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   RMCAANA Newsletter

 

President RMCAANA, letter March 2008
RMCAANA Newsletter, September 2007
Fundraising for RMCOF Burn Center, Louisville, KY on Aug. 17, 2007
APPNA summer meeting, Orlando, FL 2007
RMCAANA 2008 Executive Council
APPNA summer meeting, Houston, TX 2005
APPNA summer meeting, Washington, DC, 2004
Prof. Mussadiq's letter to Dr Amer Nawaz, Past RMCAANA President


President RMCAANA, letter March 2008

Dear Rawalians, Assalam o Alamkum

It is with great pride as President RMCAANA 2008 that I wish to share update on our organization and personally invite you to join hands in our efforts to contribute to our Alma Mater. In past years there have been tremendous accomplishments in various fields which has put our Alumni in the forefront among APPNA institutions. Thank you to the untiring effort of past Executive Council members. We certainly want to keep the momentum going at this important stage.

On the forefront is the Rawalian Burn Center at Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi with four specialized beds providing much needed complete burn care to local area patients. Construction is now underway for an independent, fully equipped OR. This has been possible only through generous contributions of Rawalians all over the world.

The RMCME project is an initiative started in 2007 in an effort to collaborate CME/Research activities with RMC staff and students. We are eagerly awaiting the initiation of clinical rotations at state of the art US Hospitals for RMC students that provides them an opportunity to expand their clinical horizons. Rotating clinical physicians from North America and Rawalian Conferences are part and parcel of such efforts.

After hosting its first ever winter APPNA meeting at RMC, we have set the bar higher and we certainly need your cooperation to take it a step further. Let’s begin by visiting RMCAANA web site, www.rmcdocs.com. This is our central hub for more than 450 Rawalians in North America. We also have Discussion Forums on this web site and links to two listservs, one for general communication and the other specifically for CME related activities.

Finally I wish to take this opportunity to personally invite you to the upcoming APPNA summer meeting June 25-29, 2008 in Washington DC. This is going to be a very well attended and successful meeting where early registration is the key to avoid disappointment for reservations and help us plan for a well organized RMCAANA dinner. Registration before end of March will also provide you with the opportunity to cast vote in upcoming APPNA elections. To download the meeting and hotel registration forms visit our web site www.rmcdocs.com .

We encourage your participation for strengthening our community. Thank you for your time.
Raheela Pirzada, MD
 President RMCAANA

RMCAANA September 2007 Newsletter

Dear Rawalians,  
Assalam-o-Alamkum and Ramadan Mubarak.  

Thank you for your time in reading this update on the RMCAANA progress.   We had a very successful APPNA alumni dinner in Orlando, FL with record attendance. The Orlando Rawalians have started new traditions of inviting Rawalian families to a brunch, morning after the alumni dinner. We will continue this tradition in the next APPNA summer meeting in Washington, DC. Other than a very warm social event the Alumni dinner raised about 30, 000 dollars for the Rawalian Burn Center. A very well made DVD on Burn center was shown in this dinner. Dr. Nadeem Afraz the key note speaker from Pakistan shed light on the efforts on the revival of, “the Rawalian” in Pakistan. This necessary link will expedite our efforts to do more for our Alma Mater. The RMCAANA also donated 2,000 dollars to the Medicos Aid Society in RMC this year.   Our effort to involve more and more Rawalians in RMCAANA is paying off. A lot of new Rawalians have contacted me while many of old Rawalians has shown a renewed interest to get involved.

Recently RMCOF had a fundraiser for Rawalian Burn Center at Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi. This was made possible by the exemplary hard work of Sohail Ikram, the past president of RMCAANA and the current president of APPKI. His wife Farah, a Rawalian of 1990 was also at the forefront of this project. This fundraiser at Louisville, KY, attracted many past and present leaders of APPNA and raised about 90,000 dollars.  

Last but not the least; I am pleased to inform you that I have initiated the efforts to establish a permanent link with RMC for continuing medical education. The RMCAANA is spearheading the APPNA MERIT project under which physicians from North America will spend at least two weeks in RMC imparting their knowledge/ expertise. This visit will be sponsored by the funding provided by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. The Rawalians in Pakistan has established a committee of the Rawalian professors in RMC under the Principal to coordinate this effort. This committee will work closely with the RMCAANA CME committee. We will also welcome and coordinate with the Rawalians who are not able to spend two weeks in RMC but are eager to spend a day or two at RMC sharing their skills/ knowledge with final year students and house staffs. In addition we are working to bring top final year students for undergraduate rotations in different academic centers of North America. All these efforts will be done under the new project “RMCME”. Please visit RMCAANA website www.rmcdocs.com  and click the link RMCME. You are also requested to participate/ contribute to the discussion forum of RMCME.  

“The Rawalian” in Pakistan is holding a Rawalian Research conference on December 14-16, 2007. If you have a paper to present or know somebody who is interested in doing so please contact me. I personally invite all Rawalians in North America to attend this conference. This conference will also provide an opportunity for us to practically see the ground realities in RMC. It will streamline and jumpstart the efforts of CME in RMC (RMCME) in the coming years.   Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time with your questions/ comments/ suggestions to improve RMCME and RMCAANA.    

Shahid Rafiq  
President RMCAANA
Email: tabassem@yahoo.com

Fundraising for Burn Center at Louisville, KY on August 17, 2007

Fundraiser for RMCOF Burn Center in Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi was held on August 17th,2007 at Louisville, KY, featuring pop singer FAAKHIR. This function was attended by a large number of people including past and aspiring leadership of APPNA. We were able to raise more than $90,000 for the Burn Center in Rawalpindi. Thank you for your generosity.

