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Live Webcast: AKU Convocation 2013, 10:30 am (PST) on Thursday, December 19, 2013

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Dear Alumni, We are pleased to share with you that live video coverage of this year’s AKU Convocation 2013 in Karachi is available as a webcast!

This year’s Convocation will be presided over by the Chancellor, His Highness The Aga Khan. As is tradition, the ceremony will celebrate and honour the fine work of the graduating class by conferring upon them their respective degrees and diplomas. Here is your chance to join in online!

The Broadcast will begin on Thursday, December 19, 2013, 10:30 am (PST) and will be accessible at our web page for the AKU Convocation, 2013.

Please note that the quality of the webcast will be dependent on your internet bandwidth, service provider and location. Also, the University does not have control over any changes effected by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and how that may impact the broadcast. We look forward to having you join the ceremony online!

Best regards,

Abdul Haq Wahedna
Alumni Affairs
Aga Khan University

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AKUAANA President’s Message to Alumni, December 2013

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I hope you are all well and preparing for some down time over the Holiday season.

As we approach the end of the year, I would like to update you about what has been happening at AKUAANA. Over the last six months, your newly elected Executive Council has been hard at work enhancing our web presence and updating our databases. This has included additions and modifications to increase efficiency for users and administrators. As you know, maintaining an accurate database is a huge challenge, especially when it involves alumni early in their careers, when relocations are commonplace. We look to you to assist in this effort by ensuring that we have the most accurate contact information for you.

Early preparations for the Annual Reunion, 2014 to be held in mid-August in Washington DC have been initiated. The Class of 1989 will celebrate its 25th anniversary, Class of 1994 its 20th, and the Class of 2004 will mark its 10th year since graduating. The various classes have started to connect and plan. We look forward to celebrating with them!

The Aga Khan University is gearing up for a celebration to mark the 30th year for the University Charter, the 30th year of the School of Nursing, the 25th year of the Medical College and the 20th year for the Institute of Educational Development. Through the years, each of these institutions has raised the bar for their respective professions and I hope will continue to be trailblazers in the region. The festivities will take up most of December and will include at least two convocations and several reunions.

I would like to thank my Executive Council, Secretary Amna Iftikhar (’92), Treasurer Syed Jawad Sher (’97), and Web Design Project Lead Atif Jalees Khan (’99), for their hard work during the last two years. I would like to thank all of you for your support and applaud you for engaging with your alumni association. As is a constant refrain when I have the soapbox, it is your engagement that will allow this organization to fulfill its potential. And how can any organization that has the collective brains, charisma, charm and grit that is the AKU alumni not be a force to contend with!

It is my great pleasure to welcome the new Executive Council, President-elect Faisal Qureshi (’93), Secretary Atif Shafqat (’93), Treasurer Shazia Hussain (’90), and Web Director Abdul Basit Saeed (’07), as they take over the reins on January 1, 2014. They have already been hard at work and, I am sure, will continue to advance AKUAANA over their term.

On behalf of the outgoing Executive Council, please accept my gratitude for allowing us to represent your organization. Working with you has been an honor and a pleasure.

Engage, participate, own.

Sincerely,
Sadaf Khan, ’92

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AKU Convocation 2013, Karachi: Process for Alumni Invitations

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Dear AKU Alumni,

I am pleased to inform you that the AKU Convocation 2013 is being organised on Thursday, December 19, 2013 10:30 am at the Cricket field at the Stadium Road campus. This year, the Chancellor of the University is expected to preside over the Convocation at which accomplishments of the Class of 2013 from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Medical College, and Institute for Educational Development will be acknowledged and celebrated.

