A unique Continuing Medical Education opportunity for healthcare professionals in the beautiful island city of Abu Dhabi, UAE. More detailed information can be viewed at the Advances in Medicine and Subspecialties website.
Dean, Medical College, AKU named Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences
Dr. Farhat Abbas: Dean, Medical College, AKU
Dr. Farhat Abbas, Dean, Medical College has been named a Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences. The Academy, a non-governmental body of distinguished scientists from across Pakistan, serves to advise the government of scientific development in the country. Dr. Abbas’s contribution to the University, the community and the country in the field of clinical practice, medical research and education is exemplary. Members of AKUAANA congratulate Dr. Abbas on this honor.
Annual Forum on Continuing Education: Dec 14 & 15, AKU Auditorium
Flyer: AKU Annual Forum on Continuing Medical Education
[gview file=”https://akuaana.org/AKUAANA/Documents/AKU_Annual_Forum_on_Continuing_Medical_Education.pdf” height=”1000px”]
Registration Form: AKU Annual Forum on Continuing Medical Education
[gview file=”https://akuaana.org/AKUAANA/Documents/Registration_Form_Annual_Forum_on_Continuing_Medical_Education.doc” height=”950px”]
AKU-NAMA 2012, Vol. 5, Issue 1
Please follow this link to view the recently published Volume 5, Issue 1 of AKU-NAMA, the Aga Khan University’s alumni magazine.
Featured Alumus: Dr. Saad Omer, AKU ’98
Dr. Saad B. Omer
Dr. Saad B. Omer is an Assistant Professor of Global Health, Epidemiology, & Pediatrics at Emory University, Schools of Public Health and Medicine. He received his medical degree from the Aga Khan University in Pakistan (Class of 1998) and his PhD from Johns Hopkins and has worked on studies in the United States, Guatemala, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uganda and South Africa. Dr. Omer’s research portfolio includes clinical trials to estimate efficacy and/or immunogenicity of influenza, polio, measles and pneumococcal vaccines; studies on the impact of spatial clustering of vaccine refusers; and clinical trials to evaluate drug regimens to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa. He has conducted several studies to evaluate the roles of schools, parents, health care providers, and state-level legislation in relation to immunization coverage and disease incidence. Dr. Omer has published widely in peer reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, the Lancet, British Medical Journal, Pediatrics, American Journal of Public Health, and American Journal of Epidemiology.
Pregnant women, fetuses, and young infants are high risk groups for morbidity and mortality after influenza infection. Dr. Omer was first to document the effect of influenza immunization in pregnancy in preventing pre-term and small for gestational age births. He was one of the investigators who, for the first time, demonstrated that vaccinating pregnant women against influenza protects their infants against this disease. These findings formed the evidence base for national recommendations in multiple countries and for the WHO’s recent recommendation for global introduction of influenza vaccination –particularly among pregnant women. Dr. Omer was first to demonstrate that spatial clustering of vaccine refusers is associated with outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases. This work and other related studies influenced laws and policies in multiple states in the United States.
In 2009, Dr Omer was awarded the Maurice Hilleman award in vaccinology by the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases on his work on impact of maternal influenza immunization on respiratory illness in infants younger than 6 months – for whom there is no vaccine.
The AKUAANA website features an AKU alumnus every quarter. We want profiles to highlight various aspects of alumni careers/lives – academic and research, clinical, private practice, political achievements, social activism, philanthropy etc.
Profiles of other alumni highlighted on the website over the time can be viewed under the “Featured Alumni” category.
In order to nominate someone or self-nominate, email your nomination and information by email to .
Gifts for the Aga Khan University
Partnerships In Action is an initiative of Aga Khan Foundation USA to raise awareness and funds for innovative programs that create hope and opportunity for disadvantaged communities in the developing world.
The link to Partnerships In Action is AKF USA’s online portal to accept gifts exclusively for Aga Khan University. Aga Khan Foundation’s webpage for online contributions is now active. You can access the page using the following link: http://partnershipsinaction.kintera.org/aku
Please note that online gift processing fee charged by Kintera is 3%. Donors wishing to make a contribution should realize that this fee will be deducted from their online contribution and the net value will be credited to the donor
Update on APPNA’s Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts
Hurricane Sandy has been a disaster of mammoth proportions. More than 8 million people have been affected. The damage in New York alone is estimated to be over 30 billion dollars. Several APPNA members and their families in New York and New Jersey have been personally affected and their life is just returning to near normalcy.
