Saeed, Author at Aga Khan University Alumni Association of North America

AKU Alumni Survey, 2016 – Medical College

March 11, 2016 By Saeed

Dear Alumni,

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to take the AKU Medical College Alumni Survey, 2016. Having completed your degree/diploma programme from the Medical College, Pakistan, you are in a unique position to provide useful feedback regarding your experiences. In addition, we look forward to gaining a better appreciation of individual pathways since graduation whether they lead to further academic pursuits or important career choices. Finally, your responses will be immensely helpful in understanding your connection with the alma mater since graduating and how this relationship could be strengthened further.

The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete. Please know that responses submitted will be kept confidential in accordance with the University’s Confidentiality of Student Records Policy. The only communication you may receive from the University would be on your stated preferences for participation as alumni going forward.

The survey can be accessed here (link removed after this survey was completed).

If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact Mr Abdul Haq Wahedna, Senior Manager, Alumni Affairs, at alumni@aku.edu .

The survey will be available for a limited time, therefore, we look forward to your early participation, and ask that you actively share the link with your alumni colleagues encouraging them to participate as well.

Best regards,

Louis R Ariano
Associate Vice-Provost & University Registrar
Aga Khan University
South-Central Asia, East Africa & UK
P.O. Box 3500 | Stadium Road | Karachi 74800 | Pakistan
Tel: +92 21 3486 4440 | Fax: +92 21 3494 4294
Mobile: +92 (0) 345 823 3405
Skype: louis.ariano

AKUAANA President’s Message to Alumni: January 2016

January 1, 2016 By Saeed

January 1^st, 2016

Thank you for nominating us as the leaders of your Alumni Association for the next two years. We would also like to thank our predecessors who have guided this association and made great strides in organizing AKUAANA.

There are roughly 2000 AKUMC graduates in North America and they represent the fastest growing segment of all medical graduates from Pakistan. Those of you who follow our website and our Facebook page already know how successful our graduates have been in their adopted homelands. We have some of the youngest professors, most successful academicians and brightest entrepreneurs in the country!

The last Executive Council of AKUAANA has made impressive progress; the membership has grown significantly, our tax-exempt status has been reinstated to 501(c)(7) status allowing our holdings to be tax-free, the Association’s constitution has been strengthened and a Board of Trustees has been elected. Over the next couple of years, the new Executive Council will continue working towards the goals set forth by our predecessors. We will continue working on improving our membership, work towards give a clear meaning for our Alumni body, and work towards getting more organized in the US. The new Executive Council have a bunch of new ideas to move our organization to the next level. We will be approaching our membership to share our ideas and also will seek new ideas.

To do so, we have to engage our alumni and give them a platform to bring forth their ideas and then a mechanism to give these ideas life. Clearly, none of these goals can be accomplished without active alumni involvement. This participation has to begin with becoming an AKUAANA member and then active participation in all the decisions that we have to make over the next 25 years. We start the membership drive this month, so please join us, encourage others and get excited about the possibilities!

We thank you again for this opportunity to serve the organization and hope that we can live up to your expectations. If you have any questions, comments or thoughts, please reach out to any member of the team.

AKUAANA Administration, 2016 - 17
Designation	Name	Class	Email Address
President	Habib Ahmed Chotani	1995
Secretary	Muhammad Rehan Raza Khan	1994
Treasurer	Amber Hameed Syed	1994
Web Manager	Abdul Basit Saeed	2007

Best wishes,

Habib Chotani, 1995
President, AKUAANA (2016-17)

Outgoing AKUAANA President’s Message to Alumni, December 2015

December 24, 2015 By Saeed

Dear alumni,

Happy Holidays everyone!

Your Alumni Association’s new Executive Council will be taking over on January 1, 2016. I wanted to personally thank all of you for all the support that my team and I have received over the last two years. It has been an honor to serve you all.

Our intent has always been to grow AKUAANA and provide value to our members. We have been met with many successes and some unfinished business. Our numbers have grown by 900% and the traffic to our Facebook page and website is now in the thousands. Abdul Basit Saeed (2007), our Web Manager, has been the rock around which the technical aspects of our web presence have been built and the organization will always be indebted to him.

We have been granted 501(c)(7) status and our taxes are up to date. I cannot thank Shazia Hussain (1990), our Treasurer, enough for getting these two critical issues taken care of. The 501(c)(7) status allows our holdings to be tax free and firms up our legal status.

The organization could not have flourished without the careful organization that Atif Shafqat (1993), our Secretary, has provided. We held regular meetings, kept careful notes and our agenda items stayed constant. He guided the rewriting process of the AKUAANA Constitution and Bylaws, as well as the Executive Council elections. He leaves a legacy that will help keep the guiding principles of AKUAANA strong.

We enter a new phase in the coming years. The need for increased involvement of the younger classes, continued membership drives and defining our mission are the critical components of success.

I wish President Elect Habib Chotani (1995) and his team the best of success, and thank you all again.

