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Aga Khan University Alumni Association of North America

Connecting AKU Alumni in North America


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Dr. Bakht Roshan nominated for ‘Public Health Champion Award’ by State of California’s Madera County

April 19, 2021 By Saeed

Dr. Bakht Roshan is a graduate of AKU Class of 2000 and an Infectious Disease specialist affiliated with Madera Commonity Hospital (MCH), Madera, California. In order to prepare for the COVID-19 surge, MCH formed a committee which was led by Dr. Roshan. This committee remained instrumental against challenges of COVID-19. Dr. Roshan also spearheaded the efforts to secure, promote, and prescribe monoclonal antibody treatment to COVID-19 patients. In recognition of Dr. Roshan’s exemplary leadership for combating the COVID-19 pandemic, Madera Department of Public Health has selected Dr. Roshan for the esteemed “Public Health Champion Award”.

Addressing the Board of Supervisors of Madera County, Dr. Roshan acknowledged the support from his family, the administration of MCH, Madera Department of Public Health, and his fellow physicians serving on the MCH COVID-19 committee.

Dr. Roshan and other AKU alumni continue to make us all proud of their wonderful achievements.

Regards,

Faisal H. Cheema
President | AKUAANA

On behalf of AKUAANA EC [President: Faisal Cheema | Secretary: Abdul Waheed | Treasurer: Tauseef ur Rehman | Immediate Past President: Namirah Jamshed | Ex-Officio Member: Abdul Basit Saeed]

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Posted on April 19, 2021 at 9:28 pm

Dr. Tahseen Mozaffar wins prestigious NIH grant

April 11, 2021 By Saeed

Tahseen Mozaffar

Dear AKUAANA Family:

One of our own has made us immensely proud yet again.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has awarded a 5-year, $4.2 million grant to study sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM), which affects aging adults causing asymmetric muscle weakness and severe disability, to Tahseen Mozaffar, MD, an alumnus from the AKU Class of 1989. Dr Mozaffar is a lifetime member and past president of AKUAANA, and currently a professor of neurology, orthopaedic surgery, and pathology and laboratory medicine, and director of the Division of Neuromuscular Disorders and the UCI-MDA ALS and Neuromuscular Center at University of California Irvine’s School of Medicine. Dr. Mozaffar was on faculty at AKU from 1997-2000, and has been on faculty at UC Irvine since 2000.

sIBM is currently untreatable and poorly understood and this research project aims to provide a detailed characterization of sIBM disease progression over a two-year period and explore biomarkers associated with the disease, along with their influence on disease behavior and progression. This study will be the largest of its kind, enrolling 150 subjects, with a planned two-year follow up, the longest duration to date. This funding will enable to conduct the observational study needed to study the disease phenotype, explore factors that influence disease progression and behavior, and ultimately direct future clinical trials designed to uncover potential treatments. Dr. Mozaffar is one of the international leaders in translational and clinical research in rare and ultrarare neuromuscular disorders, and advises the NIH, non-profit disease foundations, and many pharmaceutical companies on translational research in these diseases.

Please join AKUAANA in congratulating Dr. Tahseen Mozaffar on this amazing feat.

Regards,

Faisal H. Cheema
President | AKUAANA

On behalf of AKUAANA EC [President: Faisal Cheema | Secretary: Abdul Waheed | Treasurer: Tauseef ur Rehman | Immediate Past President: Namirah Jamshed | Ex-Officio Member: Abdul Basit Saeed]

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Posted on April 11, 2021 at 10:30 am

Dr. Nushmia Zia Khokhar appointed to Umoja Biopharma as Chief Medical Officer

April 10, 2021 By Saeed

Dr. Nushmia Zia Khokhar, from the Class of 1997, has been appointed Chief Medical Officer of Umoja Biopharma, a biotechnology company based in Seattle, WA.

Dr. Khokhar is an accomplished oncologist who has spent a significant portion of her career overseeing the transition of novel cancer therapeutics from discovery to clinical development. Prior to joining Umoja, Dr. Khokhar was the Senior Vice President, Head of Clinical Development at Autolus therapeutics where she played a critical role in advancing the company’s autologous T-cell products and clinical programs. She also held numerous roles at Janssen Oncology, leading several successful clinical trials, directing the Phase 3 registration trial of Yondelis in soft tissue sarcomas, and serving as the Global Clinical Leader for the breakthrough therapy daratumumab (Darzalex) for hematologic cancers. Dr. Khokhar completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with a focus on pharmacology and molecular therapeutics. She did her residency in Internal Medicine at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. prior to completing a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.

