President's 1^st Quarter Report 2008

EMPOWERING COMMUNITY THROUGH ACTIVISM AND SOLIDARITY

MAHMOOD ALAM, MD

Dear Friends, Assalamo-Alaikum:

The greatest asset of APPNA is the voluntary force of our members whose enthusiasm to work for the common goals will promote this year’s theme, “EMPOWERING COMMUNITY THROUGH ACTIVISM AND SOLIDARITY. The scope of this work is enormous, and our limited resources require organization building and resource development to further expand the horizons of our work. APPNA committees and the component societies are expected to play a significant role in promoting our theme of Community Empowerment.

Spring Meeting: APPNA Spring Meeting was held from March 21-23 at Louisville, KY. It was a great success. It would have not been possible to arrange this meeting at such a short notice without APPKI Chapter volunteers under the leadership of Dr. Zaka Ur Rahman. The Honorable Steven L. Beshear, the Governor of Kentucky was the keynote speaker at the banquet. Prof. Adil Najam, a rising star in the International Environmental Movement, and who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the former U.S. vice president Al Gore was the guest speaker at the Derby Museum Friday Dinner.

The Spring Council Meeting agenda included several activity items for approval. The Council approved the APPNA budget for the year 2008. The Research Education and Scientific Affairs (RESA) Committee presented its vision and plans for 2008 and beyond. RESA Committee is aiming to raise at least $100,000 this year to support various educational programs. A plan to achieve compliance with the requirements of Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) was discussed and the important compliance issues were identified. The Council approved to hire a full time secretary to assist RESA Committee, provided the compensation for such services will be raised by the RESA Committee. The RESA Committee has plans to have a world class 12 hour CME program during our summer meeting from June 26-28 at Washington, DC. The report of the Committee on Young Physicians (CYP) was very well received by the Council. The efforts of the Committee to assist the young physicians on a variety of issues earned the CYP a great admiration. A budget for the CYP Committee to support its activities was also approved.

The Code of Conduct for APPNA Elections: The first code of conduct was prepared in 2004. Unfortunately, it was not presented to the Council for its approval. The recent litigation involving APPNA election process and the overdue need for such a code made it a priority. The initial recommendations by the Ad Hoc Committee on Election Reforms 2007 were reviewed by the Standing Nominating and Election Committee (NEC) this year prior to its presentation to the Council for approval. APPNA Council has approved the final version of Election Code of Conduct by an overwhelming majority. This document will now serve as the policy for and procedure for elections and will be overseen by the NEC.

The Communication Committee report was received with great interest by the council. Because the electronic media is increasingly playing a substantial role in the communication between the membership and the organization, the Council approved to start the ground work on a site based on more recent technology. Meanwhile, the present site will continue to provide the best possible service. This project of the new web site should be completed by the fall of 2008. APPNA Council also approved a monthly electronic newsletter, APPNA NAMA that will be managed by the Communication Committee under the directions of APPNA Executive Committee. The Constitution and Bylaws (CABL) Committee is determined to get approval of overdue amendments from the General Body. The APPNA offices will assist CABL to do so.

More than 40 million American have no health insurance. The Free Clinics initiative by APPNA at the Chapter level is an idea that needs our immediate attention. It will be a great tool to assist the community members at large who are less fortunate or those who work on hourly wages without health coverage. I have given another year to the Ad Hoc Committee on Free Clinics to come up with a viable plan that can be implemented. The Office Management Committee at Westmont, Illinois is working with the PPS Chapter to initiate a Free Clinic at our recently expanded office facility.

Liaison with Professional Organizations Committee has encouraged the APPNA members to participate in the Governing Council of the International Medical Graduates (IMG) Section of the American Medical Association (AMA). The future of the IMGs is in the integration with mainstream medicine. It is impotent to take part in organized medicine so that when policies are made they are in keeping with the interest of the IMGs. It is necessary for APPNA to acquire a voting seat on the House of Delegates of the AMA. Ad Hoc Health Education Committee also known as Medical Education and Research Investment Taskforce (MERIT) will build on the work initiated in 2007 to help improve Medical education in Pakistan. A grant is awarded to APPNA for its tele-medicine initiative that will use the web cast technology to improve healthcare in the North Western Province of Pakistan in collaboration with our partners at the other end.

The hotel selection and negotiation Committee suggested having the summer meeting of 2012 at the brand new Gaylord Resort opening soon at the Washington, DC. The Council approved the site and the hotel selection committee was advised to start the negotiations. Furthermore, the Council approved a foreign trip to Australia and New Zealand in the fall of 2009.

APPNA Foundation: The creation of endowments to support the continued development of the educational, humanitarian, and the charitable work of any organization is vital. Interestingly, this concept of establishing endowment was borrowed by the west from the Muslim tradition of “WAQF”. APPNA has come of age with 29 chapters and the affiliation of 13 Alumni Associations at the present time. It is about time to lay the foundations of financial security for our philanthropic ventures. APPNA has become a very successful Medical Relief Organization with remarkable contributions to hurricanes Tsunami and Katrina and the earthquake of 2005 in Pakistan and Kashmir. Social Welfare and Disaster Relief (SWDR) Committee is in need of more funds to promote numerous projects of community service, and to raise the awareness of preventive healthcare. APPNA Sehat’s budgetary needs have escalated in the recent years, whereas the sustainable funds to support it has dwindled. APPNA Council had approved the concept of a Charitable Foundation in 2005. A five member ad hoc committee to act as the founding directors is nominated by the President. The articles of incorporation and Bylaws of APPNA Foundation were presented at the Spring Council meeting. It was felt that most Council members of 2008 are new and would need more time to go over the document before it is presented for its final approval. I hope APPNA Council will soon approve it so that we could start the most needed work of fundraising for APPNA humanitarian projects.

Civil Liberties: APPNA was chosen to speak on behalf of dozens of New York area organizations as well as by the Pakistani-American Press and Media on March 15, 2008. Along with the New York Chapter’s leadership, I had the opportunity to exchange views on Immigration and Security with the officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). The Pakistani Community’s concerns were shared with the administration during a three-hour long dialogue. This kind of meetings are important to build bridges, but in my view lobbying with lawmakers will be the key to success for our community’s looming immigration and racial profiling issues.

Day on the Hill: We need to build a stronger Pakistani-American Community for our dignified survival and a prosperous future in America. APPNA Day on the Hill is scheduled on Thursday June 26, 2008, which is the first day of our 31st Annual Summer Meeting at Washington, DC. We need to effectively communicate with our legislators about the issues we face, and APPNA Committee on Advocacy will assist us in handling it properly. I am encouraging our Advocacy Committee to form a broader coalition with Civil Rights organizations to make our Advocacy Day a real success. Remember, our strength in this country is the only way to impact positively on our motherland Pakistan.

Summer Meeting June 25-29 2008: I have been personally involved with the Host Committee of Summer Meeting for making it a real success. Please register soon because we are projecting a complete sell-out during the pre-registration. The variety of the programs being offered during this four-day meeting is exceptionally good. Multiple Seminars on the issues pertaining to Community Empowerment are planned for this year. We are making progress to arranging a descent entertainment for Friday and Saturday nights. APPNA Alliance is planning to have traditional Family Dinner with new ideas. Alliance is also sponsoring a seminar on Domestic violence. Join in to see it yourself.

Dear Friends, officers come and go but the institution remains. The building of institution of APPNA is our collective responsibility. This goal can only be achieved by promoting harmony and unity of purpose in the rank and file of APPNA. I need your support to promote the vision and mission of this great organization. By standing united and working together we will accomplish a great deal, INSHAA-ALLAH.