. He has invested in, advised and mentored over 150 technology businesses. He was a co-founding Board Member of Blackberry.
Dr. Bernadette Nirmal Kumar
Dr. Bernadette Kumar is the President of the Global Society on Migration, Ethnicity, Race and Health (2018-) and Chair of the 2nd World Conference MERH Lisbon 2025. Kumar was the Lancet Commission on Migration and Health (2018) and is Co-chair of Lancet Migration and Co-chair of the Lancet Migration Regional HUB Europe.
Dr. Christina Greenaway
Dr. Christina Greenaway an infectious disease physician and clinician researcher in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Jewish General Hospital, the J.D. MacLean Center for Tropical Diseases at McGill and Principal Investigator at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University.
Tareq Awadallah
Tareq Awadallah has volunteered with LGBTQ+ refugee newcomers to Canada, including with End of the Rainbow in Calgary and Vancouver. His work focuses on supporting newcomers, fostering connection, and creating spaces where people can feel safe and seen. Tareq believes in the power of community, storytelling, and creating a future where everyone has the freedom to be themselves.
Dr. William Stauffer
Dr. William Stauffer is formally trained in public health, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine and infectious diseases.
Conference Details
Refugee Health Conference
To get a full understanding of the value of attending our International Refugee and Migration Health Conference, please browse the details.
Pre-courses
Explore free pre-courses designed to enhance your expertise in refugee healthcare. Offered exclusively to conference attendees, these sessions provide practical insights and valuable skills. Register now!
CME Credits
Attendees can earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ through our educational sessions. These credits ensure participants stay updated with the latest innovations and best practices in refugee healthcare.
Sponsors / Exhibitors
Our event is enriched by diverse sponsors and exhibitors, offering attendees access to the latest resources, tools, and technologies relevant to refugee and immigrant healthcare.
Scholarships
Through generous donations, we support people with lived experience as refugees with scholarships, enabling professionals to attend the conference and gain valuable learning and networking opportunities.