As 2017 is coming to an end in another few weeks, it has been a very productive year for APPNA and APPNA's team of wonderful volunteers. Each year begins with tremendous energy and enthusiasm which paves the way to great achievements and strengthens our organization.
Currently, preparation for the winter meeting is in full swing. The meeting will be held on in Lahore for two days on December 21, 22 and 23, while a full day of meetings & workshop will be held at NUMS in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. I am proud of the host committee chair & rest of the wonderful team for achieving new milestones this year, including an ACP endorsed CME in Pakistan for the first time in history of APPNA.
We are also completing some very important projects in USA and Pakistan at this time. The purchase of mobile healthcare units is underway and will be completed in a couple of weeks. These mobile clinic units will be fitted with state-of-the-art medical equipment and will be used as free health clinic on regular basis, while they will be used for disaster relief work in times of need anywhere a calamity strikes in USA.
The first unit will be stationed in Texas and others will be kept in Florida and northeast.
In Pakistan, APPNA will establish a healthcare center in collaboration with Edhi foundation. This particular project will be accomplished with a very generous donation by philanthropist and a sincere friend of APPNA Mr. Javed Anwar. Cleft lip/palate repair and Cornea transplant projects which was started earlier this year continue to benefit the people of Pakistan as well as clean water pump project in Thar is in full swing.
I am so happy and proud of what our organization has accomplished over the past 40 years. Each year brings a new milestone and amazing progress which reflect the charitable and educational mission of APPNA.
Let us all keep working together for a better tomorrow.
Cordially,
Sajid Chaudhary, MD
President APPNA, 2017
APPNA MERIT Update:
This year APPNA MERIT introduced a specialty based focused partnership with Pakistani health institutions. The symposium during summer convention was first step in this regard: " Spot light on Medical education in Pakistan". Basically it is a spoke and hub model with APPNA MERIT facilitating different specialties to do educational projects in Pakistan. It will entail US faculty to visit Pakistan in a safe, comfortable manner and have a meaningful and rewarding experience at local postgraduate institutions. On ground training will be supplemented by online curriculum based education in a hybrid learning module. We started working with two partners in Pakistan since March of this year.
National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) is a unique new national initiative with the vision of developing centers of excellence in basic science and research in addition to clinical care departments. It was started in 2015 and is developing a medical city in Islamabad in addition to guiding the medical schools and all Armed Forces institutes including Postgraduate level departments. Lt General Imran Majeed is Vice chancellor. APPNA MERIT is holding a special one-day program at NUMS Rawalpindi on 12/19/17 just before its winter conference in Lahore. An MOU will be signed with NUMS for future collaboration between APPNA MERIT and NUMS to enhance and compliment medical education in Pakistan, thus improving health care services and patient care in Pakistan. That is why APPNA MERIT was created 10 years ago.
Another important partner will be KPK province represented by Dr. Nosherwan Burki who is the special advisor to the KPK government on health care. Dr. Burki is a professor of Medicine in Univ of Connecticut and was also present in Orlando meeting. APPNA MERIT will start working on two projects of immediate need in the province namely Neurology and ICU. These projects will start in Lady Reeding hospital in Peshawar and then later will extend to other parts of the province. Khyber Alumni Association of North America will be partnering with APPNA MERIT for these projects. Another MOU will be signed in winter meeting between APPNA MERIT and KPK government. Pakistan Society of Neurology and Pakistan International Neuroscience Society are partnering in these projects to ensure its success.
Additionally, Merit is in discussion with Higher Education Commission of Pakistan to renew the visiting faculty programs with USA academicians. APPNA MERIT has also engaged The College of Physicians and surgeon of Pakistan for subspecialty programs and fellowships, such as Sleep Medicine as well as stroke centers development in various regions. Child Psychiatry fellowship approved in the past year was a big success of APPNA MERIT and now we have undertaken Child Psychiatry course for General Adult psychiatrist. Neurology chapter of APPNA MERIT has started a six months curriculum of Movement disorder on line for Neurology residents in Pakistan.
