The Ismaili Health Professionals Association (IHPA) fosters the professional and personal enhancement of Ismaili Health Professionals and promotes a tradition of service to others

The IHPA is an association of Ismaili health professionals established in 1993 under the aegis of Aga Khan Health Board for USA. Based on the ethics of self-reliance and sharing, the association has been working to foster professional and personal enhancement of Ismaili health professionals and at the same time promote a tradition of service to others. IHPA strives to achieve the following goals:

  • Foster the professional and personal development of Ismaili Health Professionals
  • Enhance networking among Ismaili Health Professionals, both nationally and internationally
  • Provide a resource base for health-related humanitarian activities
  • Encourage and assist students to pursue careers in health-related fields by serving as mentors, role models and advisors

Activities
Examples of IHPA sponsored activities include:

  • Opportunities for IHPA members to serve in health-related volunteer positions, both nationally and internationally
  • Providing health domain specific expertise to institutions involved in health-related activities in the developing world
  • Working in conjunction with other institutions to promote knowledge and awareness of health-related topics within the Jamat and also in the broader community
  • Forums to promote networking and capacity building among Ismaili health professionals
  • Creating tools to assist students interested in allied health professions to identify mentors and foster their academic development

Membership
All IHPA members are expected to uphold the highest level of professional and ethical conduct. IHPA membership is offered to:

  • Ismaili health professionals (including all allied health fields). This includes not only professionals who are currently involved in health-related fields, but also people who have previously worked in or trained in health related fields
  • Students who are interested in pursuing careers in health-related fields
  • Ismaili professionals from non-health related backgrounds (i.e. business, administration, teaching) whose professional activities lead them to interact in a meaningful way with health professionals or with the healthcare industry

Meet the IHPA USA Leadership Team

Ali Zul Jiwani, MD, MSc – IHPA National Lead
Dr. Jiwani is a board-certified interventional pulmonologist with the Rod Taylor Thoracic Care Center at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute where he serves as the Director of Interventional Pulmonary and leads the Institute’s lung cancer screening program.  He has clinical expertise in both interventional pulmonary and thoracic oncology. He focuses on patients with benign and malignant airway and parenchymal lung disorders and pleural diseases. He has a particular interest in lung cancer screening, diagnosis and staging, the development of minimally invasive lung cancer biomarkers as well as benign airway stenosis.  When not working his passions are in woodworking, cooking and spending time with his family.
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aliya hirji