Best regards
Faisal G. Qureshi (1993)
AKUAANA President, 2014-2015

AKU Alumni Reunion, 2015

November 19, 2015 By Saeed

Dear AKU Alumni,

We are delighted to announce that the AKU Alumni Reunion, 2015 will be held on Wednesday, November 25, 2015, 7:00 pm at the AKU Auditorium, Stadium Road campus. Reserve your invitation today by completing a brief request form. Alumni are welcome to bring spouses provided their information is submitted online as part of the alumni registration.

Last date to request an invitation: Friday, November 20, 2015.

Please share this link with all of your AKU alumni friends, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Best regards,

Abdul Haq Wahedna
Alumni Affairs
Aga Khan University

AKU Convocation, 2015, Karachi – Process for requesting alumni invitations

October 31, 2015 By Saeed

Dear AKU Alumni,

It is a pleasure to share with you that AKU Convocation, 2015 will be held on Saturday, November 28, 2015, 10:00 am at the AKU Cricket Ground at the Stadium Road campus. The event will acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2015 from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Medical College, and Institute for Educational Development.

As is customary, a limited number of seats have been reserved for alumni at the event. In order to request an invitation we ask that you kindly complete the following information and email at alumni@aku.edu by Friday, November 13, 2015.

First name:
Last name:
Name at Enrollment (if different):
Degree/Diploma received (BScN, MBBS, M.Ed):
Year(s) of graduation (1983, 1988, 2011):
Mobile telephone number:
Email address:

Invitations through this process are for alumni only and do not include spouses or families. Finally, as space for the Convocation is limited, in case requests outnumber seats available, successful applicants will be determined by ballot, and will be informed by email.

All alumni are also invited to register for the Alumni Reunion on Wednesday, November 25, 2015 at the AKU Auditorium. Last date to register for the Reunion is Friday, November 20, 2015.

In case of any related queries, please feel free to stop by the Office of Alumni Affairs or write to us at alumni@aku.edu

Best regards,

Abdul Haq Wahedna
Alumni Affairs
Aga Khan University

Alumni Reunion, 2015: AKUAANA Grows

August 28, 2015 By Saeed

Dear Alumni,

Congratulations on a very successful AKUAANA Reunion in Orlando, Florida on Friday August 14^th, 2015. We hosted the largest gathering ever in Orlando, with 170 participants and graduates from every class from 1988-2006. The classes of 2005, 1995 and 1990 celebrated their class milestones and in true “Mighty Ninety” fashion, the most senior class stole the show.

The reunion was very well attended by University leaders including Dr. Farhat Abbas (Dean, AKU Medical College), Mr. Zahir Janmohamed (Director General, Resource Development) and Mr. Louis Ariano (Associate Vice Provost & University Registrar). In fact, Dean Abbas had just been chosen as a recipient of the Sitara-E-Imtiaz and received a standing ovation.

The General Body meeting was separated from the Reunion Dinner for the first time and took place on Friday afternoon (minutes available). This was done to allow for alumni-only discussions and crucial decision-making. Constitutional changes were approved after a vigorous discussion; elections results were announced and finally financial and membership details were examined (financial report available). We then spent an hour hosting a round table with Dean Abbas, Mr. Janmohamed and Mr. Ariano. The roundtable meeting allowed for an open discussion between University leaders and alumni.

We are now the 4^th largest component society at APPNA and the fastest growing in terms of numbers. The leaders of APPNA highlighted our continuing influence on the larger society when they visited with us during dinner. Our guest speaker Alex Kronemer, Founder and Executive Producer for Unity Productions Foundation spoke to us about tolerance and the importance of dialogue.

The AKUAANA Executive Council, 2015
L to R: Atif Shafqat (Secretary), Shazia Hussain (Treasurer), Faial Qureshi (President)

After a lively dinner, we sang and danced the night away with Atif Aslam. The classes of 2005, 1995 and 1990 hosted their private celebrations on Saturday the 15^th. The evening banquet was very well attended, where Umer Sharif and Ali Haider entertained us. Please visit our Facebook Page to view pictures from the reunion, tag yourselves and like the page as well.

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The next reunion will be held on August 12^th at the Gaylord Resort in Washington, DC. Our new Executive Council will be Amber Syed (1994) as Treasurer, Rehan Khan (1994) as Secretary and Habib Chotani (1995) as President. They will be hosting us in DC where the classes 1991, 1996 and 2006 will be celebrating their respective milestones.

We look forward to seeing you there, and remember to buy tickets and book hotel reservations as soon as they become available.

Thank you again!

Our best regards,

Faisal Qureshi, President
Atif Shafqat, Secretary
Shazia Hussain, Treasurer

Sitara-i-Imtiaz conferred on Dr. Farhat Abbas

August 16, 2015 By Saeed

Dr. Farhat Abbas, Dean, AKUMC
Photo credit: Aga Khan University

Dr Farhat Abbas, Dean, Medical College and The Hussein Cumber Professor, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, was conferred the Sitara-i-Imtiaz – the third highest civilian award by the Government of Pakistan – for his achievements in the field of medicine by President Mamnoon Hussain.

