As promised, please see below some quick updates from the past couple of days:
Monday July 25, I spent about 5 hours seeing patients and discussing cases with our first cohort of Armenian urogynecology fellows at Beglaryan Women’s hospital (photo 1)
Tuesday July 26, spent an additional 6 hours with the same fellows at Izmirlyan hospital (photo 2)
Both days we treated patients with urinary incontinence, prolapse and other pelvic floor disorders. Wednesday and Thursday will be surgery days (more to come)
The fellows are hungry to learn, eager to improve their knowledge base and technical skills, and very accepting to the American-based health care standards to improve the quality of life of the patients they are caring for. The potential of the young generation of physicians is great and very promising! I encourage all of you, the readers of this newsletter, to start thinking about ways to replicate or build on our experience and those of others to improving specialty training in your own areas of expertise to ultimately benefit the entirety of health care in Armenia. I propose that a reliable, robust and effective health care system in Armenia is the missing link to a prosperous Armenia. Let us all work together to make it happen.
I also visited the whole Beglaryan medical center, including the Zinvori Doun (soldier’s house) which has been transformed to a physical rehab center for all those in need (photo 4 and 5).
With Inessa, our AAMA Armenia representative, I met with Lena Nanoushyan, the assistant to the MOH. We discussed all sorts of health care related topics and means to collaborate and improve communication and active participation between the diaspora and Armenia (photo 6).
Also with Inessa, met with the Arthur and Lilit (with their newborn baby) who are running the Armenian Geriatrics center in Armenia (which also has a healthcare arm) and solicited feedback and updates on the 100 oxygen concentrators that AAMA helped purchase and ship to Armenia (word document / attachment 7).
We had another very productive meeting with the physician and administrator running an AUA-run program (sponsored by a donor from California) know as Entrepreneurs in Health that offers loans to health care workers starting small businesses (clinics) in rural Armenia, Artsakh, and the Javakh region of Georgia. I believe there is a lot of opportunity for potential future AAMA-EIH collaboration. See link for more details on EIH https://trdp.aua.am/entrepreneurs-in-healthcare-eih/
I leave you with this view of Yerevan at night (photo 8) and wish you all well.
Will try to reconnect in a couple of days
Sincerely,
Vatche’
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You are receiving this email because you are either an AAMA member, a friend or an AAMA supporter / donor.
I am presently visiting Armenia through the end of the month for a week of a medical mission:
To train, work and operate with a cohort of 5 young physicians from Armenia specializing in Urogynecology
To follow up on the philanthropic and non-profit work the AAMA has been conducting in Armenia over the past 2 years, thanks in large part to all of your support
I will try to send regular emails (and pictures) in the coming week to keep you updated with the results of my touring and meeting with the different hospitals, institutions and individuals in Armenia. Please respond to this email if your inbox is inundated with emails and you have little to no time to dedicate to the AAMA updates. If so, I will take you off of the mailing list.
My first impression from the time I set foot at the airport is that people from all across the world are visiting the country in droves as you can tell from the selfie at the airport. People seem happy, vibrant and full of excitement. There is plenty of work opportunities with thousands of new jobs being reported every month, and the Armenian Dram has strengthened vis-à-vis the US dollar. The economy seems to be heading in a positive direction. The Republican square in Armenia is breath taking at night as well as in the morning of July 24 (which happened to be St Vartavar’s feast day where Water was King). Big Massis (Ararat) was shrouded with clouds today but will hopefully get a better view (and photo) in the coming days.
OK below are some of AAMA updates from back home:
We have received many grant applications and our call for proposals is now closed for this cycle – the committee will convene in August and selections will be made in the fall. There will be 2 awards, one for 5K and the other one for 10K
Save the date for the AAMA November 12th gala with special guest of honor (TBA). The event will be held at Boston Sheraton. More details to follow.
The HBO project is progressing well. I will meet in person with the Mikayelyan hospital administrators on this coming Friday and will hopefully have more information after that.
The Artsakh primary care project with Tufenkian is moving forward as well. Anush Sahakian, MD is in Artsakh at present and I believe Nick Akgulian, MD, our colleague and friend from Wisconsin is there too. They are both laying the foundations for a long-term primary care mission in the region of Martuni. I will be meeting with Anush this Saturday and will have more updates to come.
