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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:

Asma Altaf Hussain, ’21
Hamza Bangash, ’21
Hussain Raza, ’21
Muhammad Musaab Munir, ’21
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

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.

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

Outgoing AKUAANA President’s Message to Alumni, December 2019

December 27, 2019 By Saeed

Dear Alumni,

2019 is coming to an end and it has been a great year for the AKU Alumni Association of North America (AKUAANA). The last twelve months have been filled with momentous occasions such as the appointment of our alumnus, Adil Haider ’98 as Dean of AKUMC, Karachi to the presentation of Saad Omar (also ’98) to the US Congress. Our alumni have reached heights in academics, private practice, health policy, bioinformatics and as entrepreneurs across this nation.

Unfortunately, we lost three amazing and beloved alumni, Uzma Yunus ’95, Fida Khan ’97 and Asma Saleem ’90. The alumni community feels their loss and prays for their families. As this year ends, we celebrate all our alumni who are with us, and those who are not.

We had our annual Alumni Reunion in Orlando this July. Adil Haider ’98, first alumnus Dean of AKUMC and his family, honored us with their presence. It is these momentous occasions we look forward to as an ultimate way to give back to our alma mater. Thank you for your continued participation and support of this alumni association.

It takes every one of us to make this work, and together we can make sure that AKUAANA is here to grow and make a difference, not only in Pakistan and at AKU but also locally in the United States.

AKUAANA is 100% volunteer-run. As the President, I value every minute that is devoted by our Executive Council and member volunteers to our mission: to establish a platform to promote and facilitate healthcare, educational, social, and philanthropic missions of our community, and to nurture enduring ties with our alma mater.

Every year our volunteer Executive Council, Board of Advisors, and sub-committee members go above and beyond in their commitment and service to the organization, and we celebrate those individuals now: Ammar Javed ’13, Faiz Bhora ’92, Azam Kundi ’92, Nooruddin Punjwani ’92, Adnan Hyder ’90, Saleem Islam ’92, Fahim Rahim ’97 and Naeem Rahim ’98. AKUAANA thanks each and every one of these alumni for their dedication to this organization. We hope that they will continue to share their time and expertise with AKUAANA and look forward to recruiting more people like them!

In fact, everyone can jump in and sign up to become members and volunteer for various committees for the next year. One of the best ways to really get connected with other alumni is to become members of your alumni organization. Join us at our annual Alumni Reunion to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, to find mentors for career and other guidance, and most of all for coming up with ideas to strengthen and grow your alumni organization.

AKUAANA is a young association. We have a long way to go. If we want AKUAANA to be the resource that we think it should be, then there is only one way to do that. Join AKUAANA and participate as a member. Dream a small part of your dreams, through AKUAANA, to make it a household name, that your family and children can be proud of.

To those who have recently graduated; be curious, remain relentless, and don’t give up on your dream and you will reach greatness! And when you have, spread your wisdom and experiences through your alumni association.

I would like to thank our amazing Executive Council for 2018-19, Past President Habib Chotani ’95; Secretary Noor Afshan Khan ’96; Treasurer and President-Elect Faisal Cheema ’00 and Web Manager Abdul Basit Saeed ’07. I have had the privilege to lead our alumni association with such a great team of people for the past two years. That tenure is coming to an end, but not my commitment to advocate for our alumni here in the US. At the end of the year, I pass on the baton to Faisal Cheema ’00; I know that he will take the association in the direction that is best for us and look forward to working with him.

Best regards
Namirah Jamshed ’96
AKUAANA President, 2018-2019

Recipients of AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship, 2019 announced

October 7, 2019 By Saeed

The Aga Khan University Alumni Association of North America is proud to announce the two recipients of the AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship for the academic year 2019-20.

Congratulations, Mehdia Rajab Ali and Muddassir Ali Aftab for being the recipients of the scholarship for the year 2019-20. Mehdia and Muddassir will spend 8 weeks in the US for electives and receive mentorship from AKUMC Alumni. Prior to these electives, they will spend 4 weeks in an underserved area in Pakistan. Please join us in congratulating these two outstanding students from AKUMC, Karachi, Pakistan.

