Dr. Khawla Suleiman serves as the Chief of Pediatrics for Strategy and Program Development and the Medical Director for Pediatric Development Services at Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD).  She is a member of FHCSD Medical Leadership team.

After earning her medical degree from the University of Baghdad, Iraq in 1984, she completed a pediatric residency at the University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF) School of Medicine/UCSF Fresno-Central San Joaquin Valley Medical Education Program. Dr. Suleiman is board-certified in pediatrics and a fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has great interest in community medicine, population management and child development. She continues caring for FHCSD’s diverse, multi-cultural families since 1998.

During and after her Community Pediatric fellowship at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), she worked closely with the African and Middle Eastern communities to educate medical providers on cultural practices. Through a program with UCSD School of Medicine, she led a team to help children with special needs and chronic illness to reduce children’s absenteeism and improve school performance at a number of San Diego Unified School District underachieving schools.

Dr. Suleiman is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics who has enjoyed teaching UCSD pediatric residents for over 25 years as well as FHCSD family medicine residents over the past few years. In 2015, she earned a Master’s of Advanced Study degree in Leadership of Healthcare Organization from UCSD and then completed a Napa Infant-Parent Mental Health fellowship, University of California – Davis in 2020.

She led multiple clinical quality projects over the years, among which, the institutionalization of developmental screening at FHCSD for children under 5 years of age, the maternal depression screening within well child visits and during pediatric developmental services visits, and currently leading the expansion of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) screening, early identification, and intervention, as well as the introduction of Infant- Early Childhood Mental Health Services at FHCSD to support all children and families from all cultures.

Dr. Suleiman received FHCSD’s “Provider of Compassion” award, was nominated by San Diego Public Health Department for a “Public Health Champion” Award and by the Chair of the Child and Family Development Department at the College of Education, San Diego State University for the inaugural Simms/Mann “Whole Child” Award.

Dr. Suleiman had been an active member of the National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA). Currently serves as one of the members of NAAMA National Foundation Board of Trustee as well as a NAAMA-San Diego chapter board member. Dr. Suleiman is proud of her Arabic heritage. Committed to join her middle eastern colleagues in activities that educate and increase awareness of the Arabic culture, the needs of the middle eastern community to improve delivery of healthcare and the well- being of the Arabic communities in San Diego, nationally and internationally.