Meet Our Staff

Dr. Friedman is associate dean for clinical affairs, professor of pediatrics and medicine and CEO of international patient services at UC San Diego Health and UC San Diego School of Medicine.  Dr. Friedman works closely with foreign embassies, health ministries and insurance companies to assure individuals worldwide have access to clinical expertise available at UC San Diego Health. As a professor in the school of medicine, Dr. Friedman is involved with training the next generation of physicians and works closely with physicians locally and around the world on topics such as IT and telemedicine. Dr. Friedman co-founded the UC San Diego telemedicine program and has guided its growth throughout California and into several international locations. He also serves as the physician champion for telemedicine collaboration between all six University of California health sciences campuses. His other responsibilities include measurement and improvement of clinical quality in the ambulatory and community setting. He has also served on several national committees focused on quality including the National Quality Forum, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality and University HealthCare Consortium. He is the past UC San Diego division chief of pediatrics and adolescent medicine, as well as the medical director of ambulatory quality and safety. Dr. Friedman has authored more than 60 publications and is a reviewer for several peer-reviewed medical publications. Dr. Friedman is also the recent past president of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego and is currently a proud member of the La Jolla Playhouse board.

Ms. Holberg oversees all international patient operations, including management of human, financial and physical resources in compliance with departmental and organizational goals and objectives. This includes developing systems, procedures and staff supporting clinical enterprise business strategy, growth activities and overall international patient experience. Ms. Holberg also manages our strategic projects in Latin America, as well as all global international telemedicine projects as a part of UC San Diego Health's overall strategy.

Nada Suhail provides numerous types of assistance to international patients, responding to information inquiries, obtaining medical treatment authorizations, assistance with travel arrangements, appointment scheduling, obtaining interpretation services, conflict resolution, among other services. Dr. Suhail also is the main point of contact with the Middle Eastern embassies and oversees the Arabic-speaking patient coordinators.

Mr. Camacho supervises the coordination of personalized service for international patients at UC San Diego Health. He also supports program operations to advance our ability to provide the international community with the highest level of care and best patient experience.

Ms. Salcedo assists with administrative operations, including management of travel policies and arrangements, expense documentation, and reimbursement processing. She also assists with the overall enhancement of our international patients' experience.

Mr. Chehade is responsible for developing and implementing the strategy for the Middle East region, including the identification of potential opportunities and partnerships. He leads many projects related to this in order to advance UC San Diego Health’s global strategy and enhance patient satisfaction.

Ms. Abdulkader provides medical interpretation and assists patients in navigating the UC San Diego Health system, allowing them to concentrate on their health and eliminate unnecessary worries. Additionally, she coordinates with the Middle East embassies that refer patients to San Diego for treatment.

Mr. Hassan is a trained healthcare interpreter with more than a decade’s experience in client services. As patient coordinator for UC San Diego Health, he is responsible for acting as a conduit between the patients and their families on one side and the doctors, nurses and hospital staff on the other, making sure that their medical, cultural and personal needs are met.

Mr. Kanany interacts on a daily basis with international patients who have decided to come to San Diego for their health care needs. In addition to providing interpretation services, he also arranges appointments, works with embassies, and provides many other services to patients and their families.

Ms. Meza assists patients and loved ones who come to UC San Diego Health for medical treatment, scheduling appointments, providing needed interpretation services, and assisting with cultural and other needs.

Dr. Asudani is a board-certified internal medicine specialist who cares for hospitalized patients. He is vice chief of clinical operations in the division of hospital medicine and medical director of international patient services. He is actively involved in reviewing international patient records, assessing patient transfers and coordinating care among other specialty services. 

Dr. Asudani completed residency training in internal medicine from New York Medical College. He earned his medical degree from the University of Rajasthan, India. Besides being actively engaged in medical education, clinical medicine and international health, he also has an interest and expertise in applied genomics and public health. 

Sara Askenazi represents UC San Diego Health in Mexico City and its vicinity. She has extensive experience working with health organizations such as the ABC Medical Center (Centro Médico ABC, also known as the Hospital American British Cowdray), Spanish Hospital of Mexico (Hospital Español), the Living with Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Foundation (Fundación Vivir con Crohn y CUCI), AMSALUD, as well as the Nascere and OSE health clinics. She is also a psychotherapist with expertise in individual and group psychotherapy, chronic degenerative diseases, hypnotherapy, psycho-nutrition and psychosocial dysfunction. She received her master’s degree in clinical and health psychology from the Superior Institute of Psychological Studies (Instituto Superior de Estudios Psicológicos, or ‘ISEP’) in Barcelona, Spain, and also holds higher education degrees from the Anahuac University of Mexico (Universidad Anáhuac México), the Mexican Institute of Psycho-Oncology (Instituto Mexicano de Psicooncología, o ‘IMPo’), and the Institute for the Psychology of Eating.

Mr. Alsantli supports the development of the strategic direction of our Middle East enterprise.  This includes identifying potential opportunities and partnerships in educational and patient-related activities. He also maintains the relationship with the referring sources back in the Middle East.