In the meantime our very popular weakly live lecture program on line is successfully teaching faculty and students alike various important topics in medicine.
The purpose of MOUs with these institution is to develop a viable and sustainable infra structure which will be used by different medical specialties to achieve mission of APPNA MERIT through a hybrid of online and on ground training so that health services and patient care in Pakistan can be improved. Once pilot program this year is successful, it will be replicated with different specialties through different chapters in APPNA MERIT and specialty network. Medical education in Pakistan is the sole focus of APPNA MERIT and our vision is that it will be helped by two other APPNA educational committees namely RESA and specialty network under long term goal of APPNA education.
This new vision and direction of APPNA MERIT is grand but is doable with the continued help from the future leadership of APPNA, as continuity is the key to the success of these programs. This vision will take many years of continued hard work to achieve its target goals.
APPNA's mission includes serving humanity and to play an active role in civic engagement in the US. For this reason APPNA started the National food pantry project this year. We have been able to get matching funds of $45,560 arranged through APPNA with sponsors and preferred tickets sales.
We have approached APPNA chapters and component societies to get involved in this project. The goal of this project is to empower APPNA members in their communities and increase their community involvement. Local chapters and component societies chose their area food pantry so that they can develop bridges in their communities and increase volunteering opportunities.
We have received pledges north of $40,000 till now and we have already collected $38,000. The contributions sent by chapters/alumni association are as follows; AKUAANA $4,105, AICAANA $5,000, LMC $1000, APPNA Minnesota $3,350, APPNA Arizona $2,000, APPNA Alabama $1,000, APPNA DMV $2,000, APPNETS $2,500, APPNA FL $1,350, APPNA Michigan $1,100, APPNA South Texas $4,100, APPNA North Carolina $1,150, APPNA VA $5,039, APPNA Alumni Iowa $2,000, APPNA-PUN $2,000, Fatima Jinnah $100
We are sending checks with the matching funds back. APPNA has also made T-shirts that will be sent to the chapter/component society presidents so that they can be used on days they plan to volunteer in the food pantries.
We are grateful for the involvement of APPNA family and hope more of our members will get involved in this project.
We continue to receive contributions and would like all chapters and alumni associations to participate in this meaningful project of civic engagement.
Our target is to contribute to food pantries throughout the US, and to achieve our aim of contributing $150,000 by the end of this year. If any APPNA member would like to contribute individually and especially if they don't have a chapter in their area, please reach out to us (president@akuaana.org) so that we can facilitate the donation to the food panty in your area.
Jinay Lahore ni Wakhya O Jamya Hi Nee, Lahore Lahore Aye!!
APPNA Winter Meeting registratoin is open till December 9, 2017. Please register and join APPNA in celebrating its 40th anniversary at
at Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC) Lahore from December 21 to 23, 2017.
At the same time, Allama Iqbal Alumni Association of North America (AIMCAANA) will be celebrating its 20th anniversary at Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore.
The program includes ACP endorsed CME at Lahore and Rawalpindi, hands on training workshops at AIMC, a one day Cardiology conference & hands on training workshops at Punjab Institute of Cardiology conducted by Association of Pakistani Descent Cardiologists of North America (APCNA). Allama Iqbal Medical College Faculty will be hosting a dinner in the honor of APPNA delegates at the grounds of Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore. There will be a Young Physicians symposium on Training in Medicine in the United States. Additionally, there will be an Expo/Exhibit, Fashion Show, entertainment, music, and great food at Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel. APPNA will host a banquet on December 23rd, 2017 at PC Hotel. Please join us in enjoying Lahore with friends and family.
The meeting will be presided by Dr. Sajid Chaudhary and Chaired by Dr. Atique Azam Mirza with their dynamic organizing team to celebrate the 40th anniversary of APPNA & the 20th anniversary of AIMCAANA at the grounds of AIMC. A large number of Physicians from U.K., Australia and the Middle East are planning to attend this memorable event. We hope to see you in Lahore in December for a memorable winter meeting.