About Us
Immigrants and refugees, seeking safety, leave their homes for unfamiliar destinations in search of better lives for themselves and their families. Despite considerable challenges, most immigrants and refugees in the United States lead healthy lives and contribute meaningfully to American society. Even so, adjustment to living in a new host country may be significantly affected by histories of grievous loss and violent traumatic exposures, which commonly precipitate profound emotional distress. Indeed, the prevalence of mental health conditions, especially posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, is high, particularly among refugees, a subgroup of immigrants routinely subjected to extreme traumatic experiences before, during, and after forced displacement. Promoting health in such a context means paying proper attention to these histories since emotional wellbeing is critical to overall health. Accordingly, our program aids in the social and emotional adjustment of immigrants and refugees in need. We provide mental health services with culturally-informed approaches, educate healthcare providers about caring for immigrants and refugees, and increase professional and public awareness of immigrant and refugee community needs.
Mental Health Services
Transition can be difficult, as immigrants and refugees adjust to new schools, work environments, and American culture, often with an added burden of lacking adequate resources to meet their most basic needs. Additionally, many of our clients continue to suffer from trauma that they experienced in their home countries or during migration. We provide mental health services with culturally sensitive approaches to aid the stability, social, and emotional adjustment of immigrants and refugees. Our therapists aim to help those in distress to recover a sense of individual well-being and to improve relationships among family members. Our psychiatrists assist with diagnostic evaluation, offer judicious prescription of psychiatric medication when indicated, and sometimes conduct therapy themselves. Often, refugees are unaware of the services available to help them get settled. We offer case management services, helping immigrant and refugee clients navigate and access complex healthcare and social services systems. While some of our providers have facility with certain languages, we most often rely on the help of our pool of trained interpreters to aid in communication with our clients.
Education and Training
We provide interprofessional and interdepartmental teaching in immigrant and refugee mental health at CU Anschutz. Our students include psychiatry trainees, social work interns and faculty in the department of psychiatry. We provide case consultations with providers in other medical specialties, including internal medicine, pediatrics and neurology.
Our Staff
We have highly skilled, culturally informed psychiatrists, social workers, and professional counsellors on our team who have extensive experiences working with refugees and immigrants.
Dr. Daniel Savin has worked with immigrants and refugees for over 30 years, beginning in the early 1990’s as a volunteer psychiatrist for Cambodian refugees at the Thai-Cambodia border. He founded and currently directs our Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Program. Dr. Savin, a Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist, is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and has also taught for many years at the University of Health Sciences, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Additionally, he is a staff psychiatrist at Jewish Family Services and the Asian Pacific Development Center. He speaks and provides treatment in Spanish and Khmer.
Farduus Y. Ahmed, MSW, ST, LCSW, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Clinical Director of the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Program (IRMHP) within the CU Medicine Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. Her clinical and leadership work focuses on delivering trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically responsive mental health services to immigrant and refugee populations affected by forced migration, interpersonal and gender-based violence, and complex trauma, including war-related experiences. She brings over 18 years of experience working with refugee and immigrant communities in health and wellness, leading community-engaged initiatives that build capacity, elevate community voice, and advance equitable systems of care. Her work addresses the complex social, cultural, and structural factors shaping mental health outcomes and is dedicated to reducing disparities and improving access to high-quality behavioral health services for historically underserved communities. She provides institutional and community-based consultation and delivers trainings to clinicians, organizations, and community partners on culturally responsive care, program development, and best practices in serving diverse populations.
Her expertise includes migration-related stressors, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), sexual health concerns and dysfunction, acculturation and adjustment challenges, culturally shaped family and relationship dynamics, intergenerational trauma, and the psychological impact of displacement and resettlement. She integrates evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions with culturally grounded frameworks, including cultural formulation, community-informed care models, and interdisciplinary collaboration. As a multilingual clinician, she provides psychotherapy in Somali, enhancing linguistic access and cultural alignment in care delivery.
