Dear AKUAANA Members,
As the Executive Council of AKUAANA, we are requesting the approval of the revised Constitution and Bylaws of AKUAANA reflecting the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Aga Khan University signed on February 4th, 2023.
The Executive Council has unanimously approved these revised Constitution and Bylaws of AKUAANA. The revisions were deliberated upon and incorporated with unanimous recommendations from the Constitution and Bylaws (CABL) committee, chaired by Dr Atif Shafqat ’93 and Board of Advisors (BOA), chaired by Dr. Faisal Qureshi ’93. The Executive Council sincerely appreciates their active participation and is also very thankful to Dr Shafqat’s and Dr Qureshi’s input along with that of all other members of the CABL and BOA for their advice and expert input during this process.
Primarily the main objectives of the proposed revisions are to:
- create an alumni association that partners with our Alma Mater, The Aga Khan University to help promote the collaborative vision, mission and objectives in North America
- AKU will provide operational and administrative assistance to AKUAANA
- AKU alumni who reside in North America will automatically become members of AKUAANA
- AKUAANA will create autonomous regional chapters under the umbrella of AKUAANA
- AKUAANA will become a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and will also continue to work with the Aga Khan Foundation USA to promote the welfare of the alumni
Please review the revised CABL and we aim to get your vote for approval on July 5th, 2024, at the Alumni Annual Meeting. It will also be shared via Facebook and on email. Your participation is essential in building our Alumni Association.
Regards,
Executive Council, AKUAANA
Faisal Wasi, President | president@akuaana.org
Hina Hussain, Secretary | secretary@akuaana.org
Aqueel Hussain Pabaney, Treasurer | treasurer@akuaana.org
Abdul Waheed, Immediate Past President
Dear Alumni:
He joins from Arizona, where he served as a practicing Neonatologist for more than 25 years and as the Chief of Pediatrics at Banner Children’s at Desert for the last four years. He engaged in targeted quality and process improvement projects, as well as patient safety improvement processes. He led his teams to improve inpatient length of stay and decrease ventilator date in Pediatric ICU. Additionally, he guided and implemented a physician ordered-respiratory care therapist driven inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) protocol in the NICU which resulted in a 78% decreased utilization of iNO. During this time, he also completed his MBA and Masters in Leadership.
Asma Altaf Hussain Merchant is a 4th year Medical Student who is passionate to pursue a career in surgery, specifically Cardiothoracic Surgery. Her interest lies in improving the quality of patient care and has co-founded “Multilingual Health”, an application focused on reducing the language barriers faced in healthcare. She is currently the Vice President of the Student Research Forum and the Society of Cardiac Sciences Collaboration, as well as the Director of Event Administration at the Surgery Interest Group. Her academic interests include surgical outcomes research and quality improvement.
Hamza Bangash is a Year IV MBBS Student who aims to pursue Internal Medicine and Healthcare Administration. Hamza has served as CEO of Quadragon, a student run NGO working to alleviate poverty in Pakistan, and currently serves as Treasurer at Falah, a student led non-profit organization operating within AKU.
Hussain Raza is currently a fourth-year Medical Student at The Aga Khan University who has a strong desire for pursuing medicine and academia. He is an active member of multiple student societies and holds leadership positions in Falah and Cardiac Sciences Collaboration. He is a passionate researcher who is still discovering his career interests, with cardiology being the specialty he is currently inclined towards. Hussain strongly believes in patient empathy and his goal is to become an academic physician who can make a difference in the field of medicine.
Muhammad Musaab Munir is a 4th Year Medical Student who is passionate about pursuing a career in General Surgery. He is interested in global surgery, surgical outcomes, disparities and inequities research. He is an avid reader who likes to read fiction, indulges in basketball, and enjoys travelling and exploring new cuisines.
Russell Seth Martins is a 4th Year Medical Student at The Aga Khan University with aspirations of a career in Surgery, Medical Education, and Public Health. He is an avid researcher, with interests in disparities in medical education and healthcare, and environmentalism in medicine. He currently serves as Director of the Research & Development Wing of the Society for Promoting Innovation in Education at the Aga Khan University.