Dear colleagues and friends
Below are the AAMA updates for the month of August:
- The window for the 2 AAMA grant applications has closed (one for $10,000 and the second for $5,000). We received many excellent project proposals. The grant review committee has convened and is carefully considering all applications to make a funding determination. An announcement will be made at our gala dinner on November 12, 2022.
- We are very excited to host our third Happy Hour event this year on September 15 from 6:30-9:00pm at the Summer Shack in Harvard square Pop-up, Outdoor Patio(address: One Bennett St, Cambridge, next to The Charles Hotel). All old and new members, friends and family are welcome (see flyer for more details).
- The Armenian bone marrow drive walkathon is taking place on September 24, 2022. Click on the following link for more details: https://www.abmdr.am/ne-walk-of-life-information/
- Coincidentally, we have heard from our New York colleagues that the MOH of Armenia, Anahit Avanesyan, is planning to visit NY on September 24, 2022 with at least one event planned at Columbia.
- The AAMA Winter Gala will take place at the Boston Sheraton on November 12, 2022. We have a special guest of honor (TBA). This year, we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary and the fundraising efforts during the gala will benefit the AAMA projects and our medical and allied health student scholarship funds. Please save the date and more information to come.
- We are still expecting to complete the HBO project for the Mikayelyan (Yerevan) and the Republican (Stepanakert) hospitals. We are organizing the travel plans of the American experts to go to Yerevan and Stepanakert and set up the machines to kickstart the program.
- The collaborative AAMA and Tufenkian Foundation primary care mission in Martuni is now up and running. The ground work has been laid with the help of Dr Anush Sahakian (AAMA) and Greg Bedian (Tufenkian), and the clinic is now staffed by Dr Nick Akgulian. Nick is receiving Armenian to English interpreter support by a young medical graduate from the region, Dr Zhenia Harutyunyan.
- Dr Zhenia Harutyunian has been accepted into a prestigious Russian University Hospital in Moscow and will start her anesthesia training program soon. However, she needs to pay $7,000 per year for two years to get the needed training while in Russia. Given that Martuni hospital has no anesthesiologists (currently, no surgeries are taking place there and patients in need of surgery have to drive to Stepanakert for about an hour or more) and given that Dr Harutyunyan has pledged to come back to Martuni after she completes her training, the AAMA is seeking donations from our friends and members to fund for Dr Harutyunyan’s anesthesia residency training. We believe this investment is crucial to be able to offer surgical / anesthesia care in Artsakh’s Martuni and help prevent outmigration of the local Armenians in the region. To date, we have secured $2,000 from a generous donor but we still need more. All those interested in supporting this project can reach out to me.
- The AAMA is collaborating with AUA’s Entrepreneurs in Health (EIH) program to support physicians starting practices in rural Armenia – please let us know if you are interested in becoming a primary care mentor. This will entail monthly or bi-monthly virtual meetings to share your medical expertise and discuss best practices and clinical cases as needed.
- The AAMA has received a request for support from AHAOP, one of our partners, in Armenia. They are an organization primarily geared to care for a geriatric population (social and health care). They are at risk of losing their center as they have fallen behind in rent. They have partial funding from UMCOR, an Armenian Charitable Foundation. However, they still need to cover an additional $9,000 for the year. Those interested in supporting their work, please visit one of the 2 AHAOP fundraising accounts below:
- GoFundMe account:
- Patreon account:
- The AAMA continues to explore other collaboration opportunities locally with the Armenian Pharmacy Association in Boston, and in Armenia / Artsakh with COAF and HENAR. Stay tuned.
- A warm welcome to the many students who have joined the AAMA recently. We have many students interested in observerships – please let us know if you can accommodate and we will try to match specialties. Ruben Oganesyan successfully completed an observership in Dermatoathology at MGH. We also have a dedicated Members Forum page on our website for any announcements you would like to post at https://aamaboston.org/member-forum/#!board/MemberForum
- 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. You can also renew your membership and update your profile including mailing address at https://aamaboston.org/join/#account/join
- Pay your dues through the website electronically ($150 for licensed practitioners, $75 for residents and fellows, free for all students). AAMA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit 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. Any amount counts and will help us reach our collective goal to promote excellence in healthcare in the Armenian communities we serve and support the professional development of our members in the Boston area and throughout New England.
With respect
Vatche’
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