Aliya Hirji, BSN, RN, FNP – IHPA National Co-Deputy
Mrs. Hirji is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and experienced Registered Nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard Medical School-affiliated teaching hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts. She specializes in the care of both general and high-risk labor and delivery for women. As a nurse practitioner, she also focuses on prevention and management of acute and chronic health conditions in all age groups, from newborns to older patients. This work brings her great joy since she is able to provide care to a diverse population. Aliya was born and raised in Calgary, Canada where she initially completed her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. After moving to Boston, she completed her Master’s degree in Nursing at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. In her free time, she enjoys playing table tennis, spending time with family, travelling, cooking, and practicing Zumba.
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Shabina Virani, RN, MSN, CPNP – IHPA National Co-Deputy
Mrs. Virani is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children’s Health and University of Texas at Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. She has been practicing in the specialty of pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology for over 20 years. She treats children with chronic abdominal pain, feeding difficulties and chronic liver diseases. In her free time she enjoys baking, traveling and spending time with her family.
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Sana Khimani, DDS – IPMP Co-Lead
Dr. Khimani is a practicing dentist in Austin, TX. She graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. She then went to University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and earned her DDS degree with distinction in Dental Education and Research. Upon graduation, Dr. Khimani started her career in San Antonio, TX after which she moved to the greater Austin area. Dr. Khimani is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry. She strives to take continuing education courses to learn about the latest advancements in dentistry. In her free time, Dr. Khimani enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and trying new cuisines and restaurants. 
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Khadij Assani, D.O. – IPMP Co-Lead
Dr. Assani is an internal medicine hospitalist based in Seattle, WA. She holds degrees in both religion and physiology from the University of California, in Los Angeles. After completing medical school from A.T. Still University, she completed internal medicine residency at Skagit Regional Health in 2023. She currently works at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle and hopes to continue treating her patients holistically and provide empathetic, compassionate care. She is one of the national leads for the Ismaili Pre-Health Mentorship Program and works passionately to help Ismaili students obtain admission into healthcare professional schools and further their education. 
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Anila Lokhandwala, RN – IHPA Oncology & Pink Shield Project Manager
Anila is a nurse who serves as Research Nurse Manager at Northside Hospital in Atlanta GA where she oversees Research Operations over 14 clinics across the state of Georgia. Her primary role as a Research Nurse Manager, includes bringing new clinical trials (Phase I-IV) for the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute (NHCI). This program is one of the largest community based oncology/hematology programs in the nation. In addition, she collaborates across the NHCI network with experienced oncologists, surgeons and radiologists to offer patients access to promising clinical trials within their own communities.
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Shazia Mominkhawaja MSN, APRN, FNP-C – IHPA Pink Shield Deputy Project Manager
As a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner and ICU experienced Registered Nurse, Shazia Mominkhawaja is focused on internal medicine and has clinical interest in the diagnosis and prognosis of acute and chronic diease prevention, as well as its education and management. Prior to her masters and bachelors degrees in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington, she attained a bachelors degree in computer information systems from Kennesaw State University, Georgia. She is additionally a member of the American Association of Nurse practitioners (AANP). Shazia is passionate about helping her community with their healthcare needs. In her personal time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.
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Sanaa Mohammed Fidai, CRNA – IHPA Save-A-Heart Project Manager
Coming soon!
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Shaila Ali, APRN – IHPA Save-A-Heart Deputy Project Manager
Coming soon!
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Salima Gilani, AGACNP – IHPA Save-A-Heart Deputy Project Manager
Mrs. Gilani is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. She Specializes in Cardiology and works in Cardiac catheterization laboratory. Her expertise ensures that patients undergoing procedures such as angioplasty, stent placement, or diagnostic catheterization receive high-quality, evidence-based care aimed at optimizing patient outcomes.In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, traveling and spending time with her family.
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Naseem Khuwaja, RN – IHPA-IPN Connect Project Manager
Coming soon!
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Tamanna Mithani, D.O. – IHPA Lead, Central Region
Dr. Mithani is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician at Baylor Scott & White. In addition to practicing hospital-based medicine, Dr. Mithani also practices at various free-standing Emergency rooms across Dallas-Fort Worth. She graduated from the Honors program at George Mason University with a major in Chemistry and a focus in Biochemistry. She then attended Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency training at Midwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Mithani is a member of the American Osteopathic Association along with American Board of Emergency Medicine Physicians. She has also served on multiple quality assurance committees. Her passions include traveling and spending time with family and friends.
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Saqib Gowani, M.D. – IHPA Lead, Florida
Dr. Gowani is an Interventional Cardiologist and Vascular Medicine Specialist with board certifications in Cardiovascular Medicine, Interventional Cardiology, Vascular Medicine and Endovascular Surgery. He is assistant professor of Medicine affiliated with the University of Central Florida – College of Medicine. He currently serves as a Vice Chairman of the Department of Cardiology at Osceola Regional Medical Center. Dr. Gowani specializes in both interventional coronary and structural heart diseases including Trans Catheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), Mitral & Tricuspid valve therapies and adult congenital disorders including PFO and Atrial Septal Defects. He also specializes in endovascular therapies including complex peripheral artery and venous diseases including vein ablation for varicose veins. He has a special interest in caring for patients with critical limb ischemia, amputation prevention, venous and arterial disorders. In his spare time, Dr. Gowani likes to travel and spend time with wife and two daughters, Zahranur and Serena.
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Muhammad Dhanani, MD – IHPA Lead, Midwest Region
Dr. Dhanani is an infectious diseases specialist on the medical staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. His particular area of interests are antibiotic stewardship, outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) and pharmacoequity. He is a native of Boston, and attended college at New York University before going to University of Michigan for medical school. He returned to Boston to complete internal medicine residency and infectious diseases fellowship at Boston Medical Center, after which he moved to Chicago to join the faculty at Northwestern University, where he is an assistant professor of medicine.
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Farhan Merali, MD, MBA – IHPA Lead, Northeast Region
Dr. Merali is a cataract and cornea transplant surgeon at Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, where he serves as the Assistant Chief of Ophthalmology. He completed his MD and MBA degrees at Harvard Medical and Business Schools followed by residency and fellowship training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Originally from Toronto, Canada, he now resides in the DC metropolitan area with his wife and 2 children. When he is not working, he loves to ski, travel and spend time with his family. 
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Bilawal Ahmed, MD – IHPA Lead, Southeast Region
Dr. Ahmed is currently working as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in Hematology and Oncology at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. He specializes in Thoracic and GU malignancies and also serves as a Site Director for the fellowship program. He was born and brought up in Karachi Pakistan before moving to US for residency.
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Kiran Virani, APRN – IHPA Lead, Southwest Region
Kiran Virani is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner currently practicing at an out-patient clinic based in Houston, TX. She graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center with both her Bachelors and Masters in Nursing. Her current expertise is in orthopedics, sports medicine, and hormone replacement therapy. She enjoys managing patients with both acute and chronic injuries. Her current role brings her great joy because she helps patients reach their functional goals and helps restore a great quality of life. In her free time, Kiran enjoys spending time with her family, friends, trying new restaurants and traveling.
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Hafiz Miraly, M.D. – IHPA Lead, Western Region
Dr. Miraly is a pediatric hospitalist at Kaiser Permanente in San Jose, California. His practice encompasses neonatal resuscitation and management of a level 2 NICU, as well as being responsible for the care of ill children in the ER and pediatric ward settings respectively. He grew up in Seattle and did his undergrad at the University of Washington. He then went to McGill University in Montreal for medical school and returned to the west coast to complete his pediatric residency training at UC Davis in Sacramento, California. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, skiing, traveling and rooting for Seattle sports teams.
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