APPNA is helping with relief efforts in Brighton beach, New York and Jersey Shores where over 1000 Pakistani Americans have also been affected. These people need our urgent help as they are desperately in need of heaters and blankets. Following APPNA efforts are under way:
- APPNA is distributing 500 heaters free of charge to Hurricane victims in Brighton beach, New York
- Food trays with APPNA LABELS were sent to Jersey shores to serve 400 people.
- Jackets, socks, gloves and canned food were delivered through Toms River Mosque in New Jersey.
These are the initial efforts. APPNA plans to do much more for all Hurricane affected Americans in coming weeks. Please contribute generously for the storm victims. You can sponsor any of the following:
- Meals for $3 each
- Blankets for $20 each
- Heaters for $20 each
- Houses Clean up and Repair for $800 each
Relief Fund for survivors of Hurricane Sandy
To help those affected by Hurricane Sandy, please donate generously to a relief fund set up by APPNA. You do not have to be a member of APPNA to participate in this humanitarian effort. Any amount large or small is welcome. Please visit the APPNA web page for public donations.
Thank you
Sadaf Khan
President, AKUAANA
Message from Saud Anwar, AKU ’91, Chairperson for the Board of Directors of the USPAK Foundation
Dr. Saud Anwar, AKU ’91
There are many AKU Medical Alumni who now call United States our home. As we continue to become more integrated and be a part of the society, it is important to invest in ways to help secure the future of the next generation of community members.
It is no secret that there are ever increasing challenges in the world, as well as in the United States. In these times, it is important to identify ways help advance and empower the Pakistani-American youth. They need to have the skills to be the leaders of the future so that they are in an advantageous position to contribute to the society.
The current and future community members need to have the capacity to work within the public and private sectors, advocate for social justice, be civic participants, identify mechanisms of higher education, and expect equal opportunity and fair treatment. There is a need to cultivate and recognize the strength of our cultural heritage and also work towards community building and advance coalition with other communities.
A group of community members have recognized the ongoing needs and the importance of promoting the ambitions and aspiration of the Pakistani-American community. This acknowledgement resulted in the creation of USPAK Foundation to fulfill the above-mentioned goals.
USPAK Foundation is a 501(c)(3) entity, which is a civic and educational group who is also focused on engaging the Pakistani-American community along with other communities, to help in the integration of the youth to be effective future leaders. As a part of our activities, various youth programs and conferences have been held. We are proud to be one of the only organizations in the Country which has helped to take over 500 youth to observe and interact with members of the legislative and the administrative branches of the government. Over 500 of the youth have visited the White House and have been able to interact with the personnel and people within the White House.
We have setup multiple workshops to have the people learn about excellence and leadership with not only meeting legislators, members of congress and many US president’s administration officials and also various agency officials, but also meet successful entrepreneurs and young professionals who are leaders within their own field. Students have been taken to the Supreme Court as well to learn about our judicial government. Having the students learning skills for success including networking, media communication, public speaking, and leadership training and coalition building have been some of the programs and activities that we have been conducted.
Our generations of AKU graduates need to move towards making sure that the leadership skills that we have learned during our careers are further transferred and taught to our next generations. The challenges the next generation will face are quite different from the ones that we may have faced, it is important to create institutions, which would allow them to be better prepared with the sense of community and stronger network.
I am currently serving as the chairperson for the board of directors of the USPAK Foundation and I would urge members of our own AKU alumni who are in the United States, who have children in high school and colleges to use this entity to make sure that the next generation is able to achieve all possible opportunities and successes. This leadership in United States has to grow not from Washington, D.C. but the communities and that is the reason that we are hoping to create a network of rising leaders within the various parts of the country and also increase the number of charter members for the USPAK Foundation with state based chapters.
To learn more about the Foundation please visit: www.uspakfoundation.org
Or email the Executive Director of USPAK Foundation Mr. Irfan Malik at Ed@USPakFoundation.org
First artificial heart success in Pakistan
Dr. Babar Hasan
Babar Hassan, Class of ’99, returned to AKU last year and is a pediatric interventional cardiologist and intensivist from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
Mohammad Ahmed Baloch, the child to survive with an artificial heart. Photo Credit: Express
Read all about it at The Express Tribune.