Her academic contributions center on teaching, mentorship, supervision, and community-engaged scholarship and research in refugee mental health and cultural psychiatry. She provides didactic and experiential training to psychiatry residents, trainees, and interdisciplinary professionals on refugee mental health, cultural humility, and clinical best practices. Her work emphasizes multilingual engagement and centers lived experience in both research and clinical practice, contributing to workforce development and the advancement of culturally responsive mental health care systems. Through her clinical, academic, and community leadership, she continues to shape the field of refugee mental health at local, national, and global levels.
Jasleen Karir, MSW, LCSW
Instructor, Psychotherapist, Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Program
Jasleen Karir is an instructor and psychotherapist with the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Program at the University of Colorado’s outpatient psychiatry clinic. She provides culturally responsive, trauma-informed care to immigrants, refugees, and families navigating complex transitions.
As the daughter of immigrant parents, Jasleen’s passion for supporting immigrant and refugee communities is deeply shaped by her family’s experience and her commitment to advancing equity in mental health care. Her clinical work is grounded in an understanding of how cultural strengths, systemic barriers, and intergenerational experiences can influence mental health and wellness. She is dedicated to building trusting therapeutic relationships where individuals feel seen, respected, and empowered.
Jasleen integrates advocacy, cultural humility, and a strengths-based lens into her practice. Her approach is research-informed and person-centered, incorporating elements of trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, and insight-oriented work to support patients in developing meaningful coping skills and resilience. In addition to her clinical work, she is passionate about empowering partners and communities through education, collaboration, and program development, bringing creative solutions that strengthen systems of care and support historically underserved communities.
Abdul Mubin Sultan Khil, MD, MPH, is a Research Associate at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where he works with the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Program (IRMHP) and Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS). In this role, he focuses on addiction research, program evaluation, and data analysis to support evidence-based decision-making and improve treatment outcomes, while also providing culturally responsive mental health and substance use education for refugee and underserved communities.
Dr. Sultankhil is an Internationally Certified Addiction Professional (ICAP I) with over 19 years of experience in public health, addiction prevention, and treatment. His career includes extensive leadership and technical roles in program implementation, training, and community engagement across international and U.S.-based settings.
Rabil Mubin Burhani, MD, is a Research Associate at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where she works with the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Program within the Refugee Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. In this role, she engages in research with newcomer populations, supports teaching and case coordination, and leads community engagement and cultural awareness initiatives focused on Mental Health among Afghan refugees.
Dr. Burhani is a physician trained in Afghanistan, specializing in Gynecology and Obstetrics, with over 18 years of experience in Maternal and Newborn Health, Safe Surgery, Family Planning, Mentorship, and Health Consultancy. Her work included senior advisory and clinical mentoring roles, contributing to capacity building, health system strengthening, and quality improvement across healthcare programs.
Hossein HashemiNiasari is a Clinical Mental Health Intern with the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz, currently completing his MA in Clinical Mental Health and on track for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). He provides bilingual services in English and Farsi (Dari), offering a culturally and linguistically resonant approach to mental health care for Central and West Asian populations.
In addition to his clinical work, Hossein has over 20 years of experience serving the Denver metro area’s immigrant and refugee populations. He serves as a Senior Community Advocate, and Khateeb at the Lady Fatima Center. His extensive community leadership includes providing pastoral counseling for individuals and couples, end-of-life care, and youth mentorship focused on navigating American cultural integration.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Do you accept Medicaid? Yes. We accept Colorado Medicaid and Medicare
- Do you accept private insurance? Yes. We accept most major commercial insurance plans.
- Do you offer telehealth services? Yes. Most of our services are offered in person and via telehealth.
- Do I need a referral? No. We accept both provider referrals and self-referrals.
- Are services available for children? Yes. We offer services to support all family members, including children and adolescents.
- How do I schedule an appointment? If you or anyone you know may be interested in scheduling an appointment, please send an email to: Farduus Ahmed [email protected]