Proof of Life was founded on a clinical observation: the specialists who can repair the physical reminders of violence are already in practice, already credentialed, already capable. Most survivors simply cannot afford them. So we built the network that closes the distance.
Dr. Saami Khalifian is a board-certified dermatologic surgeon who has spent his career restoring what violence, trauma, and disease leave on the surface of a person. Scar revision, laser resurfacing, reconstructive dermatology — these are the tools of his daily practice. In the operating room, the path is clear: assess the injury, design the intervention, execute with precision, follow through until the patient is whole.
Outside the OR, he watched a different reality unfold. Survivors of domestic violence, assault, and trafficking presented at emergency rooms, were patched for immediate survival, and discharged with the long-term physical reminders of what was done to them. Scars on faces. Burns on arms. Dental damage that would not heal on its own. The procedures that could address these reminders existed — and were routinely performed by his peers for paying patients — but were classified as "elective" by insurance carriers and priced at retail by clinics.
The problem was not the medicine. The medicine already existed. The problem was the distance between the medicine and the survivor.
Proof of Life was created to close that distance. We did not build a generalist nonprofit. We built a provider-aligned foundation where board-certified specialists — peers Dr. Khalifian has trained with, taught, and operated alongside — agreed to deliver restorative care at direct cost. No service fees. No profit margins.
The foundation funds the procedure; the network waives its markup. That waiver, multiplied across the network, is the foundation's true financial engine.
We fund defined, medically-indicated procedures — not general need. Our medical advisory committee reviews each application against clinical criteria developed by board-certified specialists. Every grant has a procedure, a provider, an expected outcome, and a measurable result.
No one should have to perform their suffering to receive care. Our application process is confidential. Our committee reviews medical documentation and specialist referral — never emotional testimony. Once approved, the survivor chooses their provider from our network. They own the care pathway.
Our network providers accept grants at their direct operational cost. The margin they decline is the margin that scales our care. This is the most efficient use of donor capital in this category, and it is the only reason we can grow.
We publish our network criteria, our committee review standards, our audited financials, and our grant-dollar-to-care-hour conversion metrics. Trust between donors, survivors, and providers is earned through numbers, not marketing.
Every grant application is reviewed by a medical advisory committee composed of board-certified specialists across reconstructive dermatology, plastic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, and restorative dentistry.
The committee evaluates clinical appropriateness — procedure indication, specialist match, expected outcome — not the character or narrative of the applicant. This is peer review, not bureaucratic review.
The people who decide whether a grant is funded are the same people who would perform the procedure.
Dr. Khalifian brings operational precision from reconstructive medicine and business leadership to the philanthropic sector. He structured Proof of Life as a high-accountability, provider-aligned grant-making organization — a model built on his conviction that the specialists capable of restorative care for survivors already exist, and that the missing infrastructure was a network, not a miracle.
Additional board members, medical advisory committee, and network leadership — forthcoming.
If you or someone you know has been affected by violence and needs restorative medical care — scar revision, reconstructive surgery, dental restoration, or adjacent care — we want to hear from you.
Our network providers waive their markup so your donation purchases care, not overhead. Every dollar is accounted for in provider direct-cost terms.