[vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”Back to February 2020 Newsletter” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fconta.cc%2F2UUWtHe|||”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”21841″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]

Naheed Usmani, MD
President APPNA 2020

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Dear APPNA Members,

We just completed a very successful APPNA Strategy Meeting 2020, in Philadelphia, January 31-February 2. We had ambitious goals for this meeting to refocus APPNA on detailed planning for its educational, healthcare, philanthropic, advocacy initiatives for 2020 and have dialog with membership on legislative reforms. I am happy to report that we made great progress, with APPNA committees laying out their plans for APPNA 2020 initiatives.

1.Pakistan Initiatives: Improving Health, Medical Education and Training

I am passionate about APPNA’s health and educational initiatives in Pakistan, and have given an extensive charter to APPNA MERIT, which I had originally helped create as its founding chair for 5 years. I had wide-ranging discussions with healthcare leaders in Pakistan and current APPNA initiatives leaders to flesh out the following programs:

  • Family Practice Residency – help establish in all major teaching institutions across Pakistan. To launch this, APPNA MERIT is holding its first annual conference at Rawalpindi Medical College in collaboration with Higher Education Commission, Federal Ministry of Health, and medical universities on March 4-5 2020.
  • Nursing Shortage– help grow capacity from 100K to the needed 1m. nurses by getting placement of Pakistani nursing faculty in US graduate nursing programs. We are trying to partner with USAID, HEC and Federal Ministry of Health on this.
  • HIV, Hepatitis C, Addiction Medicine – build on educational and transfer-of- expertise efforts in collaboration with Pakistan’s Healthcare Taskforce.
  • Cornea Transplant – support and grow.
  • MERIT Visiting Faculty Programs – strengthen in multiple specialties
  • Stroke Units and Intensive Care Training – support and grow
  • Clean Water Projects – support and grow
  • Clean Sanitation Program for Girls – so girls don’t drop out of school at puberty
  • Medical Missions, Mobile Health Units, etc. – We have already launched relief initiatives for earthquake relief in Puerto Rico and freezing weather in Pakistan.

We need you and your chapter/alumnus for ideas and volunteers for these programs.

2.US/Canada Initiatives: Mentorship, Advocacy, Philanthropy, Free Clinics, Scholarships

Let us strengthen collaboration between APPNA’s US/Canada chapters and Committees to share best practices and deepen our local impact. For US/Canada:

  • North American Medical Graduates (NAMA) Section – strengthen, grow, involve medical students as a subgroup
  • Mentorship for High Schoolers, Undergrads – develop in chapters
  • APPNA Scholarships in US/Canada Medical Schools – initiate with chapters
  • Advocacy and Civic Engagement – strengthen at chapter level
  • Free Clinics, Pantry, Mobile Health Units, National Healthcare Day – support, grow

APNNA needs activists and ideas to maximize our impact in US/Canada.

3.APPNA Legislative and Administrative Initiatives:

  • CABL: APPNA can only be harmonious if we all work together and through our differences. We have established a broad-based Taskforce of senior APPNA members, and a CABL committee drawn from previous CABL committees. to work with an external constitutional expert to come up with proposed amendments to APPNA CABL so it complies with state laws and is clear and effective. CABL Taskforce held a town hall at Strategy Retreat to discuss their work and hear APPNA members.
  • Council: Develop best practices and standardization across our component societies.
  • Chapters: Improve coordination and support for initiatives like food pantry, national health care day, free clinics, youth mentorship programs and APPNA scholarships

We are off to a solid start with a sold-out Strategy meeting in Philadelphia. Please help shape these initiatives with your ideas and participation so APPNA successfully pivots to its mission and service initiatives that the vast majority of you – our membership – cares about.

I am looking forward to working with you all.

Naheed Usmani, MD
President APPNA 2020[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”Back to February 2020 Newsletter” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fconta.cc%2F2UUWtHe|||”][/vc_column][/vc_row]