This year’s Convocation in Karachi has special significance as, in addition to awarding of degrees, the following important milestones will also be commemorated:

– 30th anniversary of the granting of the University’s Charter
– 30th anniversary of the first graduating class of the School of Nursing and Midwifery
– 25th anniversary of the first graduating class of the Medical College
– 20th anniversary of the inauguration of the Institute for Educational Development

As is customary, a limited number of seats have been reserved for alumni at the Convocation. In order to request an invitation we ask that you kindly complete the following information and email us at alumni@aku.edu latest by Friday, December 6, 2013. Due to stringent security measures in place, we will not be able to process requests beyond this date.

*First name:
*Last name:
Name at Enrollment (if different from above):
Degree(s)/Diploma received at AKU:
Year(s) of graduation:
Present Location (City/ Country):
Mobile telephone number:
Email address:
CNIC (Pakistani citizens) or Passport number (for overseas based alumni):

*As appears on CNIC or Passport

Please note that invitations through this process are for alumni only and do not include spouses or families. Also, as space for the Convocation is limited, in case requests outnumber seats available, balloting will be held to determine invitees, who will be informed by email.

I am also delighted to share with you that an Alumni Reunion is also being planned for Friday, December 20, 2013, details for which will be shared shortly.

Meanwhile, we request you to kindly pass along information regarding the Convocation to all your alumni friends and colleagues with whom you might be in touch.

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 3493 4294
Mobile (Pakistan): +92 (0) 345 823 3405
Mobile (East Africa): +254 (0) 738 801 589
Skype: louis.ariano

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Saud Anwar, AKU Alumnus ’91, elected as Mayor of South Windsor, Connecticut

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Dr. Saud Anwar

Congratulations to Saud Anwar, an AKU graduate (’91) who has been recently elected as Mayor of South Windsor in Connecticut.

Another AKU graduate blazing a trail…

Anwar is a native of Pakistan, who came to Connecticut via Illinois to study medicine at Yale. He sat down with Where We Live to talk about his faith, his vision for the town, and how he plans to juggle his busy schedule.

His interview can be read, along with an audio recording, here.

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Typhoon Haiyan: Message from UNICEF

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Dear friends,

As a member of the Southeast Regional Board of Directors for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, I am reaching out to you to make you aware about UNICEF’s response to the emergency in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

Although this emergency is still only hours old, what we know already is that the death toll is horrific, and the overall impacted number equally so. You probably have been seeing photos and reading in the news, and the situation is indeed dire. The relief effort will need to be massive, and major financial assistance will be needed to help. Here is what we know so far:

  • It is believed the typhoon has impacted some 4 million children living in the area. As you know, children and babies are the most vulnerable after a disaster – not only do they suffer all of what adults suffer, but they are often separated from family and lack the maturity to seek help and care for themselves.
  • UNICEF has been in the country since the 1940s and is well positioned to serve. We already have access, personnel, partners on the ground, as well as the long history of experience in responding to crises.
  • UNICEF’s first priorities are focused on life-saving interventions – getting essential medicines, nutrition supplies, safe water and hygiene supplies to children and families. This is not the first natural disaster to strike the Philippines recently, following the earthquake in Bohol three weeks ago, so we know how vital it is to reach children quickly.
  • As I write this, UNICEF’s supply division in Copenhagen is loading some 60 metric tons of emergency supplies, including health, medical and shelter equipment, on to trucks bound for the Copenhagen airport for an emergency airlift. The Supply Division is also airlifting water purification and storage equipment and sanitation supplies directly from suppliers in Europe and Asia to Manila. Additional staff are also arriving from around the world.

Please visit our website on the crisis to learn more. If you are interested in supporting UNICEF’s emergency relief work for the children of the Philippines, please go to our Donate Now page.

Thank you so much,

Sincerely,
Yaseen Abubaker

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Message from the President, AKU: Kenya attack

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October 7, 2013

Aga Khan University Alumni

Dear Alumni,

Last week Kenya was enveloped in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attack that left more than 70 people dead, several hundred injured and many others missing. You may be interested to learn that the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi played a significant role in helping the victims of this calamity.

