About Us

Mission

Afghan Clinic is a public health initiative created by and for immigrant people. We are dedicated to promoting the well-being and agency of Afghan, immigrant, and refugee peoples.

Objectives

To create education resources that are sensitive to the language and cultural needs of Afghan and refugee people and promote health literacy.
To create novel public health interventions that promote the strengths, well-being, and autonomy of Afghan and refugee people.
To conduct and disseminate academic research that promotes health among Afghan and immigrant people.
To promote the representation of Afghan and immigrant people in the fields of healthcare and public health.

Our Founders

Nazineen and Nilufar are sisters who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area immersed in the Afghan community. Nazineen and Nilufar both pursued careers in public health as a means of supporting their community. Together, they founded Afghan Clinic as a means of promoting health and agency for the Afghan community.

Nazineen pictured on the left, Nilufar on the right.

Meet the Team

Founder and Executive Director
Nazineen Kandahari is a Resident Surgeon specializing in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. She completed her Medical Doctorate (M.D.) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the prestigious Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US). Nazineen has research expertise in immigrant health, health inequities, and community-based participatory research. She completed her Master of Science (M.S.) at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), where she also completed her undergraduate degrees in Public Health and Molecular & Cell Biology with honors. Nazineen’s family is from Herat, Afghanistan, and she credits her immigrant community for her unshakeable resilience, hope, and commitment to community service. Nazineen founded Afghan Clinic alongside her sister, Nilufar Kayhani, and their mother who taught them "خوبى كن و به دريا بنداز.” As Executive Director, Nazineen has conceptualized many of Afghan Clinic’s projects, organized and hosted health education webinars, and directed Afghan Clinic’s research efforts. In her free time, Nazineen loves to mentor underrepresented students, bake or eat pastries, hike, and read or write poetry.

Grant Writer and Program Coordinator
Originally from New York, Anisha earned her BA in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley and her MS in Media, Medicine, and Health from Harvard Medical School. Anisha has been involved with Afghan Clinic since 2021, driven by a deep commitment to improving access to culturally sensitive and language-concordant healthcare and health education for immigrant communities.

Founder and Project Manager
Nilufar Kayhani is the daughter of Afghan refugees from Herat. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Nilufar developed a commitment addressing health inequities affecting displaced and marginalized communities. Nilufar graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with her Bachelors in Public Health. During her time at UC Berkeley, Nilufar cofounded Afghan Clinic with her sister Nazineen. Nilufar is currently completing her Master’s of Science in Global Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
At Afghan Clinic, Nilufar brings her knowledge and experience with public health research and public health interventions. In her role as a Project Manager, Nilufar directly supports the development and implementation of Afghan Clinic’s health education, research, and mentorship programs. Through her work at Afghan Clinic, Nilufar is able to combine her personal and academic background to promote health equity for all displaced populations.

Program Intern
Born and raised as an Afghan refugee in Iran, Mahboba immigrated to the U.S. in ninth grade with limited English but a strong determination to pursue a higher education in medicine. Despite the challenges, she excelled academically, joined the California Scholarship Federation Honor Society, and became an active leader in her school community. Her dedication earned her recognition at both the state and local levels, including a Certificate of Congressional Recognition, honors from the California State Senate, and California Legislature Assembly, Stanislaus County Every Student Succeeding Award, and the California Scholarship Federation Life Membership Award, among others.

Now a pre-med student at UC Davis and an intern at Afghan Clinic, Mahboba is deeply committed to advocating and helping improve health outcomes and access to education for underserved communities.

She aspires to earn an MD/PhD in dermatology with a focus on conducting research on rare skin conditions. Through her clinical work and research, she hopes to improve healthcare outcomes and give back to the communities that have shaped her journey.

Research Associate and Secretary
Fareha Moulana Zada was born and raised in Afghanistan and immigrated to the United States during her senior year of high school. She recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and a minor in Global Poverty and Practice. Having experienced the challenges faced by refugee and immigrant communities firsthand, Fareha is deeply committed to health equity and aspires to become a well-rounded physician and advocate for marginalized populations.

Fareha joined the Afghan Clinic to apply her knowledge and personal experiences in service to her community. In her roles as Research Associate and Secretary, she conducts public health research, translates and disseminates health education materials, and creates instructional videos for the Clinic’s YouTube channel. She is also the founder of the Afghan Clinic Mentorship Program and has helped organize and moderate health education sessions for Afghan refugee women through the Sofreh Salamati project.

Through her work at the Afghan Clinic, Fareha aims to combine her academic background with her community-driven focus to bridge gaps in healthcare access and advance health equity for refugees and underserved populations.

Program Intern
Roya earned her bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences from California State University, Sacramento. She joined Afghan Clinic in 2023 as a mentee in the Afghan Premedical Mentorship Program. Roya’s passion for serving the Afghan community is deeply rooted in her personal connection to and identity within the Afghan diaspora. Prior to joining Afghan Clinic, she collaborated with various organizations in the Sacramento region to support Afghan immigrants and refugees. She aspires to continue serving the Afghan community and to be a strong advocate for its needs.