Umoja Biopharma is advancing a new approach to immunotherapy by retooling a patient’s immune system powered by an integrated in vivo cellular immunotherapy platform. Dr. Khokar aspires to harness a powerful immune response in the body to directly, safely, and controllably address cancer.

AKUAANA would like to extend our congratulations to Dr. Nushmia Zia Khokhar and wish her continued success.

Regards,

Faisal H. Cheema
President | AKUAANA

On behalf of AKUAANA EC [President: Faisal Cheema | Secretary: Abdul Waheed | Treasurer: Tauseef ur Rehman | Immediate Past President: Namirah Jamshed | Ex-Officio Member: Abdul Basit Saeed]

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Posted on April 10, 2021 at 1:57 pm

AKU Alumnus Dr. Adeel Butt appointed to the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Health, Pakistan

April 4, 2021 By Saeed

Dear Alumni:

It is with great pleasure that we share with you the news of the appointment of Dr. Adeel Butt, Class of 1990, to the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Health in Pakistan. The Board of Governors is entrusted with the authority to oversee the governance, operations and mission of one of the most prestigious institutions in Pakistan. The members of the Board of Governors are appointed through a cabinet decision approved by the Prime Minister through the framework laid out in the Presidential Ordinance No. XVIII of 2020 to re-organize the National Institute of Health. Dr. Butt is joined by two other esteemed AKU Faculty members, Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta and Dr. Asim Beg on the NIH Board.

This appointment affirms the commitment of the Government of Pakistan towards improvement of public health and research in the country. It also highlights the key role AKUMC Alumni and Faculty are playing in shaping the future of healthcare in Pakistan through their dedicated volunteer work.

Dr. Adeel Butt is a life member of AKUAANA and APPNA and has been a pioneer of numerous programs and initiatives in APPNA. He was the main force behind The Aga Khan University Medical College Alumni Association of North America joining APPNA and served as AKUAANA’s inaugural president on the APPNA Executive Council. Over the last 23 years, Dr. Butt has chaired numerous APPNA Committees including the Communications Committee as its inaugural chair, Membership Committee and the Research, Education and Scientific Affairs (RESA) Committee. In fact, he has chaired the RESA Committee for a record 7 years and is also serving as its current chair.

Dr. Adeel Butt is listed among the world’s top 2% most influential scientists in the prestigious peer-reviewed “Stanford List”. He is also a Fulbright Scholar, Yale-Johnson and Johnson Scholar in International Health, a National Talent Pool Scholar, IDSA Training Faculty Scholar, and the recipient of the US National Institutes of Health Career Development Award, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) Excellence in Research Award, HMC Qatar Excellence in Health Services Research Award, Pakistan Society of Hepatology’s Distinguished Academician Award and multiple other national and international awards. Prof. Butt has lectured extensively around the world as a visiting professor and has published over 195 peer reviewed papers with more than 15 papers on COVID-19 and its impact.

We wish the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Health and Dr. Butt success and assure AKUAANA’s support to all activities and programs that will improve the health of the Nation.

Regards,

Faisal H. Cheema
President | AKUAANA

On behalf of AKUAANA EC [President: Faisal Cheema | Secretary: Abdul Waheed | Treasurer: Tauseef ur Rehman | Immediate Past President: Namirah Jamshed | Ex-Officio Member: Abdul Basit Saeed]

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Posted on April 4, 2021 at 6:36 am

AKU Alumnus Dr. Khaver Kirmani joins Methodist Children’s Hospital and Women’s Services as Chief Medical Officer

April 2, 2021 By Saeed

Dr Khaver Kirmani, from the Class of 1993, has been appointed as Chief Medical Officer for Methodist Children’s Hospital and Women’s Services, San Antonio, TX.

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.

Dr. Kirmani is now transitioning to Executive Physician Leadership to affect healthcare quality, patient safety and process improvement more broadly, rather than one patient at a time. He has experience with various leadership roles and nonprofit organizations and has worked alongside national organizations and the state legislators to improve regulations and bills affecting the care of pregnant women and newborns.

Congratulations to Dr Kirmani, and we wish you the very best with your new role!

Regards,

Faisal H. Cheema
President | AKUAANA

On behalf of AKUAANA EC [President: Faisal Cheema | Secretary: Abdul Waheed | Treasurer: Tauseef ur Rehman | Immediate Past President: Namirah Jamshed | Ex-Officio Member: Abdul Basit Saeed]

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Posted on April 2, 2021 at 9:10 am

AKUAANA announces Ad Hoc Committee on Advocacy – Commitment to Raising Awareness & Supporting AKU Alumni

March 17, 2021 By Saeed

Dear Alumni:

By now, you may have heard the unfortunate news about Dr. Azam Ali, an alumnus of AKU Class of 1988 and one of the top ophthalmologists in Pakistan who became a target of belligerent violence (Video Links one and two).

