You belong here
Everyone is welcome at RAHMA regardless of religious background,
sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, race, ethnicity,
cultural background, age, and physical or mental ability.
Welcome home.
About Us
RAHMA addresses HIV, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) prevention, sexual health, and gender-based violence (GBV) through education, advocacy, and empowerment. We envision a world where marginalized and vulnerable populations feel safe within their communities regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, HIV status, faith, or lived experiences.
Our Work
Board of Directors
Dr. Ulysses Burley
Dr. Ghada Khan
Dr. Sohail Rana
Chicago IL and Houston, TX
Dr. Ulysses Burley
Dr. Ulysses W. Burley III is the founder of UBtheCURE, LLC – a consulting company on the intersection of Faith, Health, and Human Rights with expertise in HIV/AIDS. Ulysses has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches as well as the United States Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) under the Obama Administration. He has been recognized by the National Minority Quality Forum as a top 40 under 40 Minority Health Leader for his work in faith and HIV in communities of color. Currently, Ulysses is a Faith Community Engagement Ambassador for the Covid-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN), to connect with faith communities to share evidence-based information regarding COVID-19 and vaccines and antibodies being developed for its prevention. Ulysses holds memberships on a number of Boards, the most recent of which is the Advocate Health Care Board of Directors. He is an internationally recognized speaker and award winning writer on topics including faith, HIV/AIDS policy, COVID-19, LGBTQIA, gender and racial justice, food security, and peace in Palestine and Israel. His professional mantra is to “treat people and not just disease.”
California
Dr. Ghada Khan
Ghada Khan, MPH, DrPH is an established health program specialist whose career, advocacy, and research has centered on global and domestic issues concerning the health of women and children. Dr. Khan is the former director of the US End FGM/C Network, a coalition which aims to end FGM/C by connecting, supporting, elevating and advocating on behalf of and with diverse U.S. stakeholders engaged in prevention, education, and care. Prior to this role, she served as project director for the community centered FGM/C prevention project at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Within these roles and within her personal capacity, Dr. Khan is dedicated to raising awareness on FGM/C and protecting women and girls from this harmful practice. In recognition for her work on FGM/C, Dr. Khan has received the Global Woman Award from the Global Women’s PEACE Foundation, the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Award from the Global Women’s Institute as well as The Nashman Prize for Community Engaged Participatory Research.
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area
Dr. Sohail Rana
Dr. Sohail Rana is a Professor of pediatrics at Howard University College of Medicine. Dr. Rana received his medical education at King Edwards Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan and trained in pediatrics and hematology at Jewish Hospital of Brooklyn in New York City and University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. He joined the faculty at Howard University in 1980 and is currently a Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Pediatric Hematology and HIV services. He has been providing care to children and young adults with sickle cell disease and HIV for more than three decades. He has conducted more than 60 studies to improve the treatment and quality of life of people living with sickle cell disease and HIV. He is a well published author and has received several awards for research, teaching and service to the community. He has been listed among the “Best Doctors in America” several times. He runs a busy practice at Howard and he oversees numerous research studies. Dr. Rana feels indebted to his patients, their families, and his family for teaching him about empathy and humanity. He is the conference director for the annual International Conference on Stigma and he is passionate about human rights for people with stigmatized illnesses. His goal is to establish a Center for Social Justice in Health to fight stigma attached to illnesses such mental disorders, HIV, pain, and disabilities.