Vice Chancellor Professor Amjad Siraj Memon was invited to the eleventh annual meeting of Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) Alumni Association of North America (JSMUAANA) held in Chicago, during which he discussed various upcoming programs with the Board and Executive Council of JSMUAANA and pledged to strengthen JSMU financially.
The meeting was also attended by Dr Javed Sulaiman, Dr Maleeha Ahsan, Dr Rizwan Naeem, Dr Qazi Kamal Haider, Dr Younis Ismail, Dr Muhammad Amir, Dr Akhtar Hamidi, and the General Body of JSMUAANA.
On this occasion, the leadership of JSMUAANA presented various issues faced by overseas physicians, on which the Vice-Chancellor assured to take appropriate measures. The General Body of JSMUAANA unanimously reiterated its support for Professor Amjad Siraj Memon for the advancement of the University.
In his address at the annual dinner of JSMUAANA, the Vice-Chancellor presented his vision for the establishment of Jinnah Sindh Medical City, which was appreciated by the audience. He further briefed about the various projects that JSMU is currently working on, including the School of Nursing, the establishment of the College of Physical Therapy, the acquisition of a hospital in Landhi, and collaboration with the faculty of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC).
The Vice Chancellor also shared his long-term planning guidelines to strengthen JSMU and acknowledged the services of Professor S M Tariq Rafi as the Founding Vice-Chancellor of the University. He also appreciated the services of the present Registrar Dr Azam Khan, and members of JSMUAANA.
During the retreat, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr Emanual Joseph, Philanthropist Award was presented to Dr Ateka Zaki, Humanitarian Award was presented to Dr. Shabbir Dharamsy, and Academic Excellence Award was presented to Dr Irfan Suleman. Dr Maleeha Ahsan (President JSMUAANA) thanked the Vice-Chancellor for traveling from Pakistan and taking out time to attend the meeting. She laid out her plan for the improvement of the Psychiatric ward in JPMC, in collaboration with Soorty Group and Forever in our Heart Donation Scheme.
She offered her assistance on behalf of JSMUAANA to the Vice Chancellor for all future endeavors and thanked Dr Rahat Naz who works as the liaison of JSMUAANA in Pakistan. She presented a commemorative plaque to the Vice-Chancellor for his contribution and visit and acknowledged the hard work of Dr Rahat Sheikh and her team in organizing this retreat. Plaques were also presented to Dr Rahat Sheikh, Dr Akhtar Hamidi, and Dr Younus Ismail.
During the four-day annual meeting, various academic, social, and cultural programs were held. A mental health awareness walk was organized during the retreat in which a large number of attendees participated. More than 300 participants from across the US, the UK, and Australia attended the JSMUAANA meeting. Pakistan Independence Day was celebrated at the end of the program.