Joining hands with APPNA, a joint statement was issued by AKUAANA in this regard to raise the voice and condemn such violence against healthcare professionals. We are grateful to APPNA’s President, an alumnus of AKU Class of 1999, Dr. Rizwan Khalid, for his prompt action. Several other letters and communications are underway in this regard.

Since addressing such matters requires coordination of efforts, thus to achieve optimum results in an efficient manner, the AKUAANA Executive Council (EC) has decided to set up an Ad Hoc Committee on Advocacy, which will remain dedicated to matters of social justice that are close to the heart of membership of AKUAANA. This ad hoc committee will present its report during the AKUAANA Annual Meeting (July 2021) and thereafter with mutual consultation, its status may be changed from an ad hoc committee to a permanent standing committee within AKUAANA, with the composition of its members changing from time to time. Dr. Syed H. Jafri has kindly agreed to Chair this ad hoc committee while Dr. Syed Bakhtiyar will serve as Co-Chair.

On behalf of AKUAANA EC, I am announcing the AKUAANA Ad Hoc Committee on Advocacy as follows:

AKUAANA Ad Hoc Committee on Advocacy, 2021
Members
NameClass
Syed H. Jafri2001Chair
Syed Shahyan Bakhtiyar2016Co-Chair
Sohail Noor1992
Lara Zuberi2000
Sumbul Ali2005
Volunteers
Farwa Ayub2016
Romesa Ibrahim2016
Abdul Basit Saeed2007

The AKUAANA EC will not only be a part of this ad hoc committee but shall remain committed to offering all the support this Committee may need in raising the voice and fulfilling all other goals it sets surrounding any issue involving our alumni.

If you have a passion for social justice and would like to volunteer your valuable time to such causes, please reach out to the Chair of Ad Hoc Committee on Advocacy, Dr. Jafri, at shrjafri@hotmail.com.

Regards,

Faisal H. Cheema
President | AKUAANA

On behalf of AKUAANA EC [President: Faisal Cheema | Secretary: Abdul Waheed | Treasurer: Tauseef ur Rehman | Immediate Past President: Namirah Jamshed | Ex-Officio Member: Abdul Basit Saeed]

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Posted on March 17, 2021 at 7:08 pm

Joint statement by AKUAANA and APPNA regarding recent violence against healthcare professionals in Pakistan

March 14, 2021 By Saeed

APPNA and AKUAANA strongly condemn the recent violence perpetrated against Dr Shahnila and Dr. Azam Ali at Liaquat National Hospital.

Dr. Azam Ali is a well-respected Ophthalmologist in Karachi. A graduate of AKU, he has trained and taught scores of medical students, residents and fellows. This heinous and abominable act against such highly respected physicians cannot simply be ignored. We demand an immediate investigation into the incident and that those involved be immediately held accountable. We also request the Provincial and Federal Governments to ensure a safe working environment for healthcare professionals across Sindh and Pakistan.

Given a long history of targeted violence against healthcare professionals in Pakistan, we strongly demand that concrete steps be taken towards upholding the rights of physicians, and providing the security required to practice medicine with diligence and expertise, and without fear of harassment and threat to life.

Faisal Cheema, MD
President, AKUAANA

Rizwan Khalid, MD
President, APPNA

Joint statement by APPNA and AKUAANA against violence

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Posted on March 14, 2021 at 11:37 am

AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship Recipients announced for 2020-21

January 17, 2021 By Saeed

Dear All:

Since its inception AKUAANA-JRM Scholarships have had a wonderful impact on several AKUMC students in achieving their goals to pursue their electives in underserved areas within Pakistan and also at competitive institutions in USA.

Anticipating travel challenges due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, AKUAANA and JRM Foundation leadership adopted a new ad hoc strategy for this year and instead of selecting only 2 students to travel, they decided to recognize 5 recipients so that the AKUAANA-JRM award can help them defray their costs for future post-graduate training.

It is my immense pleasure to announce the AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship recipients for the year 2020-21:

  1. Asma Altaf Hussain, ’21
  2. Hamza Bangash, ’21
  3. Hussain Raza, ’21
  4. Muhammad Musaab Munir, ’21
  5. Russell Seth Martins, ’21

All recipients will be awarded U.S. $1,000/-, each.