Website (for AAMA members only) -please visit https://aamaboston.org/ and ensure your profile is up to date including email and mailing address and be sure to pay your dues – these help fund our student scholarships
While you are at our website, you may view some of our past events including the Pathways to Success webinar link
Our medical students as well as allied health are encouraged to apply to the AAMA scholarships. You can see the application for this year – due on Oct 31, 2022 at https://aamaboston.org/scholarship/
Thank you to all of you who volunteered for the Homenetmen sporting weekend around 4th of July.
Viken Babikian, MD and his neurology group in Armenia with collaboration with Sharon Chekijian, MD have published a comprehensive paper describing the implementation of a stroke program in Armenia. See link for more details: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23969873221108739
As a reminder, if you shop on Amazon, the AAMA is registered with the Amazon Smile program. Choose AAMA as your non-profit organization and a certain percentage of your purchase gets donated to us.
With gratitude
Vatche’
The information in this e-mail is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed. If you believe this e-mail was sent to you in error and the e-mail contains patient information, please contact the Mass General Brigham Compliance HelpLine at https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/complianceline .
Please note that this e-mail is not secure (encrypted). If you do not wish to continue communication over unencrypted e-mail, please notify the sender of this message immediately. Continuing to send or respond to e-mail after receiving this message means you understand and accept this risk and wish to continue to communicate over unencrypted e-mail.
Some of you may already know that my time as the president of the AAMA has come to an end. I have transitioned to the role of “immediate past president” and the board has welcomed our new president, Rosalynn Nazarian, MD and vice president, Hovig Chitilian, MD. I will continue to write and distribute the monthly newsletters to the AAMA membership and friends through the end of this year, after which there may be a new format and individual(s) leading the AAMA newsletters. A big thank you to all of you who have endured reading my emails over the past 2+ years with regular updates on all the AAMA activities both in the US and the homeland.
Below are the AAMA updates for the month of June:
The “extended” deadline of the AAMA grant applications is end of business day, Friday July 1 (in 2 days). There are 2 grant opportunities; one for $10,000 and the second for $5,000. All details and application forms can be found on our website at: https://aamaboston.org/aama-armenia-and-artsakh-healthcare-support-initiative/
The goal of the grants should align with the following:
To promote disease prevention strategies and healthy behavior
To improve the status of health care and its delivery
To establish health programs in places where there are none
To develop evidence-based health care educational and/or training programs
We had a very successful 3-hour virtual seminar on June 4 on the topic of: Pathways to Success: A Celebration of Women in Healthcare. We had a large number of people attend the seminar with greatly positive feedback.
The AAMA-sponsored health fair happened on Saturday May 21 from 1-4pm. This was organized in collaboration with Mount Auburn Hospital, Lahey, and the town of Watertown and took place at ACEC. This was not heavily attended possibly due to the in-person nature, conflict with graduations, and the weather being so hot. The board is considering other options for next year, including combining a blood drive with the Watertown fair. Stay tuned.
We had our second Happy Hour get together this year at the Branchline in Watertown earlier this month and it was very well attended by colleagues and friends. We also welcomed some new AAMA members. Be on the lookout for the next one in the fall.
The HBO project for the Mikayelyan (Yerevan) and the Republican (Stepanakert) hospitals has moved a significant step forward. We have now resolved all the technical issues with the oxygen and its supply to the machines. Our next plan is to organize the travel plans of the American experts to go to Yerevan and Stepanakert and set up the machines to kickstart the program.
We are in advanced discussions with the Tufenkian Foundation to establish a primary care mission in Artsakh and co-sponsored between Tufenkian and AAMA. With the help of Anush Sahakian, we have identified one lead physician from the US and an additional physician as a back-up who will run the mission and train the locals. We are expecting the lead physician to orient to the Area (Martuni region) between July and September of this year, and hopefully establish a more permanent mission by early next year.
The AAMA board has approved a $10,000 collaboration program with the neurology group led by Dr Berge Minassian and including neurologists in the US, Canada and Europe to help fund the education and training of an Armenian pediatric neurologist to serve the needs of children in Artsakh. The neurologists have raised the initial $5,000 and AAMA will match the second $5,000.
