President’s Message

Assalam o Alaikum
To all my alumni sisters who are sharing a combined vision for FJMCAANA with me and my executive council.
I will start my message with a sincerest gratitude to Allah Almighty who bestowed upon me this opportunity to continue to serve my mother institution FJMU. For me to serve as the President of Fatima Jinnah Medical College Alumni Association of North America (FJMCAANA 2023) holds a deeper meaning. I simply personify to live the legacy and strong bond that the long-standing affiliation of my paternal aunts, beloved mother, and each of the esteemed alumni of Fatima Jinnah Medical University have upheld. I as President of FJMCAANA, 2023, role models the continuation of this heritage of selfless service to all humanity via my Fatima Jinnah Medical College Alumni Association of North America. This is a humble responsibility to hold strong and keep this torch lit as brightly as possible before passing it on to future generations.

My predecessors at FJMCAANA, especially Dr Fizza Rafiq and Dr Nighat Mehdi who have been inspirational in sparking up this torch of unmatchable zest and enthusiasm, have invigorated and refreshed FJMCAANA to a new level.
Our journey over the past decades and the momentum that has now built up in recent years has given our FJMCAANA a star recognition within main APPNA not just coming out of COVID successfully, stronger than ever. But also, with the organized, unified members of our Executive councils and overwhelming support of all alumni members in
all our proposed projects that were taken up. Alhamdulillah completed and delivered as promised. We as a smaller alumnus have proven that quality of our actions and Amal are significantly noted, inshallah, in this world and hereafter.
As President of FJMCAANA 2023 I will continue to support and strengthen the already established endeavors and bring forth some exciting ideas that can hopefully be realized and continued.
As a President I have certain goals in 2023.

1. Increase our lifetime and annual membership and keep a database of members.

2. Due to the catastrophic floods in Pakistan and the devastation that ensued in the aftermath, Pakistan’s vulnerable rural areas are in urgent and dire need of our financial help for the long-term process of rehabilitation.
   FJMCAANA has collaborated with Customs Health Care Society to adopt, and help rebuild the community, one village at a time. This involves building houses for families who have lost a roof over their head, providing basic health coverage with a local dispensary and some lifesaving medications. Clean water, renovating schools and setting up provisions for clean water supply. We will continue to financially support the ongoing needs of Kashani Basti and hopefully more villages we adopt as the rehabilitation process goes on.
3. Currently we have given scholarship to 2 students for furthering their graduate medical education in US by a generous scholarship of $5000 given by Fawad Zafar and Aaisha Zafar in the name of their mother Professor Bilquis. Both candidates have secured residency in the US. We have 2 current candidates in the process of securing this Qaz- e- Hasna, micro financial $5000 scholarship totaling for $10,000. We hope and believe we can increase the slots. I also envision having a FJMCAANA home for these young, motivated physicians who need to come to US for Observerships.

4. I am honored to serve as the Houston Ambassador for TAKMIL Foundation and will continue to support Primary education for children in remote areas of Pakistan, we will continue to collaborate in pledging education for children. Early literacy is the only way for a better future for generations as well as our country Pakistan. We have renewed the MOU with TAKMIL for 1 year.
5. Help to streamline the process of Transcript Verification, which is a very cumbersome
   process now.
6. Make a digital database of FJ Alumni in different geographic areas of the world to reconnect with.
7. Start a graduate Family Medicine Program at FJMU with Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Gondal and faculty at FJMU. Engage FJ Alumni in more academic and research activities through mutual ventures.
8. Continue “FJMCAANA Health Channel” and educational services via the Online Free Medical Camps in collaboration with Dr Samina Taufeeq in Pakistan and using her Facebook and YouTube health. We have a theme every month and our motto is “Prevention is our Passion “.
9. We will be supporting various endeavors at SGRH and Mother and Child Hospital.
10. Continue our Student Scholarships for deserving students at FJMU in mutual collaboration with APPNA.
11. Continue our collaboration with AFJOG to find common grounds to help and support each other.
12. Provide a platform for our young students at FJMU where we can guide them to
    excel and shine across the globe with pride and confidence.

I am proud of my Executive Council, Dr Sadaf Ali, Dr Umbreen Chaudhary, Dr Madiha Khan and Dr Fizza Rafiq. They all are motivated and dedicated to raising bars of our Alumni. Our strength is in our unified vision for our Alma Mater carved by our combined input from Alumni Association and members. We have a long way to go but together
this journey of a thousand’s miles will be traversed one step at a time. But we need to do it together.

There is no good in extravagance, however, there can never be extravagance in good deeds.
Prophet Mohammad ( P.B.U.H)

FJMCAA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, 2023
Hibba Haider, MD. DIMPH. MIH. Class of 1997
President
hibbahaider@gmail.com

Sadaf Ali MD – Class of 1996
General Secretary
Umbreen Chaudhary, MD – Class of 1997
Treasurer
Madiha Khan M.D. Class of 2005
Councillor At Large
Fizza Zahid Rafiq M.D. Class of 1996
Immediate Past President