APPNA's 30th annual summer meeting held in Orlando, FL 2007

RMCAANA Alumni dinner 07, was attended by a record number of Rawalians and their families. The number of participants in earlier RMCAANA annual dinners, has always been around 20- 40. Chicago 06 meeting was the one where about 55 came. This year about 80 attended the meeting. The better halves of each Rawalians were welcome by a rose. The program was printed on a special paper and was followed closely. The speeches were short and effective. The first half of the meeting was conducted by the president elect, Raheela Peerzada. The President of RMCAANA presented the annual report and the vision and program for the rest of the year. The highlight of his tenure so far was the reach out program to all Rawalians which resulted in this big turn out. The vision for the remaining year is the CME program at RMC. Dr. Nadeem Afraz was the key note speaker. He updated about the Burn center and revival of the Rawalians in Pakistan. The highlight of the evening was the documentary the he brought about Rawalian Burn Center. This professionally made DVD moved every one present and about $32 thousand pledges were made. The Ambassador of Pakistan in USA, Mr. Durrani also visited and gave a speech. He thanked all Rawalians for the Burn Center at Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi. He promised his efforts to bring the president Pervaiz Musharaf for the inauguration of Rawalian Burn Center in December.The second half of the program after the dinner was conducted by Amer Akmal. This informal introduction and fun part was enjoyed by every one present. It had to be curtailed due to constraints of time. However it continued the next day when a new RMCAANA tradition started. Jameel Ahmed Khan had invited all Rawalians in his home for a brunch. After an extensive and tasty meal every body filled in the big family room and enjoyed the songs by Ahsan Kamal, Rao Baber and Mr. Mirza. This particular gathering brought back the old memories of the RMC student days. Please visit the photo gallery for the pictures from this event.

RMCAANA 2008 Executive Council
The new Executive body for the year 2008 was  announced during RMC alumni dinner in Orlando, Florida.

 

APPNA's 28th annual summer meeting held in Houston TX in 2005

 The participants were Avais Masud(85) and his wife Tania(90), Nasir Gondal(85), Kamran Sherwani(87), Raheela Peerzada and husband Nadeem, Raza Bokhari and his wife, Naila and husband, Talat and husband(83) Rifat and husband(82) Tanveer from Illinois(82), The # of attendees outnumbered the seating capacity of the alumni dinner hall so extra chairs had to be arranged. Raza Bokhari, current president made the opening remarks and told about the achievements of the RMCAANA during the past one year including fund raising for the MAS and RMC graduate with recently diagnosed tumor of tongue. He outlined the vision for the future to include more Rawalian in APPNA and doing some thing concrete for our Alma Mata. One major goal for RMCAANA is to hold APPNA winter meeting for 2006 in RMC. Shahid Rafiq told about his visit to Pakistan recently in which he met with RMC principal. Dr. Mussadaq is enthusiastic about a burn center at Holy Family hospital and requests the help of RMCAANA in this regard. It was decided that more information and detailed nature of help will be sought before asking RMCAANA members for monetary help. The new Executive body for the year for 2006: President; Farhat Abbass, President Elect; Shahid Rafiq, General Secretary; Raheela Peerzada, Treasurer; Tnveer Ahmed.The process of election for the year 2007 and years after that will be started from the month of April and nominations will be collected till June 1. The final election/announcement will be at APPNA summer conference in July. This year Election commissioner is Amir Akmal. The RMCAANA web site and residency forum were also appreciated in the meeting.

APPNA's 27th Annual Summer, Washington DC 2004

APPNA's 27th Annual Summer meeting was held at Marriott Wardman Park Washington, DC from June 9 to 13, 2004. Principal RMC, Professor Mussadiq and his wife attended the alumni dinner on friday. Other RMCAANA members present on the occason were Rabia Bajwa Chaudhry (94), Saroosh Saleemi (86), Noreen Qaiser (86), Naz Kamal (87), Zebba kamal(88) Ehasan Hadi (96), Asad Sarwar (96), Omar Farooq (84) & Sabahat Farooq(87), Amin Kamal (87), Asma Tahir (88), , Samee Saqib (92), Mubaashir Mahmood (90), Nadeem Islam(90) and Raheela Pirzada (91), Rifat Zaidi (84) & Mrs., Nadeem Manzoor Ahmed (86) & Mrs. Neeraj Mahboob (90) & Mrs. Aamir Shezad Sherwani (85), Rizwan Khan (93), Hameed Ajmal (90), Shahid Rafiq (84), Nasir Gondal (85), Shahid Randhawa (85), Sohail Aman (84) and Sameera Aman (87). Past presidents present were Babar Rao(83), Shail Ikram (84), Avais Masud (85) and Tania Masood (87) and Aamer Nawaz (86). Current Executive Council was represented by Farhat Abbass Khan (88) & Mrs., Raza Bokhari (90) & Mrs. and Dr & Mrs Amer Akmal. Visit the RMCAANA Forum and read postings by Amer Akmal for details. Click here to see some pictures from this occasion.

Prof. Mussadiq's letter to Dr. M. Aamer Nawaz, Past President

Dear Aamer, It was really good to hear from you. I am glad you are doing so well and also that you have become the president of RMC alumni. There is a lot you and all the graduates in USA can do for your college. It was unfortunate that things could not materialize on the CT scan. But I assure you from now on we will cut through the bureaucracy   red tape and do what ever is good for the institution and people. Unfortunately it would be difficult for me to attend the meeting this year, but I will make it a point to stay in touch with you. Please extend an invitation to all the graduates on my behalf to come and visit the college. Rather if you people are coming in December it will be very good to arrange some activities in the college. You talk to the RMC doctors and tell me about the program, so that we can start working on it. Say Hello to all the participants from me. Stay in touch. Thanks for the wishes, and please pray that I come up to what is required of me and may Allah help me and guide me. Thanks Mussadiq