Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America


The Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America is an American nonprofit organization headquartered in Westmont, Illinois, United States. It is one of the largest medical associations in the United States.
APPNA is the largest medical organization of expatriate Pakistanis.

Founding

In 1976, Dr. Zaheer Ahmed, a Pakistani gastroenterologist based in Michigan, envisioned an idea of a professional organization of Pakistani physicians in the U.S and Canada that would provide a platform for social gatherings and a vehicle for educational and humanitarian projects in Pakistan. APPNA was registered in the state of Michigan as a non-profit charitable organization on 29 August 1978. The Internal Revenue Service granted it tax exempt status in 1983.

Past presidents

The list of APPNA's past presidents includes:
  1. Dr. Zaheer Ahmed, 1979-80
  2. Dr. Kamil Muzaffar, 1980-81
  3. Dr. M Ayub Omayya, 1981 and 1982
  4. Dr. S. Amjad Hussain, 1982-83
  5. Dr. Amanullah Khan, 1983-84
  6. Dr. M. Aslam Malik, 1984-85
  7. Dr. Ikramullah Khan, 1985-86
  8. Dr. Hassan Imam Bukhari, 1986-97
  9. Dr. Nasim Ashraf, 1987-88
  10. Dr. Mohammad Murtaza Arain, 1988-89
  11. Dr. Arif Ali Akbar Toor, 1989-90
  12. Dr. Arif Muslim, 1990-91
  13. Dr. Mushtaq A. Khan, 1991-92
  14. Dr. Prevez Ali Shah, 1992-93
  15. Dr. M. Khalid Riaz, 1993-94
  16. Dr. Waheed Akbar, 1994-95
  17. Dr. Mushtaq Sharif, 1996
  18. Dr. Shaukat H. Khan, 1997
  19. Dr. Durdana Gilani, 1998
  20. Dr. Shabir H. Safdar, 1999
  21. Dr. M. Javed Akhtar, 2000
  22. Dr. Riaz Chaudhry, 2001
  23. Dr. Mohammad Suleman, 2002
  24. Dr. Raana Akbar, 2003
  25. Dr. Omar Taimoor Atiq, 2004
  26. Dr. Hussain G. Malik, 2005
  27. Dr. Abdul Rashid Piracha 2006
  28. Dr. Nadeem A. Kazi, 2007
  29. Dr. Mahmood Alam, 2008
  30. Dr. Syed Abdus Samad, 2009
  31. Dr. Zeelaf B. Munir, 2010
  32. Dr. Manzoor A. Tariq, 2011
  33. Dr. Saima Zafar, 2012
  34. Dr. Javed Suleman, 2013
  35. Dr. Asif M. Rehman, 2014
  36. Dr. Mubasher E. Rana, 2015
  37. Dr. M. Nasar Qureshi, 2016
  38. Dr. Sajid Chaudhary, 2017
  39. Dr. Iqbal Zafar Hamid, 2018
  40. Dr. Naseem A. Shekhani, 2019
  41. Dr. Ghazala Naheed Usmani, 2020
  42. Dr. M. Rizwan Khalid, 2021
  43. Dr. Haroon H. Durrani, 2022
  44. Dr. Arshad Rehan, 2023

Constituent alumni organizations

The following university alumni organizations are constituent members of APPNA:

Representation in Pakistan Government Health Task Force

In December 2021, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan gave APPNA representation in his government's health task force for getting its input towards improving the healthcare system in the country.

Meetings

APPNA holds four meetings through the year. Its meetings present opportunities for continuing medical education as well as social get-togethers. The four meetings are:
  1. Spring meeting
  2. Annual summer convention
  3. Fall meeting
  4. Winter meeting

Activism

Amidst news of the exorbitantly high prices of the COVID-19 vaccine set in Pakistan, APPNA wrote to the Prime Minister to express its concern. "A human tragedy must not be allowed to be used for profiteering," the APPNA association pleaded in the letter. The association recommended that the government should undertake the task of importing the vaccine itself, "on an emergent basis" as it is "best positioned to negotiate favorable rates with manufacturers." The group of doctors noted that although ideally the vaccine should be available to all free of cost, but if the country's financial situation did not allow it, it should be sold "at no more than cost". It also urged for subsidies to be provided to the poor regardless.
In March 2022, the United States Department of State acknowledged APPNA's efforts for COVID-19 relief.
APPNA members offer free community healthcare through free clinics.