I would like to extend my gratitude to JRM Foundation leadership (Drs. Fahim Rahim ’97, Naeem Rahim ’98, Haderline, Willmore, Mrs. Beenish Mannan, Mrs. Amna Rahim and Mr. Sanders) for their generous donation as well as AKUAANA’s JRM Committee members Dr. Faiz Bhora ’92, Dr. Namirah Jamshed ’96, Dr. Fahim Rahim ’97 & Dr. Naeem Rahim ’98 led by Dr. Ammar Asrar Javed ’13 for all of their efforts in this regard.

Once again, congratulations to all recipients of AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship. Continue to work hard and keep making your AKU family proud of your achievements.

Best wishes,

Faisal H. Cheema, MD | President, AKUAANA
Twitter: @DocCheema

On behalf of AKUAANA Executive Council:

Faisal H. Cheema, President | Abdul Waheed, Secretary | Tauseef Ur Rehman, Treasurer | Namirah Jamshed, Immediate Past President

Follow Us on Twitter: @AKUAANA


AKUAANA – JRM Scholarship Recipients: 2020-2021


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.

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Posted on January 17, 2021 at 1:56 pm

AKU Alumni Association of North America Annual Meeting, 2020

December 6, 2020 By Saeed

Dear Alumni, the AKUAANA Annual Meeting for 2020 is scheduled for 11:30 AM EST on December 12, 2020.

The Business Meeting will include President, Secretary and Treasurer’s reports and will be followed by a brief Q/A session.

Thereafter, attendees will get an opportunity to hear from Guest Speakers and shall have plenty of time to virtually hang out with friends, colleagues as well as the leadership of both AKU & AKUAANA.

Alumni interested in attending the Meeting can register here.

Please consider signing up for AKUAANA membership if you aren’t a member already.

AKUAANA Executive Council
President: Faisal Cheema | Secretary: Abdul Waheed | Treasurer: Tauseef ur Rehman | Immediate Past President: Namirah Jamshed

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Posted on December 6, 2020 at 5:14 pm

AKU Alumna Dr Namirah Jamshed (1996) awarded Program Development Award for developing Care of the Vulnerable Elderly (COVE) program

November 19, 2020 By Saeed

Dr Namirah Jamshed ’96, Associate Professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Family and Community Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center has been awarded the Program Development Award for establishing and developing the Care of the Vulnerable Elderly (COVE) program. The award celebrates the innovation and collaboration that are foundational to the success of UT Southwestern Medical Center. It recognizes a group of clinical faculty and staff who have worked together as a team to create, develop, and sustain an innovative program that significantly advances the ability to improve the care provided to patients.

UT Southwestern’s COVE program (Care of the Vulnerable Elderly) was established in 2015 to serve patients ages 65 and older, and provide primary care for patients both at home and in assisted living facilities. These patients are referred by a UTSW clinic because they have difficulty performing daily activities or are challenged to come to their providers’ offices for medical appointments. COVE-provided care also helps alleviate some caregiver burdens.

Started with just 70 patients, the program today delivers care to nearly 350 seniors who live within 10 miles of UT Southwestern’s campus. Care is provided by an interdisciplinary team that includes geriatric-trained physicians, nurse practitioners, a registered nurse, a licensed social worker, and a clinical coordinator.

Proof of the program’s effectiveness is shown in the numbers: a reduction in Emergency Department visits, hospitalizations, and outpatient visits. One analysis indicated that compared to similar patients who did not receive home visits, UT Southwestern COVE patients had 12 percent fewer emergency room visits, nearly 35 percent fewer hospitalizations, almost 17 percent fewer readmissions, and 29 percent fewer specialist visits.

Because of its impressive success, UTSW’s COVE program has been invited to help develop national benchmarks for elder care, one of only nine programs tapped to participate in the effort by the Learning Collaborative for Home-Based Medical Care.

In Dr Namirah’s words, “The COVE team is humbled and honored to receive this award. We aim to provide high-quality patient care to the most vulnerable of our patient population. This requires not only an interdisciplinary approach but also significant collaboration with our specialists and patient caregivers. The program’s success is a reflection of hard work among the team and support from leadership. Central to this success are our patients and caregivers, who trust us with their care and allow us into their homes. The COVE team will continue to work above and beyond to provide the highest-quality care to our patients, as a reflection of the care provided throughout UT Southwestern.”

Source and photo credit: Program Development Award, CenterTimes

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Posted on November 19, 2020 at 10:06 am

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