WHO WE ARE

Dr. Muhammad Babar

President

Muhammad Babar is board certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He is also board certified in Geriatric Medicine and completed fellowship training from UofL in 2005. Dr Babar has also completed MBA (UMass) and MSc (UofL). He is certified as a medical director with the society for post acute and long term care. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor with UofL Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Babar is also serving the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Long Term Care Task Force.

Dr. Babar is actively involved in community service and advocacy. He has served many boards including Fund for the Arts, Louisville Public Media, Metro United Way, International Charter of Compassion and member of the board of governors at the Speed Art Museum. He is currently serving as a board member at Dare to Care, Family Community Clinic, Center for Interfaith Relations, Muhammad Ali Center and Council for post-secondary education. He is a member of Louisville Downtown Rotary Club and has served as a board member. He is a founding member of Compassionate Louisville and is acting as its Chair of the board of trustees. He is also a founding Co-Chair of the Muslim Jewish Advisory Council.

Dr. Babar is founding President of Muslim Americans for Compassion, an interfaith and charitable organization based in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a devoted interfaith and peace advocate who strives to bring people together across different faith traditions. He has established collaborative relationships among Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist and other faith communities of Louisville. He is also founding president of Doctors for Healthy Communities which is a non-profit organization dedicated to promote health equity. DHC actively supports JCPS students in whatever way needed and has performed free physical examinations on over one thousand students in 2019 before the Covid pandemic.

In 2010, in recognition of his work in the community, Dr. Babar received a Global Visionary Award from the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana. In 2013, he was recognized by Kentucky One Health for excellence in community service at the annual Doctor’s Ball and also received Directors Community Leadership Award by FBI Director Comey. In 2014, Dr. Babar received the MOSAIC award by Jewish Family and Career services and in 2016 the Americana Dreamer Award for Excellence in Community Service. In June 2017, he received the Blanche B. Ottenheimer Award presented by the Jewish Community of Louisville for his efforts in pursuit of social justice.

Dr. Babar is a graduate of FBI Citizen academy and has established a joint forum to have regular meetings between local Muslim leaders and FBI to address issues like hate crimes and counter terrorism. He often contributes his opinion in The Courier Journal on different issues ranging from current political affairs to community relations.

Email Dr. Muhammad Babar.

Chris Wooton

Chief Strategic Officer

As MAC’s Chief Strategic Officer, Chris works closely with Dr. Babar developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining MAC’s strategic initiatives. Chris has more than 20 years of experience in marketing/public/community relations and communications. Most of his work has been for nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. In addition to his work with MAC, Chris is the Director of Communications for Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He also serves on the Executive Committee for the Grawemeyer Award in Religion. Chris previously served as Director of Communications for the Center for Interfaith Relations.

Aaron Burch

Communications Director

Aaron Burch is a communications specialist with a degree in journalism from Western Kentucky University. He currently serves as Communication Specialist for the American Probation and Parole Association. Aaron previously served the Greater Louisville Medical Society and managed Louisville Medicine magazine for five years. He lives in Frankfort with his wife, Jessica.

Waqar Saleem

Board Member

Waqar Saleem MD, CMD, FAAFP graduated from King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan in 1995. He completed a residency in Family Medicine at the University of Louisville in 2000. He is board certified in Family Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Care and Addiction Medicine. He serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor at University of Louisville and Clinical Faculty, AHEC program at University of Kentucky. In addition to clinical practice and teaching, he also serves as secretary at The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure and member of the Differential Item Functioning Panel at the American Board of Family Physician. During the pandemic, he served on AMDA State Task Force and Kentucky State Task Force for COVID-19. He is currently vice president of Muslim Americans for Compassion promoting better interfaith understanding, Doctors for Healthy Communities with emphasis on health equity and a volunteer physician at Family Community Clinic providing indigent care. Dr. Saleem is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is a Certified Medical Director with AMDA – The Society of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, currently serving on the membership committee. He served as President of KMDA – Kentucky Society of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and formally incorporated the chapter. He currently serves as Medical Director in several long-term care facilities and provides ambulatory care in a family medicine setting at the University of Louisville.

Dr. Naveed Chowhan

Board Member

Naveed Chowhan is a Medical Oncology specialist in New Albany, Indiana. He attended and graduated from medical school in 1982, having over 38 years of diverse experience, especially in Medical Oncology.

Feteshteh Ghazi

Board Member

Fereshteh Ghazi is a resident of Louisville, Kentucky since 1975.  She was born and attended high school in Iran.  She left Iran and studied in England for College for two- and one-half years.  She met Dr. Cyrus Ghazi, a retired pathologist and came to America in 1975.  After coming to America, she studied at the University of Louisville majoring in Urban Geography and Art.

She has worked as a volunteer at Baptist Hospital East since she was 24 years old and still volunteers there today. She enjoys working with the elderly, children and helping organizations in our community.  She has two boys, Shaheen and Kaywan.  Shaheen owns his own consulting business and resides in Louisville.  Kaywan is a Certified Financial Advisor and resides in Florida.

Her passion in life is working with the MAC organization fulfilling her compassion and need for helping others in our great city.  She enjoys arranging flowers and gardening in her spare time.

Maha Kolko

Board Member

Maha Kolko is a sponsorship developer at Kentucky Refugee Ministries. Maha has worked at KRM since 2016. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Linguistics from Reading University, UK. In addition to providing case management services to refugees, both those recently-arrived and those who have been in the United States for some years, Maha’s primary role is to contact and organize a group of volunteers from the community to co-sponsor a family through a formalized welcoming program that lasts for the first three months of the refugee family’s arrival.

Dr. Rana Latif

Board Member

Rana K. Latif is an Anesthesiology Specialist in Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated with honors in 1988.

Ozair Shariff

Board Member

Dr. Syed Tahir Raza

Board Member

Syed Tahir Raza is an interventional cardiologist at Baptist Floyd Hospital in New Albany, Indiana.

He is involved in several civic engagements in the city of Louisville. He serves as a member of the Louisville Metro Police Department Foundation Board of Trustees.