APRIL 2015  e-Newsletter
In This Issue
- President's Message
- APPNA Telemedicine
- APPNA Charities
- APPNA Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) Revitalized
- APPNA Day on the Hill
President's Message

 

Dear APPNA Family:

Every day that I serve APPNA, I realize what a great organization it is. It is great not just because of the projects, although they are several and very important ones. It is great not just because it provides a tremendous opportunity to network, join hands and help others. APPNA's greatness lies in its outstanding members. Every APPNA committee, chapter and Alumni have scores of people who are working very hard for the organization, its projects and making a difference. They do it not for any personal glory or recognition but because they sincerely believe in the organization and want to give back. It is the hard work and sincerity of these, many a times unsung heroes of APPNA which make this association great. I salute the membership of APPNA and your dedication, commitment and willingness to make a difference.

To share with you the tremendous work being performed by members of APPNA, we will be bringing you a monthly e-Newsletter titled "APPNA Now". Each month we plan to highlight a few of the APPNA projects and inform you of the activities and events taking place in APPNA.

We look forward to your ideas and feedback on APPNA's work. We also hope that by being better informed, you will get involved in APPNA projects.

Please contact us at appna@appna.org

Thanks
Mubasher Rana, MD, FACP
President APPNA 2015 
APPNA Telemedicine
 
Under the leadership of Dr. Naheed Usmani, this year APPNA Telemedicine is becoming a reality with a clear mission and simple objectives. This intervention will become win win for all physicians involved.

Our Mission:
To improve health care quality and access to specialist medical care in Pakistan, for under-served populations.

Our Goals and Objectives:
To set up Internet based consultations between specialists in USA and referring doctors from Pakistan in order to improve patient care through recommendationsfor latest treatments and timely access to specialist knowledge. This will also update Pakistani physicians on the principles of evidence-based medicine as practiced in USA.


The Adhoc Committee for Telemedicine has reached an agreement to collaborate with Swinfen Trust, a UK based charitable organization that is the worlds' largest humanitarian internet based Telemedicine program. APPNA will use their well-established secure web platform free of cost. The committee is seeking volunteer consultants for this project, in all fields and specialties. APPNA needs its members to donate their skills and expertise. To sign up for this project, please click on the following link.

To register for the Telemedicine Project, please click on the follow link.  
APPNA Charities

- APPNA Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) Revitalized

LRPC has been restructured and revitalized this year and
we believe will pay a very important role.

The Committee Structure has been redefined and comprises of President Elect, President, and immediate past-President and 3 nominees. It also includes 1 member of BOT.

Objectives: The Committee performs a critical appraisal of current APPNA Projects with long-range implications; proposes changes and a 5 year plan to achieve tangible goals. LRPC sends the minutes of its meetings and shares its long range project evaluations with the BOT.

The proposed LRPC projects for 2015 are as follows.

Please click on each project to see details:

DayOnTheHillAPPNA Day on the Hill


 Less than a week from now, over 50 APPNA members will take time away from their families and patients to travel to Washington.  I believe this will be the most impactful "Day on the Hill" in APPNA history.

 
Behind the scenes, members of the Advocacy Committee have worked tirelessly with Democratic Congresswoman Grace Meng of New York and Republican Congressman Tom Emmer of Minnesota. These leaders on the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced legislation that would direct the State Department to speed-up the visa approval process for international physicians who are slated to work at hospitals in the United States.
 
APPNA members directly educated these important Congressmen about the J1 visa process. Currently, Pakistani physicians scheduled to serve their residencies at American hospitals are encountering extremely long delays in obtaining J-1 visas. The holdups have resulted in major dilemmas for those doctors and the U.S. hospitals - many in rural and underserved communities - at which the physicians are set to work. In many instances, the delays have forced hospitals to withdraw offers from foreign physicians who had already accepted.
 
APPNA members are scheduled to personally visit with over 30 Congressmen on Thursday. They will build bipartisan support and awareness on this important legislation. All APPNA members should be proud that for the first time in APPNA history we have played a pivotal role in drafting and introducing bipartisan legislation at the highest levels of American government.
 
We look forward to sharing with you highlights from our visit to Washington.
Upcoming Events
APPNA DAY ON THE HILL
April 30, 2015
Washington DC









FALL MEETING
OCT 30 - NOV 1, 2015
San Francisco, CA