Meet Our Staff

Dr. Friedman is responsible for the management oversight of ambulatory quality, safety and primary care, managed care, occupational medicine and telemedicine. He is also the founder of the UC San Diego Clinical Telemedicine Program which provides specialty consultation statewide and internationally. Dr. Friedman has authored over fifty publications including original research, book chapters, review articles, monographs, and medical society position statements. He is currently a reviewer for several peer-reviewed medical journals.

Ms. Olvera works with international patients and their families in order to make sure that their stays in San Diego are as comfortable as possible. Having a long and distinguished career at UC San Diego Health, she works directly with patients and referring physicians to develop treatment plans, obtain cost estimates, and coordinate medical care, and overcome any cultural or logistical issues which may arise.

Dr. 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. 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. Santana is charged with many of daily operations of the Program, including but not limited to: patient reporting, scheduling of meetings and events, expense tracking, liasoning with other departments and programs within UC San Diego, and many other responsibilities.

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.

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. 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.

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.