Following the attack, there was a massive influx of patients, families, well-wishers and VIPs to the Aga Khan University Hospital. Our staff and volunteers responded with competence, compassion and commitment to the crisis by treating almost half of the total casualties from the incident.

In such situations, in the midst of horror and loss, hope and generosity are the only things we can offer. The area near the University Hospital’s Heart and Cancer Centre was set up as a Blood Donation Unit, with the assistance of the Kenyan Red Cross. We received almost 1,000 registered donors in two days giving us an adequate supply to treat the injured. This display of magnanimity and care for one another was heartwarming and a strong counterweight to the senseless killings.

The political, social and religious leaders who visited the University Hospital were complimentary about the quality of care we provided because of the competence of our professionals, the latest equipment and our high standards due to the recent international accreditation we received from the Joint Commission in the USA.

I am pleased to inform you that there were no staff members from AKU who were injured in the disaster, for which we are very grateful. We are also deeply appreciative of our many volunteers, friends and alumni who provided their support or kept us in their prayers.

We are proud that our University was able to be a key part of the recovery process from this horrendous incident.

With my best regards,

Firoz Rasul
President

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Asia Chapter of the Medical College Alumni Association: Introduction Letter

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Dear Fellow Alumni,

Greetings from the newly elected office-bearers of the Asia Chapter of the Medical College Alumni Association.

As you know, this election represents the first occasion when AKU’s medical college alumni based in the Pakistan, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific regions have organized themselves into a chosen set of representatives. For this, we are grateful to Sadaf Khan (MBBS ’92), who in her capacity as President of the North American Chapter prodded the Asia-based alumni into action. A steering committee chaired by Hasnain Zafar (MBBS ’91, PGME ‘97) and including Anita Zaidi (MBBS ’88), Asim Belgaumi (MBBS ’89), Adina Sajjad (MBBS ’96), and Sana Nasim (MBBS ‘04, PGME ‘12) oversaw the elections, in partnership with Abdul Haq Wahedna from the university’s Alumni Affairs office.

With the completion of this election, we are embarking on what we hope will be a ground-breaking journey. While being mindful of the challenges ahead, we are also excited by the possibilities created by this novel opportunity to serve the alumni body and to contribute towards the strengthening of our beloved alma mater.

Our vision is to forge a productive and mutually fruitful relationship between AKU and its alumni. We intend to work towards that vision by focusing on three key areas: (a) developing an innovative and interesting platform for alumni-institution interaction and for interaction among alumni; (b) improving the alumni database and establishing robust channels of communication among alumni as well as between the alumni and the institution; and (c) reviewing the existing governance and bylaws to formulate an effective and coherent organizational structure, in partnership with the North American chapter as well as with alumni of other AKU entities.

We will keep you informed about our progress through regular updates. Very soon, you will also be hearing about the alumni activities we are planning, in which we will look forward to your wholehearted participation. For now, please mark your calendars for the evening of Thursday, December 5th in Karachi – more on that shortly!

The steering committee had the foresight to ensure that the Asia Chapter includes representation from each set of medical college programs, including MBBS, PGME, and Master’s programs. We invite alumni from any of these programs to contact us with ideas and suggestions. You can send an email to mcalumni.asia@aku.edu (this is the official chapter account and will be monitored daily). We have also set up a Facebook page.

We may be a fledgling outfit, but we are keen to get moving and we are committed to serve. We are grateful for your trust and confidence, and we look forward to your support.