The AAMA in collaboration with the Wisconsin and Chicago-area Armenian physicians have renewed the Dynamed subscription (clinical educational tool for clinicians) at the Armenian National Medical Library. In addition, the AAMA has agreed to fund an additional one-year subscription for Uptodate also at the Armenian National Medical Library.
We have reached a new landmark with 250 recipients on the AAMA mailing list. Way to go!
The HMEM leadership has reached out to the AAMA and they are looking for healthcare volunteers to be available at the HMEM Navasartian games running from July 1-3 in Woburn. All those who are available, please reach out to Lara Bastajian at: lara.bastajian@gmail.com
The AAMA is exploring collaboration opportunities locally with the Armenian Pharmacy Association in Boston, and in Armenia / Artsakh with COAF and HENAR. Stay tunes.
Please visit our website to update your email and mailing address, including existing members, and look for the latest news and updates at www.aamaboston.org
Pay your dues through the website electronically ($150 for licensed practitioners, $75 for residents and fellows, free for all students). AAMA is a non-profit organization. All your donations, including payment of your dues, are tax-deductible.
If you shop on Amazon, the AAMA is registered with the Amazon Smile program. Choose AAMA as your non-profit organization and a certain percentage of your purchase gets donated to us.
With respect
Vatche’
The information in this e-mail is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed. If you believe this e-mail was sent to you in error and the e-mail contains patient information, please contact the Mass General Brigham Compliance HelpLine at https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/complianceline .
Please note that this e-mail is not secure (encrypted). If you do not wish to continue communication over unencrypted e-mail, please notify the sender of this message immediately. Continuing to send or respond to e-mail after receiving this message means you understand and accept this risk and wish to continue to communicate over unencrypted e-mail.
The deadline of the AAMA grant applications is in less than 6 weeks. There are 2 grant opportunities; one for $10,000 and the second for $5,000. Completed applications are due May 31, 2022. All details and application forms can be found on our website at: https://aamaboston.org/aama-armenia-and-artsakh-healthcare-support-initiative/
The goal of the grants should align with the following:
To promote disease prevention strategies and healthy behavior
To improve the status of health care and its delivery
To establish health programs in places where there are none
To develop evidence-based health care educational and/or training programs
The AAMA will be leading a 3-hour virtual seminar on June 4, from 9am till 12pm. The topic of presentation will be: Pathways to Success: A Celebration of Women in Healthcare. We anticipate hosting 6 highly achieved female academicians, scientists, and leaders in health care to highlight their current medical/scientific professional activities and achievements, including key factors influencing personal and professional growth. We have 4 confirmed speakers to date and waiting to get final confirmation from two more before we make a formal announcement (see save the date attachment).
The AAMA-sponsored health fair is happening on Saturday May 21 from 1-4pm. This will be a collaboration with Mount Auburn Hospital, Lahey, and the town of Watertown and will take place at ACEC. This will include: Basic Health Screenings; Interactions with Health Professionals; Access to Community Resources; Yoga and Qigong Mini Sessions; Nutrition Information; Raffles and Giveaways. Everyone is invited to attend (please see attachment for more details).
The HBO project for the Mikayelyan (Yerevan) and the Republican (Stepanakert) hospitals is inching forward one step at a time. For Yerevan, we have identified a Chinese company from which we will purchase the Dewars tanks and other supplies that will store and deliver the liquid oxygen needed during the treatment sessions. For Stepanakert, if we are unable to guarantee a reliable and consistent supply of liquid oxygen, given the challenges of transporting it from Armenia to Artsakh, we will identify alternate options. As plan B, we are actively working with the minister of health (Mr Hayiryan) and others to determine if we can use compressed oxygen in its gaseous state. Although most of the funds to complete this project have been set aside, we anticipate the need for an additional $15,000 to get it through the finish line. I urge all those interested in sponsoring this one-of-a-kind project to contribute generously to the AAMA. Your donations are tax-deductible. For additional questions, please connect with me.
The AAMA in collaboration with the Wisconsin and Chicago-area Armenian physicians have renewed the Dynamed subscription (clinical educational tool for clinicians) at the Armenian National Medical Library. Over the past year, there were a total of 1,504 search clicks with a total of 1,102 full-text requests. This coming year’s renewal of Dynamed is $4,100. Thank you to all who helped fund this program for a second year.