AKUAANA would also like to recognize our alumni, the selection committee members, for this year’s scholarship. Thank you Faiz Bhora ’92 (Past President, AKUAANA), Fahim Rahim ’97 (JRM), Naeem Rahim ’98 (JRM), and Ammar Javed ’13, for your time and commitment.

Most of all we are grateful to the JRM (Jamshaid-Rahim-Mannan) Family Foundation for the scholarship and for making it possible for these students the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and experience during their elective time.

We look forward to receiving applications for the academic year 2020-21.

Namirah Jamshed
President, AKUAANA (2018-19)

AKU MC Alumni Brunch – Winter 2019

December 24, 2018 By Saeed

Dr Adil Haider, Class of ’98 and Dean of AKU Medical College, is pleased to host an event for the AKUMC alumni at AKU, Karachi on January 3, 2019. The event includes campus tours for alumni and their families followed by brunch with friends and faculty.

If you are interested in attending the event, kindly register by completing this brief form. Please note that the last date to register for the Alumni Brunch – Winter 2019 is Sunday, December 30, 2018.

AKUAANA announces first recipients of AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship

November 5, 2018 By Saeed

The Aga Khan University Alumni Association of North America is proud to announce the first two recipients of the AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship.

Congratulations, Afshan Akhtar and Faryal Subhani for being the first recipients of this scholarship. Afshan and Faryal will spend 8 weeks in the US for electives and receive mentorship from AKUMC Alumni. Prior to these electives, they will spend 4 weeks in an underserved area in Pakistan. Please join us in welcoming and congratulating these two outstanding students.

We look forward to receiving applications for the academic year 2019-2020.

Namirah Jamshed
President, AKUAANA (2018-19)

Establishing the AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship Fund

September 1, 2018 By Saeed

Dear Alumni,

We are delighted to announce the AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship Fund for AKUMC students on Financial Aid that are seeking electives in North America. This fund has been made possible by a partnership between AKUAANA and the JRM Foundation for Humanity, a philanthropic organization established by two of our own alumni, Dr. Fahim Rahim, ’97 and Dr. Naeem Rahim, ’98.

Many AKU alumni have had the opportunity to do electives in the US as AKUMC students and remember these rotations as invigorating and eye-opening academic experiences. However, many others with otherwise excellent transcripts have faced significant financial constraints and have not availed these opportunities. The AKUAANA-JRM Scholarship Fund will provide financial support to such students seeking electives in North America in the future.

Students being awarded scholarships will be asked to spend 4 weeks of their final year electives rotation at an under-served site in Pakistan and will be provided an amount of $2500 per awardee to defray expenses related to additional electives they arrange in North America. In addition to financial support, we will link these AKUMC students to alumni in North America to provide mentor-ship, advice and career guidance.

The JRM Foundation will provide $25,000 to AKUAANA to administer this scholarship fund initially and will make available an additional $25,000 dollar-for-dollar match for any funds raised by us.

Please contact us at secretary@akuaana.org if you are interested in mentoring or would like to help in any other way.

Annual Alumni Meeting, 2018

August 28, 2018 By Saeed

Dear Alumni,

A large number of AKU alumni and their families gathered in July at the APPNA 41st Annual Convention, 2018 at the stately Anatole Hilton in Dallas, Texas. The Executive Council presented their reports in the AKUAANA General Body Meeting. Minutes of the General Body Meeting are available on the website.

The General Body Meeting was followed by the AKUAANA Annual Dinner which was attended by more than 200 alumni and spouses and featured milestone celebrations of Classes of AKU ‘88, AKU ‘93 and AKU ‘98. The Class of ‘88 celebrated its 30-year milestone. It was inspiring to have members of our first graduating class present at the meeting. Dr. Shahid Shafi spoke passionately and eloquently at the dinner and challenged us to reach our maximal potential.

We had more than 20 alumni each from the class of ’93 and class of ’98 attend and celebrate their 25-year and 20-year milestones respectively. Both classes announced gifts of $250,000, each, to AKU to mark this occasion.

Dr. Ayesha Mian ’88 the Dean of Students, Mr. Abdul Haq Wahedna from Alumni Affairs and Mr. Shaikh Ali Hussain from Resource Development represented AKU at the meeting and hosted a well-attended breakfast for AKU alumni the morning after the dinner.

