Dear APPNE Members,
I hope this message finds you and your loved ones in good health and in high spirits.
I am Dr. Raffia Qutab, and it is an honor to address you as the incoming President of APPNE for the 2026-2028 term.
I am a proud graduate of Fatima Jinnah Medical University and have also completed a Family Medicine Residency with UMASS’ Barre Health Center. In 2009, I then decided to establish my own private practice, Rutland Family Health Center, with the goal of providing care directly to underserved communities in rural Massachusetts. This milestone marked me as the first physician to establish a clinic in Rutland, MA. It has been 16 years since I have been practicing as a primary care physician and director at this clinic, and without a doubt, I can say it has been a privilege to serve this community.
As a nation, we face a severe shortage in primary care. Due to the pressures that arise with this shortage, primary care physicians have to work to meet greater and more intense needs, both those of the patient and of the overall healthcare system, leading to extreme burnout. As an International Medical Graduate (IMG), I have experienced these challenges firsthand. IMGs are an essential workforce to mitigate this crisis, yet we face unique obstacles involving licensure, residency securing, and complex certification processes. However, the importance and relevance of IMGs are not spoken about enough, nor is the need for improved advocacy and policy to support them.
For the past two years, I have dedicated my time outside of the clinic to improving advocacy and policy for IMGs at both the State and Federal levels. Over the past two years, I have met individually with Massachusetts Congressmen and Senators to advocate for improved policies and the sponsorship of legislation that supports the IMG community.
I would like to share a monumental victory resulting from my efforts to advocate for the representation of IMGs.:
On April 22, 2026, I met one on one with the Office of Congressman James P. McGovern to discuss topics related to physician shortage and burnout, the sustainability of private medical practices, and the H–1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act (H.R.7961). The primary objective of H.R.7961 is to remove entry barriers for medical professionals who are seeking to work in the US under H-1B visas. Specifically, it seeks to waive the $100,000 fee that was previously mandated by a 2025 presidential proclamation regarding nonimmigrant workers. I urged for the support and co-sponsorship of this bill. On May 19, 2026, the office of Congressman James P. McGovern acknowledged me for my efforts to advocate for this bill, further noting that the Congressman had agreed to become a co-sponsor.
Additionally, I serve as a delegate for the House of Delegates of the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) and as the Chair of the APPNA Liaison Committee. In these roles, I have worked to ensure our voices are heard at every level of organized medicine. As APPNA’s Chair of Liaison Committee, I have particularly worked diligently to secure APPNA’s membership in the Specialty and Service Society (SSS), which is the largest caucus of the American Medical Association (AMA). This has allowed us to participate directly in national policymaking.
Moreover, I am a proud and active member of the American Medical Association (AMA), serving within both the International Medical Graduates Section (IMGS) and the Women Physicians Section
(WPS). In these roles, I also serve as a member of the Advocacy and Policy Section as well as the Growing the Representation and Reach of Women Leaders (GRROWL) Committee.
I have worked on many resolutions for the AMA, advocating for various topics such as the advocacy of IMGs, methods to decrease burnout among physicians, movements to remove the $100,000 visa fee for the physicians by their employers, and more. Under the WPS, I authored a resolution advocating for flexible work hours and paid leave for physicians caring for children with special needs, chronically ill children, or elderly, aging parents. This resolution was approved by the AMA House of Delegates, leading to the modification of the AMA’s policy: Paid Sick Leave and Flexible Work Arrangements for Physicians who are Caregivers H-420.979.
Addressing physician well-being remains a central pillar of my presidency. As an Ambassador for the Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, I am committed to building a support system that ensures no physician feels alone in the face of professional exhaustion.
On a global scale, I was deeply hurt by the recent crisis in Pakistan where hundreds of children contracted HIV due to the reuse of contaminated needles. This tragedy occurred because the hospital failed to follow proper guidelines and safety precautions while administering injections, leading to the reuse of contaminated needles. In response, I am working to revamp the HIV Task Force this year. Our current Task Force goals include implementing prevention strategies like Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and mobilizing resources through international organizations (i.e. UNAIDS, WHO, UNICEF, and USAID).
During this term, I also aim to focus on internal growth and infrastructure by:
I want to express my deepest gratitude to the pioneers of APPNE who built this platform. We will continue to look to them for guidance as our mission remains to support academic excellence, professional development, and social justice while building bridges with local communities. Lastly, I encourage all physicians to join APPNE as we work together to strengthen our organization and represent our profession on a national scale, and perhaps even a global scale.
Sincerely,
Dr. Raffia Qutab
President, APPNE (2026-2028)