The AAMA has been awarded a $9,000 grant from a local foundation in support of our community work in Watertown, as well as our support of medical student and allied health scholarships!
Pay your dues through the website electronically ($150 for licensed practitioners, $75 for residents and fellows, free for all students). AAMA is a non-profit organization. All your donations, including payment of your dues, are tax-deductible.
If you shop on Amazon, the AAMA is registered with the Amazon Smile program. Choose AAMA as your non-profit organization and a certain percentage of your purchase gets donated to us.
With respect
Vatche’
The information in this e-mail is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed. If you believe this e-mail was sent to you in error and the e-mail contains patient information, please contact the Mass General Brigham Compliance HelpLine at https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/complianceline .
Please note that this e-mail is not secure (encrypted). If you do not wish to continue communication over unencrypted e-mail, please notify the sender of this message immediately. Continuing to send or respond to e-mail after receiving this message means you understand and accept this risk and wish to continue to communicate over unencrypted e-mail.
It is now official. The AAMA has released its announcement regarding the availability of 2 grants; one for $10,000 and the second for $5,000. Completed applications are due May 31, 2022. All details and application forms can be found on our website at: https://aamaboston.org/aama-armenia-and-artsakh-healthcare-support-initiative/
The goal of the grants should align with the following:
To promote disease prevention strategies and healthy behavior
To improve the status of health care and its delivery
To establish health programs in places where there are none
To develop evidence-based health care educational and/or training programs
The AAMA Happy Hour will take place on Friday, March 18, 2022 at 6:30pm.
The restaurant is accessible by public transit. There is street or garage parking nearby. See attached flyer for more details. Please join us and bring your loved ones with you to socialize, network, and learn about mentorship opportunities. Cash bar and food will be available for purchase; otherwise there will be no fee to attend. For AAMA members, there will be an opportunity to pay your annual dues, if you have not already done so (check / cash / Venmo all accepted)
The AAMA will be leading a 3-hour virtual seminar on June 4, from 9am till 12pm. The topic of presentation will be: Pathways to Success: A Celebration of Women in Healthcare. We anticipate to host 6 highly achieved academicians, scientists, and leaders in health care to highlight their current medical/scientific professional activities and achievements, including key factors influencing personal and professional growth. More details to follow.
Gail Guzelian, MD has joined the AAMA board. Welcome!
The AAMA-sponsored health fair is happening in early May. This will be a collaboration with Mount Auburn Hospital, Lahey, and the town of Watertown and will take place at ACEC. More details to follow soon.
The AAMA in collaboration with the Wisconsin Armenian physicians continue to support Dynamed (clinical educational tool for clinicians) at the Armenian National Medical Library. Over the past year, there were a total of 1,504 search clicks with a total of 1,102 full-text requests. This coming year’s renewal of Dynamed is $4,100. All those interested in sponsoring this vital educational tool for our colleagues in Armenia are encouraged to contribute to the AAMA. As usual, your donations will be tax-deductible.
We are working on reviving the US-based Armenian medical student elective rotations in Armenia. In collaboration with Dick Babayan from the BU, we are currently identifying different individual physicians and hospitals including Mikaelyan and NIH to possibly host our students and organize those rotations. Interested med students are encouraged to reach out to me or the AAMA for more details.
Pay your dues through the website electronically ($150 for licensed practitioners, $75 for residents and fellows, free for all students) or at the happy hour next week. AAMA is a non-profit organization. All your donations, including payment of your dues, are tax-deductible.
If you shop on Amazon, the AAMA is registered with the Amazon Smile program. Choose AAMA as your non-profit organization and a certain percentage of your purchase gets donated to us.
With respect
Vatche’
The information in this e-mail is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed. If you believe this e-mail was sent to you in error and the e-mail contains patient information, please contact the Mass General Brigham Compliance HelpLine at https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/complianceline .
Please note that this e-mail is not secure (encrypted). If you do not wish to continue communication over unencrypted e-mail, please notify the sender of this message immediately. Continuing to send or respond to e-mail after receiving this message means you understand and accept this risk and wish to continue to communicate over unencrypted e-mail.
