 Remembering Dr. Rubina Inayat
APPNA family has been immensely grieved and shocked by the sudden departure of Dr. Rubina Inayat. Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raj'un "Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return". The outpouring of love and duas for her by APPNA family have been tremendous. It is a testament to how much she is loved and remembered and what a great difference she has made in other people's lives. She was a graduate Fatima Jinnah Medical College and specialized in Child Psychiatry.
She served APPNA in many capacities starting from Pakistan Earthquake in 2005 to
presently a member of APPNA Board of Trustees. T
he whole APPNA family extends their deepest condolences to her husband Dr. Sajid Chaudhary, Past president APPNA. May Allah make it easier for him and her bereaved family. Ameen
APPNA Executive Committee has established the
Dr. Rubina Inayat Memorial Fund
to honor her contributions to the cause of APPNA. The donations will be used to provide oxygen cylinders and concentrators to the indigent population of Pakistan, a project very dear to her.
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APPNA COVID work in USA and Pakistan
Dr. Aisha Zafar, Chair APPNA SWDRC
 As the Covid 19 pandemic spread like fire, APPNA responded by asking both SWDRC and the newly created COVID 19 Taskforce under the leadership of Dr Sajid Chaudhary to initiate a plan. Despite challenging economic times, our membership and even nonmembers were very generous and quick to respond and as of today, we have raised over a million dollars. APPNA has already disbursed 850,000 dollars both here and in Pakistan. This has been for food, PPE and now more recently for oxygen cylinders and concentrators to be provided to indigent patients in Pakistan for home treatment since the hospitals have no available beds.
Below are some of APPNA COVID efforts in last month:
APPNA/ICNA Efforts:
On Wednesday 5/27/20 ICNA Relief provided 100 dinner boxes for the staff of Medical City hospital Arlington, TX sponsored by APPNA and DFW Muslims. This was the 3rd meal distribution to local Dallas hospitals
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APPNA collaboration with SAF (Shahid Afridi Foundation):
On
Monday June 1, SAF with support from APPNA Provided food packages to 500 families in Bela, Lasbela District (Balochistan).
Monday June 8, 80 KN95 masks and 100 bottles of sanitizer delivered to Mith: hospital in tharparker Sind:
200 KN95 masks donated to Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PINS), Lahore General Hospital.
100 N95 masks and 150 surgical masks provided to Children's hospital & Institute of Child Health, Lahore.
APPNA collaboration with AKHUWAT FOUNDATION:
APPNA has identified marginalized areas where none of Government or NGO relief reached and collaborated with AKHUWAT for the disbursement of Ration and Cash through to the neediest individuals suffering due to COVID-19 Lockdown. Total project cost was $50,000, APPNA and AKHUWAT FOUNDATION contributing $25,000 each.
APPNA Efforts in Central Punjab:
On Sunday June 14, APPNA provided PPE to 5 DHQ and 6 THQ hospitals of central Punjab (11 hospitals in 9 cities).
On Sunday June 21, 2020 APPNA provided PPE to 17 hospitals in 15 cities (6 Districts and 10 Tehsils of central Punjab).
APPNA in collaboration with HANDS and Alkhidmat started home oxygen supply project for COVID-19 patients in Pakistan:
The project with HANDS covers provision of 15 oxygen concentrators machines and 20 240SFT cylinders which will be available for 24/7. Alkhidmat will provide
400 oxygen cylinders to indigent patients at their doorsteps
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COVID19 Stories from the front line - A Tribute to APPNA Heroes
Mrs. Shamshad Qureshi
Mother of Dr. Nasar Qureshi, APPNA Past President
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By Dr. Nasar Qureshi:
"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" (Emily Dickinson)
There are few things more difficult than losing one's mother. Though this grief is personal for the family, we are indebted to all who have shared their condolences, kind words and prayers for her soul. While all mothers are a sacred gift from Allah (SWT), our mother, Shamshad Qureshi, was the definition of the word "Mother". She met her creator on June 21
st
, in Lahore while valiantly fighting CoviD, Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'un. She's not physically here anymore, but her love and light shall
shine
on forever.
Read more.... |
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Dr. Saud Anwar
Pulmonologist/Critical Specialist
State Senator, Connecticut
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Surprise parade in front of Dr. Saud Anwar's house.
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Dr. Syed Raheel Hassan
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Syed Raheel Hassan, a doctor in
New Jersey, sees nearly twice the number of patients he did before the
coronavirus pandemic hit the state.
Hassan's days are packed as he moves from room to room at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, treating COVID-19 patients.