The announcement was made on Independence Day, August 14, and the award will be presented to Dr Abbas in an investiture ceremony on Pakistan Day in March 2016.

Dr Abbas has been awarded the G.B. Ong Gold Medal from Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1992-3, the International Guest Scholarship from American College of Surgeons in 2002, the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan in 2010, and elected a Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences in 2012.

“This is indeed a huge honour and privilege for my family and me. In essence, it is a joint recognition of my colleagues at the Aga Khan University, for what we do together, and of my family, for their superb support and encouragement,” said Dr Abbas.

Dr Abbas holds an MBBS and FCPS from Pakistan, and an FRCS from the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Glasgow. He is also a Fellow of the European Board of Urology and the American College of Surgeons.

Dr Abbas joined AKU in 1985 as a Resident in the Department of Surgery and is currently a Professor of Urology. He has served in several leadership positions in the University including that of Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education; Medical Director; Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs; Chief Operating Officer, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi; and Interim Dean, Medical College before taking up his current role as Dean, Medical College.

Source: Sitara-i-Imtiaz conferred on Dr Farhat Abbas

AKU Alumni Association of North America Annual Meeting, 2015

August 14, 2015 By Saeed

Dear Alumni,

The AKUAANA Annual Meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 PM (EST) in the Sun Ballroom at the Gaylords Palm Resort & Convention Center, Kissimmee, Florida. We hope that you arrive at the venue early to spend time with your old friends during the early ‘Meet and Greet’ hours. The formal meeting will start at 7:00 PM, when we will hear from the Executive Council and Dean, Farhat Abbas.

Zahir Janmohamed, Director General of Resource Development at AKU, will be briefly talking about Alumni Giving in view of the interest shown at the last annual meeting regarding class gifts/gift agreements/endowment funds etc. A comprehensive copy of the outline the University has set in this regard is also available, in case that is needed by the alumni.

At 10:00 PM, towards the end of the meeting, you will be able to sing and dance the night away with Atif Aslam. Remember, your Alumni Dinner ticket will get you into the concert.

Please find below the program for the AKUAANA Annual Meeting.

See you all tonight!

Faisal G. Qureshi
President
AKU Alumni Association of North America

AKUAANA General Body Meeting and Round Table Meeting, 2015

August 14, 2015 By Saeed

Dear Alumni,

The AKU Alumni Association of North America Annual Meeting will be held on August 14^th, 2015 at Gaylords Palm Resort & Convention Center, Kissimmee, Florida. Hopefully, by now you all have purchased your tickets and are probably settling into your hotel reservations.

Prior to the Annual Meeting, there will be a General Body Meeting between 2:00 and 2:30 PM in Sanibel Meeting Rooms #2 and 3, comprising of:

Treasurer’s Report
- Budget
- Balance Sheet
- Non-profit status and tax update
Secretary’s Report
- Elections
- Constitution changes
President’s Report
- State of membership
- Mission/Vision statement
- Open discussion

This will be followed by a Round Table Meeting with the AKU Leadership between 2:40 and 3:30 PM in Sanibel Meeting Rooms #2 and 3, which will cover:

Updates from AKU
Giving back to AKU
Academic/Research collaboration
Open discussion

All alumni are encouraged to contribute towards AKUAANA by attending and actively participating in these meetings.

Looking forward to meeting you all in Florida!

Faisal G. Qureshi
President
AKU Alumni Association of North America

Online Approval of Proposed Amendments to the AKUAANA Constitution and Bylaws, 2014

July 6, 2015 By Saeed

Dear alumni,

The ‘Executive Council’ and the ‘Constitution and Bylaws Committee, AKUAANA’ recommend that the General Body approve several proposed amendments to the AKUAANA Constitution and Bylaws, 2014.

The main objectives of the proposed changes are to:

form a Board of Trustees to oversee the Association
clarify the duties and separation of authority of Board of Trustees and the Executive Council
have an oversight mechanism for monitoring the assets and finances of the Association
have a mechanism to resolve any ethical issue or grievance addressed towards AKUAANA, its members or its officers
have a mechanism to address a vacancy for any officer of the Association

The document listing all proposed amendments is available for review by the members for at least 30 days, with voting being open to dues paying active members of the Association only. As per the current Constitution, at least thirty percent of the active membership must participate in the voting and two thirds of the votes must be in favor of the proposed amendments for them to be passed.

This is a perfect opportunity for AKU alumni who are not AKUAANA members to sign up and help determine the goals and direction of the Alumni Association. Alumni can join as AKUAANA members or renew their membership dues through the website and vote via our online survey on the AKUAANA website anytime prior to the Annual General Body Meeting which is being held on August 14th, 2015 at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center, Kissimmee, Florida. It is advised that you use a laptop or desktop to visit the website for signing up and casting your vote.

In case of any comments or questions related to the proposed amendments or the Constitution and Bylaws, please email them to .

Atif Shafqat, MD
Chair, Constitution and Bylaw Committee

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