APPNA NOW - January 2018 e-Newsletter: President's Message and Strategy Meeting 2018 in Miami, Florida

January 2018 e-Newsletter

Akhtar Hamidi, MD - Editor

President's Message:

Dear APPNA family,
This year's APPNA Strategy Meeting, held on January 27th, 2018, in the beautiful beach city of Miami, was a great success. Traditionally, only about 20-30 members attend these strategy meetings. A small wing in a hotel is reserved, and these individuals come together as a small, but vital group of planners. This year, however, we were beyond blessed by your enthusiastic response and participation. We had over 100 rooms booked, with overflow to other hotels. The Friday night KEMCAANA dinner cruise sold out, with many having to be turned away. Our small group of planners transformed into a dynamic force of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, presenting fresh and new perspectives.

My sincerest gratitude to Chair Event - Dr. Saqib Masroor, KEMCAANA President - Dr. Mian Ahmed Hasan and President South Florida Chapter - Dr. Iqbal Ismail for coming together to co-host a great Strategy Meeting.

Iqbal Z. Hamid, MD

President APPNA, 2018

APPNA Strategy Meeting

An Overwhelming Success - Here is the recap:

Event was livestreamed. Watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3tN7D2JcJc

President's Vision 2023

APPNA Presidents have been historically pressed hard to start projects and complete it in the same year . Iqbal Zafar Hamid, MD, ho wever, has a 5-year vision to transform our organization. His vision includes recruiting new members, legislative overhaul, engaging younger physicians, and developing new tangible projects that will have long-term positive impacts on both sides of the pond. With that being said, the creation of a Pakistani University by Pakistanis in North America will create the ultimate positive image of APPNA, both in the community as well as the mainstream.

APPNA, AAPI & BMANA

Memorandum of understanding

A historic moment

We have partnered with AAPI (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) and BMANA (Bangladesh Medical Association of North America) to join forces with their medical organizations to expand and support physicians globally and particularly in South Asia region. The main area of focus will be increasing the Residency slot for foreign Medical graduates, Visa issues and healthcare issues in South Asian people in North America and South Asia. This coalition of more than 130,000 physicians will constitute about 15% of physician workforce in USA and will have a very forceful influence on the healthcare policies of USA.

APPNA Healtcare

APPNA Medical Corp/SWDRC- Medical missions,

Rohingya relief, Pakistan Mission, Guatemala mission

APPNA Legislation

No organization can flourish with out a clear and transparent legislation. Constitution and Bylaws of the organization help the organization function in a transparent manner, providing every member a level playing field. Because of this, chain of command is followed and every component of the organization knows their role very clearly. CABL is working to remove all the ambiguities in bylaws and make it very clear to follow.

APPNA University

Iqbal Zafar Hamid, MD shared his vision to start APPNA University in the United States. The discussion engaged academicians like Dr. Javed Laghari and other visionaries who are in the preliminary stages for creating this world-class educational institute in North America.

APPNA Media & Communication

Education

We are planning to start broadcasting educational seminars in Pakistan for medical doctors and the general population. We have partnered with HUM TV, who will provide public service announcements to the community on topics such as common diseases and preventative medicine. HUM TV will also be broadcasting educational forums and talks, utilizing premier medical providers in the United States and other countries. APPNA plans on providing training in CPR and BLS for first responders, which will assist in saving lives.

APPNA Philanthropic Projects

During this session, we also discussed our philanthropic projects, which include our QATRA and HOPE projects. QATRA fund provides you with the opportunity to contribute a small amount on a regular basis to strengthen the financial base of the organization. HOPE committee interacts with the community and enhances APPNA's image by being a partner of the community. We will also be delivering four Mobile Clinic units to Pakistan, the first of which will be delivered next week during the President's visit to Mirpur Khas.

APPNA Secretariat

APPNA has created a voluntary and free "CONCIERGE" service in Lahore for all APPNA members. The service will help with administrative work at respective universities, relocation and travel arrangements, hospitality services, and community resources for our members. We will also be expanding this service to Karachi and Islamabad in the near future.

First APPNA Global Healthcare Summit

APPNA is expanding its Continuing Medical Education conference in order to create a premier world-class conference in Pakistan in December. Instead of the traditional one-day winter meeting, the First APPNA Global Healthcare Summit will be expanded over five days in two major cities of Pakistan - Lahore and Karachi.

We are already working with our counterparts in Australia, the UK, Europe and the Middle East for better attendance and engagement. We are optimistic that this will be a replica of our summer convention, and hopefully, the largest medical conference to ever be organized in Pakistan.

Young Professional Association

We also discussed how we could empower and educate not only young physicians, but also the children of APPNA members who are professionals in a variety of industries. APPNA is hoping on expanding their influence to these professionals in areas including but not limited to finance, business, technology, and law. The Young Professional Association will include activities such as leadership training and educational seminars, and is being spearheaded by a group of young professionals who have actively participated in APPNA in the past.

APPNA Coming Together

During our Opening Forum titled "APPNA Coming Together," participants engaged in the challenging but rewarding task of discussing the once unspoken division amongst our members. This division has been drawn among many factors, most particularly ethnicity and alumni association. In order to discuss this delicate topic effectively, our past presidents from all walks of life participated. This was an excellent start to making our organization more transparent and creating a level-playing field for all of our members.