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Resolving Visa challenges for 200+ young physicians - APPNA Advocacy at its Best
G. Naheed Usmani, MD - APPNA President 2020
Dr. Abdul Rashid Piracha, Chair APPNA Advocacy Committee
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Dr. Naheed Usmani
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Our young physicians and ECFMG approached APPNA in January about dissolution of PMDC and therefore lack of verification of MBBS degree by PMDC which was a required step for ECFMG to issue the required visa sponsorship form for training in US. I reached out to the Pakistani PM Health Taskforce, Federal health minister and Chairman of Higher Education Commission to find a way to address this issue. During my trip to Pakistan, I personally met with top Pakistani officials and US ambassador to Pakistan to advocate for the young physicians.
Then Corona pandemic happened!
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Dr. Abdul Rashid Piracha
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Travel was stopped and all visas to US were stopped. APPNA Advocacy Committee was hit by a barrage of appeals from young physicians. I was deeply disturbed and worked with our Advocacy Committee and its
Chair, Dr. Abdul Rashid Piracha to address the issues on multiple fronts. While the Committee concentrated on working on issues that needed to be addressed on the US side, I focused on Pakistan.
Below are testimonials of young physicians helped by APPNA:
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Respected Dr. Naheed Usmani. During these unpredictable times, APPNA helped us all the matched applicants to reach in time to persue thier career goals.
Ahmed Toheed
PGY-1,
Yale- Waterbury Internal Medicine Residency Program
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My visa processing journey was no different than any other IMG, as I got matched in March and got my contract, the main issue was the SON. APPNA helped right from the day we matched.
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In these unprecedented times, there was little hope that anyone manages to complete documents for visa processing let alone fly to the USA in order to begin residency on time.
Zohaib Sayyed
Incoming intern,
Children's Hospital of Michigan,
DMC
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T
he 2020 match process was fascinating to me. I matched into one of the renowned programs in US during my second match cycle. But it wasn't easy as it came at the cost of Covid 19 Pandemic.
Dr. Ali Raza Talpur
Psychiatry Resident,,
University of Louisville
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Dr. Shahid Rafiq, Chair APPNA MERIT
 Among various MERIT Resources for Pakistani physicians to effectively combat COVID- 19, a daily Webinar was started on 3/31/2020 and continued uninterrupted every day until Ramadan on 4/24/2020. This webinar series brought North American COVID specialists including Intensivist, ID specialist, Cardiologists, Nephrologists and Neurologist on one platform to provide resources for questions and comments from Pakistani Physicians. It was a great success. During Ramadan it changed to weekend only every Saturday and Sunday and continued that way afterward as well. So far over 38 webinars have been done LIVE with the recordings available on appnamerit.com and youtube.
APPNA COVID19 Community Awareness Webinars
Haroon Durrani, MD - Secretary APPNA 2020
COVID 19 Pandemic - The most unprecedented event of our lifetimes. One of the challenges that the Executive Committee identified in the very beginning was the misinformation frenzy on the social media. We needed a forum where our members could ask their questions from clinicians treating COVID 19 patients. Under the auspices of the newly created APPNA COVID 19 Taskforce, we decided to organize frequent webinars titled "ask the experts".
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WHITE COATS FOR BLACK LIVES:
APPNE's White Coats for Black Lives Matter Rally
Received Wide Media Coverage -
Dr. Mohammad Ramzan
Dr. Naheed Usmani, President APPNA, addressed the hundreds of protesters, "Our nation once again finds itself at a profoundly important inflection point that demands the resolution of the fundamental question; When will we as a republic finally confront and dismantle the centuries old structure of racism that has marred the system, institutions and way of life." She further added that what needs to be done, "we need to vote, volunteer and speak up when we see injustice."
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| APPNA ALUMNI & CHAPTERS COVID19 WORK UPDATE |
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Dr. Tariq Shahab
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In mid-March, when Reema and Dr. Tariq Shahab were stuck in Lahore due to the lockdown, they decided to do something for the people in Pakistan and worldwide. There were many rumors and misinformation being propagated on various social media platforms as well as mainstream media. They decided to use the same media to bring accurate information verified by the CDC and WHO, to separate many facts from fiction.
Read more... |
KEMCAANA - King Edward Medical University Alumni Association of North America
RMCAANA - Rawalpindi Medical College Alumni Association of North America
APPNA-NE - APPNA New England Chapter
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| President's Message - June 28, 2020 |
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| APPNA President's COVID Activities Update |
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COVID19
Donation Drive
as of 6/28/2020
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APPNA Fall Meeting 2020
Boston, MA, USA
October 8-11, 2020
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APPNA Winter Meeting 2020
Pakistan
December 21-26, 2020
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