Annual Meeting 2015 was held at the Hilton Boston Logan Hotel on Aril 18, 2015. The medical lecture was presented by Dr. Saima Aftab. She discussed Neonatal Resuscitation and Midwife project and highlighted the need to train local personnel. She brought to attention the high infant mortality rate in Pakistan.
Our keynote speaker was Mr. Jibran Nasir, a prominent Pakistani lawyer, who gave an eloquent talk on the civil rights abuses in Pakistan.
Award and Recognitions at the annual meeting
The Medicine award was given to Dr. Shahrukh Jalisi, Otolaryngologist and Head & Neck Surgeon at Boston University.
Bina Sarwar, a journalist, artist, filmmaker and the editor of Aman Ki Asha (Hope for Peace) who focuses on human rights, gender, media and peace received the community service award.
Longitudinal Projects that APPNE funds and endorses are:
1. The Neonatal Resuscitation and Midwife program (Drs. Saima Aftab, Amna Khan and Saira Ehsun). Working with the Institute of Development Studies and Practices in Pakistan they train midwives and assemble resuscitation kits with local resources.
2. The Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) literacy Project has been established through the efforts of our current APPNE President, Dr. Mohammad Ramzan.
APPNE supported SAMAR, the South Asian Marrow Association of Recruiters.
APPNE will support a new project with AWARE and IDSP—The Green School Project in Tharparkar, Pakistan. Dr Ehsun Mirza has put his efforts into making this longitudinal, long-term project. The attendees at this meeting were entertained by the very talented Farah Anwar, a renowned artist from Pakistan.
A Post-Halloween Lunch/Brunch was hosted at the Double Tree Conference Center in Westboro, MA on Sunday, November 1, 2015. It was Physician only event. Participants wore beautiful traditional Pakistani dresses. A Town Hall style discussion around support for Young Pakistani Physicians looking for residency training and clinical experience in the US was held. Participants also discussed APPNE efforts at promotion of health related projects, community education and advocacy both in the US and in Pakistan.