Saad Shafqat (MBBS ’88) President
Saniya Sabzwari (MBBS ’92) Vice President, Undergraduate
Tayyaba Ansari (PGME ’11) Vice President, PGME
Fyezah Jehan (PGME ’11, Master’s ‘11) Vice President, Master’s
Asad Ali (MBBS ’01) Treasurer
Amyn Malik (MBBS ’10) Secretary

Karachi: September 24, 2013

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APPNA National Health Care Day, 2013

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The fourth Annual National Health Care Day (NHCD) will be held on Saturday November 23rd, 2013, the weekend before Thanksgiving. This year we hope to extend the scope to include community centers, churches, soup kitchens etc. in addition to our clinics, hospitals and mosques where we have traditionally held the NHCD previously. Some of the APPNA Chapters traditionally have actively participated in soup kitchens and in bringing a smile to the faces of needy during the Holiday Season. This will provide members of APPNA an opportunity to become a partner with our larger communities this holiday season, and to form the essential partnership with the communities we work and live in.

We have updated the APPNA website with historic information about the National Health Care Initiative, and are highlighting all the Free Clinics that APPNA Chapters run on regular basis. Additionally a large number of APPNA members volunteer at free clinics, and, community health events, in their local community centers, mosques, hospitals etc. Their efforts largely go unrecognized by the community and APPNA itself. We have created a section on APPNA website where the efforts of these individuals and the centers where they volunteer are recognized. Kindly send us reports of your centers with photographs to include in the National Health Care Initiative (NHCI) section of the APPNA website.

The NHCI would not have been possible without the tremendous support of APPNA members and hundreds of volunteers across the country. We salute your sense of service and giving, and, look forward to another very successful year of providing free healthcare and health education to our communities.

M. Nasar Qureshi, MD
Chairperson

Azam Kundi, MD
Co-Chair

Sajjad Savul, MD
Co-Chair

Javed Suleman, MD
President APPNA 2013

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Office Bearers: AKU Medical College Alumni Association – Pakistan | Middle-East | Asia-Pacific Chapter

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Dear Medical College Alumni,

I am delighted to share with you that the elections process for the newly formed AKU Medical College Alumni Association, Pakistan, Middle-East, Asia-Pacific Chapter was successfully concluded as per schedule on August 30, 2013. The elections itself included a physical voting process as well as an online balloting component which enabled alumni based outside Karachi to participate. With both phases completed, I am happy to share with you names of the chapter Executive Committee:

Dr Saad Shafqat, MBBS ’88 – President
Dr Saniya Sabzwari, MBBS ’92 – Vice-President – Under-Graduate programme
Dr Fyezah Jehan, PGME ’11, Master’s ‘11 – Vice-President – Graduate programmes
Dr Tayyaba Ansari, PGME ’11 – Vice-President – Post-Graduate programmes
Dr Amyn Malik, MBBS ’10 – Secretary
Dr Syed Asad Ali, MBBS ’01 – Treasurer

Foremost, I would like to thank all the candidates, nominees, as well as alumni voters for their participation, which truly reflects their ownership of the alumni chapter.

I further take this opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the work of the Steering Committee, where my fellow members, including Drs Anita Zaidi (Secretary), Asim Belgaumi, Adina Sajjad, and Sana Nasim, worked diligently and tirelessly to develop, publicise and execute a comprehensive elections process over the last number of months. This committee having completed its mandate to hold elections now stands dissolved.

I would also like recognise the contribution of Ms Charlotte D’Cruze and the Paeditarics and Child Health department for facilitating the steering committee meetings, and also AKU’s Information Services Department, including Mr Amran Chowdhry, Director, and his team, consisting of Kamran Nayyer, Anita Dharani and Karim Karamali, whose support was essential in operationalising the e-voting facility. Finally, our thanks to Alumni Affairs for facilitating the entire elections process.

Please join me in congratulating the Executive Committee and lending our support as they develop and execute a meaningful agenda for their term of office and which will serve as the very foundation for the chapter going forward.

Best regards,

Dr Hasnain Zafar
Chair, Steering Committee
AKU Medical College Alumni Association
Pakistan | Middle-East | Asia-Pacific Chapter

Steering Committee Members:

Dr Hasnain Zafar, MBBS ’91, Residency ’97, – Chair
Dr Adina Sajjad, MBBS ‘95
Dr Anita Zaidi, MBBS ‘88
Dr Asim Belgaumi, MBBS ‘89
Dr Sana Nasim, MBBS ’04, Residency ‘12

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AKUAANA President’s Message to Alumni, August 2013

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Eid Mubarak!

