East Bay Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

03/20/2025

12/08/2024

Honored to have been a part of this effort to evacuate over 350 Afghans to safety, including interpreters, journalists, former military & families of

“How a fake wedding was used to sneak hundreds of Afghans to safety”— youtu.be/UaVgr4NunUg?si… via

11/30/2024

My clinic for displaced Afghans has examined several victims of torture & gender-based violence in Afghanistan. We are cooperating with this & other investigations of torture & gender-based violence by the Taliban regime & others.

Medical evidence of torture is physical and often disturbing, compelling, and probative. Yet, many hospitals and clinics in Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi and Doha miss clear signs of torture or are unwilling to document cases of torture, r**e, and other criminal violence.

This systemic under-reporting— particularly in cases of gender-based violence— also warrants thorough investigation & accountability

Full story: https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-situation-afghanistan-receipt-referral-six-states

10/10/2024

, along with and founder Roya Mahboob were honored at 2024. “Afghan Dreamers” won the Jury Award for Best Pro-Social Film. I was honored to accept the award, accompanied by former captain

We were honored to share stage with & other inspiring honorees.

Receiving this award was a special joy, because in returning to Raw Scoence the team comes full circle: It was at that and I first met and fell in love with the team and their founders, Roya, Elaha, and .ca. We have since travelled the world together and shared many special and transformative moments—as well as the past three years when labored to evacuate, minister to, and support vulnerable Afghans.

I can honestly say that without the visionary and determined , this film would not exist—and much of our work in Afghanistan and abroad never would have come to fruition—including the evacuation of over 150 vulnerable Afghans.

To Keri and the amazing volunteers and DONORS at Raw Science—you are magnificent and your work transformative. You humanize science, celebrate the best of science story telling, and ensure science & technology hold a place at the forefront of pop culture. Along with other visionary women like Roya Mahboob,
you demonstrate how science and technology elevate all humanity—particularly women & girls.

10/04/2024

Honored to be selected finalist for an industry/jury award at this year’s awards Science Film Festival. Six years ago it was at this festival (in Santa Barbara) that I first met and fell in love with and their founders, Elaha and .ca Mahboob. This team changed my life, causing me to fall under the spell of Afghanistan and her people and to dedicate much of my life to their liberation and wellbeing.
Dreamers will be screening this Saturday at L’Alliance French Cultural Center.

09/27/2024

After 11 months of arbitrary detention, my colleague, education activist Ahmad Fahim Azimi, has been released by Taliban from Pul-e Charkhi Maximum Security Prison, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Fahim’s release comes after months of advocacy and diplomatic pressure. It is the result of an international team effort, an astounding testament to the faith, resources, dedication & passion of many amazing individuals, organizations & government officials.

We never lost hope. We never stopped fighting.

While we will not name individuals & organizations by name (except for 🙏), you know who you are. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your magnificent work & heart. You are extraordinary.

09/19/2024

“When the US left Kabul, these Americans tried to help Afghans left behind. It still haunts them.”
— https://bit.ly/apnews-afghanevacs

On August 31, 2021, the last military transport departed Hamid Karzai Airport, Afghanistan. As it rose above the Kabul skyline, millions of hopes were dashed: While it was a monumental effort and accomplishment evacuating over 140,000 vulnerable Afghans, hundreds of thousands of our friends and allies—including former interpreters, Afghan military, government officials, journalists, and even American citizens and permanent residents —were left behind.

Thankfully, where the U.S. government failed, hundreds of volunteers stepped up, including civilians and active duty military women & men—to make good on our commitments as Americans and as human beings.

It has been among the greatest honors of my lifetime standing with brave military and civilian volunteers who for the past three years have made countless personal, professional, and financial sacrifices to make good on commitments that our government would not. These volunteers are among the finest human beings I have known. They inspire me to be a better human being. My meaning and purpose have been elevated because of them.

Since August 2021, I have helped to evacuate/resettle 164 vulnerable Afghans. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the work of my colleagues or to the overall need. Yet, as Rumi reminds us, while this is a drop in the ocean, in every drop there is an entire ocean: In every Afghan brought to safety, there is a compelling personal story full of hopes & dreams, tragedies & turnarounds. There are hundreds of years of history and culture and a hundred years of a future yet to be dreamed and lived. In every passenger is the very soul of Afghanistan driven to exile. And in every passenger there is the fortitude, effort and faith of the entire evacuation community. Every win is the result of a team effort and a win for the entire evacuation community, for America, and for Freedom.

09/19/2024

When the US left Kabul, these Americans tried to help Afghans left behind. It still haunts them.” —Rebecca Santana (AP News)
https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-withdrawal-anniversary-afghans-kabul-f6a42bfa49507f9ba7fb977a7ebb2feb

I am humbled & honored to have played a small part in this ongoing effort and to be mentioned in the same breath with real heroes like Scott Mann, Kate Kovarovic, Faraidoon Abdullah, Thomas Kasza, and Mariah Smith .

It has been among the greatest honors of my lifetime standing with brave military and civilian volunteers who for the past three years have made countless personal, professional, and financial sacrifices to make good on commitments that our government would not. These volunteers are among the finest human beings I have known. They inspire me to be a better human being. My meaning and purpose have been elevated because of them.

Since August 2021, I have helped to evacuate/resettle 164 vulnerable Afghans. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the work of my colleagues or to the overall need. Yet, as Rumi reminds us, while this is a drop in the ocean, in every drop there is an entire ocean: In every Afghan brought to safety, there is a compelling personal story full of hopes & dreams, tragedies & turnarounds. There are hundreds of years of history and culture and a hundred years of a future yet to be dreamed and lived. In every passenger is the very soul of Afghanistan driven to exile. And in every passenger there is the fortitude, effort and faith of the entire evacuation community. Every win is the result of a team effort and a win for the entire evacuation community, for America, and for Freedom.

09/13/2024

A privilege and honor standing by the people of Afghanistan & Iran—particularly their women & girls—as convenes its 57th Session.

At this critical moment in history, women and indeed the civilized world are under attack. The international community must stand together in opposing , a modern day scourge with far-reaching effects on global health, education, economic security, violent radicalization, regional stability, and the very foundations of civilization.

We must find ways of protecting the rights and dignity of all human beings, particularly women & girls, including mechanisms for preventing human rights violations and holding oppressive regimes accountable.

EndGenderApartheid.today

09/10/2024

Almost like a father, I am proud & elated to send my dear young friend off to college.

This past week, , former member of the Girls Robotics Team, began undergraduate engineering studies as a member of after a long & uncertain relocation to the U.S. on P1 USRAP referral.

Thank you to for Development .qatar and many others for your support of this incredible young woman.

Like so many Afghan refugees, this vicar of freedom & equality is creating a brighter future not only for herself but for Afghanistan, America, and indeed the world. Florence dreams an American Dream many Americans have forgotten to dream. I have never been prouder to stand with the women and girls of Afghanistan.