Many of us were meeting for the first time after graduating from AKU. We were struck at how comfortable we felt interacting with old friends and colleagues and how the years just fell away as if we had never been apart. Spouses and families were equally involved, and it was great to see our children forming their own ties of friendship. A silent auction of artwork by our own graduates raised funds for philanthropic causes.

We look forward to seeing many more of you at the next AKUAANA Annual Meeting during the APPNA 42nd Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida in July 2019.

Our best regards,

Namirah Jamshed, President
Noor Afshan, Secretary
Faisal Cheema, Treasurer

AKUAANA President’s Message to Alumni: January 2018

January 3, 2018 By Saeed

Dear Alumni,

Happy New Year!

The theme for the next two years for our Alumni Association is “Alumni Engagement”. As such we want all AKUites to participate as we grow and expand our Association. The past presidents have laid the ground work to make this possible. We plan to continue their efforts and more. Our mission, vision and values remain the same as what our constitution states. However, this year we want to go a step further and bring value through actively engaging our alumni in AKUAANA activities. We hope that this will bring value to you as members and fulfill your need to give back to our local communities here in North America, to Pakistan and to AKU. For those who are not members, join us, so you can participate in your associations’ activities.

If you have any questions, comments or thoughts, please reach out to any member of the team.

AKUAANA Administration, 2018 - 19
Designation	Name	Class	Email Address
President	Namirah Jamshed	1996
Secretary	Noor Afshan Khan	1996
Treasurer	Faisal Habib Cheema	2000
Web Manager	Abdul Basit Saeed	2007

Looking forward to seeing many of you in Dallas, TX, July 6th, at the Annual AKUAANA Reunion!

Best wishes,

Namirah Jamshed ’96
President, AKUAANA (2018-19)

Outgoing AKUAANA President’s Message to Alumni, December 2017

December 26, 2017 By Saeed

Dear Alumni,

Happy holidays everyone!

Your Alumni Association’s new Executive Council will be taking over on January 1, 2018. I wanted to personally thank all of you for 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 from about a 100 members to now over 200 active members and the traffic to our Facebook page and website is now in the thousands. Abdul Basit Saeed (2007), our Web and Social Media 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.

Over the past two years our major focus was community building, and to achieve this we organized multiple regional meetings in 2016 and 2017. This has greatly enhanced our networking. Our alumni are now more informed about the work the Alumni Association has been doing. I would like to thank all the alumni who volunteered in hosting these regional reunions. We also hosted very successful annual reunions in Washington DC and Orlando FL.

We have been working with the leadership at AKUMC to help our alumni with issues that arise periodically. In fact, with the efforts of the Executive Council and our alumni, one of our fresh alumni was able to start residency on time this year rather than missing a year and potential residency spot.

AKUAANA also initiated its first project with AKU in August 2016. It is a project for the treatment of anemia in pregnancy by screening pregnant females and treating them with iron supplements and IV iron (Venofer). I would like to congratulate our Alumni who have raised around $70,000 dollars for this project. This would fund our project for a total of 4 years. A short video of the AKUAANA Outreach Clinic in Ibrahim Hyderi, and the most recent Impact Report of the project are available on the website.

This year we also partnered with APPNA for their National Food Pantry Project. We raised over $4,000 and APPNA matched it with $2,000. AKUAANA members spent a day volunteering at the Maryland Food Bank and also gave the check to the pantry.

The devastation in Houston with Hurricane Harvey affected a number of our Alumni as we have a significant concentration of Alumni in the area. We developed an emergency committee who reached out to alumni in Houston and offered them help. A number of Alumni in Houston in safe areas opened their home to accommodate other Alumni. We raised $10,000 for the Mayor of Houston Hurricane Harvey Fund also. This is a true testament to our AKUAANA community and I would like to congratulate everyone who worked and volunteered their time.

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. There are a number of new initiatives that are in the works.

I wish President-Elect Namirah Jamshed (1996) and her team the best of success, and thank you all again.

Best regards
Habib Chotani (1995)
AKUAANA President, 2016-2017

AKUAANA – JRM Scholarship Recipients: 2020-2021

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