I hope all of you had a pleasant Ramadan and were able to get a break over Eid.

The Annual AKU reunion held at the APPNA summer convention in Orlando, Florida was a great success. We celebrated the 25th anniversary for the Class of ’88, and the 20th anniversary for the Class of ’93. We welcomed Dr. Farhat Abbas, Dean AKUMC, Dr. Saad Shafqat ’88, Dr. Anita Zaidi ’88, and Dr. Naseer Mehmood ’88 as speakers at the dinner.

I am pleased to inform you that we were able to successfully complete the election of the new Executive Council. As you are aware, the process was initiated several months ago. The positions of Secretary and Treasurer had single nominations. The position for President had two nominations. Prior to the reunion, an on-line vote was conducted. For the on-line component, only votes from dues-paying members were included. The final voting was conducted at the reunion dinner.

The new Executive Council, which will start its term in January 2014, is as follows:

  • President: Faisal Qureishi ’93
  • Secretary: Atif Shafqat ’93
  • Treasurer: Shazia Hussain ’90

I would like to thank Treasurer Syed Jawad Sher ’97 and Secretary Amna Iftikhar ’90 for their priceless contributions to the previous Executive Council.

At this time I would also like to thank Atif Jalees Khan ’99 for his work establishing and managing our web presence. He will be transferring his responsibilities to Abdul Basit Saeed ’07. Thank you both.

Ms. Shain Amershi, who for many years has been the force that has kept AKUAANA on track, is leaving us to pursue other opportunities. We are indebted to her for all the work that she has put in to developing a database, establishing the website, handling affairs with APPNA, organizing multiple reunions, and making the Executive Council look good. She has been passionate in her support of the association, both in thought and action. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

As far as other business is concerned, as we came to the reunion, we had record membership. If your dues are not current, I would encourage you to see to it. Your contributions help to keep the association and the website running smoothly.

Also at the reunion, we proposed and agreed to formalize the process of setting up host-committees for events. It was established that:

‘For all APPNA associated AKUAANA events, after the APPNA host committee has been established, all AKU alumni on said committee will be asked to join AKUAANA host committee for that event. This group will select one point person for purposes of communication with Executive Council. In the event the group does not select this person, the Executive Committee will do so.’

As always, we are looking for alumni to contribute to the website with blogs, opinion pieces, news etc. Please, let those ideas out onto paper (or screen) and share them with us!

In APPNA news – an anonymous donor, alumnus of Nishtar Medical College, has pledged to match up to $1,000,000 for donations to a newly established scholarship fund. Within the fund, each participating medical school will have a sub-account. A minimum of $10,000 from alumni is required to receive a matching contribution from the donor. The scholarship monies are allotted at the discretion of the particular alumni group and their medical school. I think this is an excellent opportunity for us to be able to give back to our Alma Mater. Please review the information at this link on the APPNA website.

In news from AKU – the Pakistan- Middle East chapter is in the last phase of its establishment. There is an election scheduled for later this month, after which the association will be fully functional. Our sister association is led by a President (Saad Shafqat ’88), Vice-President Under-Graduate (Saniya Sabzwari ’92), Vice- President Post-Graduate (TBD), and Vice-president Graduate (TBD). The Steering Committee (Chairman Hasnain Zafar ’91, Secretary Anita Zaidi ’88) has done a fantastic job with sorting through the very complex task of University and region-wide nominations and elections. They have been ably assisted by Abdul Haq Wahedna, Manager Alumni Affairs. We look forward to an excellent relationship with the association.

That’s all for now.

Engage, participate, own.

Sincerely,
Sadaf Khan ’92
President, AKUAANA

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