Altaf Saadi is a neurologist, clinical instructor of medicine and physician for human rights. During her residency, Dr. Saadi’s interest in health equity led her to work in resource-limited settings in Tanzania, Zambia, the Navajo Nation, with Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, and the Doctors Without Borders telemedicine program.

As an asylum evaluator for the PHR Asylum Network, Dr. Saadi has conducted evaluations for individuals in the community and in immigration detention centers. She has also assessed the medical conditions of confinement in immigration detention at facilities in Texas and California, including with Human Rights First and Disability Rights California. Her research and advocacy focus on health inequities and disparities among racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, and refugees, and enhancing diversity within the medical workforce. Most recently, Dr. Saadi’s work has focused on understanding how hospitals and health care facilities can ensure that all patients feel safe when accessing health care regardless of their immigration status, exploring the concept of “sanctuary” and “safe spaces” in the clinical setting. Her academic work has been published in JAMA, the British Medical Journal, Neurology, among others, and her personal writing in STAT News, the Huffington Post, and Boston NPR’s CommonHealth Blog. Her work has also received media coverage in the Christian Science Monitor, Salon, and Reuters.