AMIC Info Flash           October 2016

President's message

Dear All,

A lot has happened in the past 6 months. Azeris attacked Artsakh. Diasporan reaction is varied, but includes delivery of first aid packs for the soldiers on front lines, see below. Heroes of a former conflict in NKR forcibly took over a police station and held physicians hostage. Thousands of Armenians marched in the streets of Erebuni. Let's all pay attention.

In May, a new requirement for Continuing Medical Education credit for Armenian physicians went into effect. This is an opportunity for Diasporan health professionals to create a systematic way to offer our expertise. Please see the discussion below.

More recently we have seen the introduction of the new Prime Minister, and Armenia's new Minister of Health. Welcome Dr Altounyan.

As 2016 draws near its close, we look to 2017 with the 12th Armenian Medical World Congress to be held in fabulous Buenos Aires. Registration and abstract submission are now open. Tune to www.12amwc.com

We can use help writing these Info Flash newsletters. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pachikner,
Jerry Manoukian MD

As of May 2016, physicians in Armenia are required to earn 45 hours per year of Continuing Medical Education. This is a wonderful opportunity for Diasporan physicians to help our colleagues improve their skills and practices.

Remote teaching has been discussed frequently, and has taken place in selected locations. The HyeBridge program created by the Armenia Fund and others is still in use, and there is an effort by AAHPO to renew its use. Video conferencing held at the Republican Medical Science Library uses Skype, which is easily available and often of high quality, and increasingly reliable.

Logistical issues include collection and creation of printed, computerized and online resources to supplement live activities, and translation of these resources into Armenian or Russian. Care must be taken to ensure that these online resources remain current. In the US, these "enduring materials" typically are considered out of date after a maximum of 3 years.

The Medical Outreach Program for Armenia (MOPA) is a joint effort to create teaching programs for Armenian physicians, starting with pediatric topics. It is currently planned to use GotoMeeting.com as the connectivity platform, although there is also the possibility of using HyeBridge connections. Centers for education include YSMU, the Republican Medical Scientific Library, and most hospitals. Whichever types of software we choose, there will be many opportunities for telecommunication and teaching.

Ideally, the Continuing Medical Education process in Armenia can be brought up to Western standards. A brief description of the standards can be read at this link.

The Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund has begun the delivery of first aid kits to the NKR military. These kits, used internationally in military operations, address major causes of mortality from penetrating trauma: blood loss, tension pneumothorax, and airway obstruction. They include tourniquets, bandages, chest needles to treat tension pneumothorax, and nasopharyngeal airway, with more specialized supplies for combat paramedics who have additional training in their use. Kit delivery and training of Army medical personnel began this past summer.

Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund is a tax-exempt nonprofit charity based in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Please see www.armenianwoundedheroes.com for info about their projects and donation.

Laser Dermatology Internship in Armenia

(editor's note: Drs Lilit Garibyan and Rox Anderson of Harvard University have created a Laser Dermatology program at Arabkir Hospital in Yerevan. They deserve your support.)

We are looking for talented, self-motivated and reliable pre-medical or medical student with interested in global health who can work with our organization in continuing our goal in establishing a medical laser clinic in Yerevan, Armenia. This is an unpaid internship opportunity but students are encouraged to find outside funding. The student will work directly with Dr. Lilit Garibyan and her team and at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine and at Arabkir Hospital in Yerevan, Armenia.

With this work the student will also be given the opportunity to travel to Armenia with the Harvard Medical School team for one week to participate in the treatment of patient and training of Armenian physicians on how to use lasers to treat medical conditions. The length of the internship is negotiable and can be anywhere from 1 month to one year.

Please click here for more information:
http://amicnow.org/index.php/2-uncategorised/83-laser-dermatology-internship-in-armenia

For those interested, you may also contact Dr. Lilit Garibyan directly through email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Toxic Lead Cleanup at Akhtala
Armenia Fund USA and American University of Armenia have partnered with Pure Earth (formerly the Blacksmith Institute) to assess and remediate a toxic lead site near a monastery in Akhtala, near the border with Georgia. For more info and to donate to this effort, please see:

• http://www.pureearth.org/project/akhtala-heavy-metals-project/
• http://www.armeniafundusa.org/projects/akhtala-pollution-cleaning.htm
• http://newsroom.aua.am/2016/09/11/aua-school-of-public-health-publishes-on-blood-lead-levels-of-children-in-metal-mining-and-smelting-communities/

Your projects and ideas belong in the Info Flash!  Tell us what you are doing!

We can also offer a page in the Armenian Healthcare Projects Database on the AMICnow website.  (click on the four guys holding the jigsaw puzzle in the upper left corner to see the database!)

The Long View:
January 2017: Columbia University School of Medicine and AAHPO (New York) present: Highlights of Healthcare in Armenia and the World on the Armenian Heritage Cruise,

departing Miami January 20, 2017
Speakers include Drs John Bilezikian, Varduhi Petrosyan, Robert Bagramian and Lawrence Najarian.
For info, please see http://www.columbiamedicinecme.org/ahc.html

and https://armenianheritagecruise.com/

May 31 - June 2, 2017: Save the date!
Profesionales Latinoamericanos Armenios en Salud (PLAS) presents:
The 12th Armenian Medical World Congress
in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Registration and abstract submission now open!

see 12amwc.com

              -=o0o=-

Health professionals traveling to Armenia or NKR are encouraged to contact AMIC, so that we can relay that information to anyone in Armenia/NKR needing your assistance.

Let us know your background and skills, when you will be in Armenia or NKR, and how best to reach you.
The AMIC office address is
 2500 Hospital Drive, Building 4A, Mountain View, CA 94040 USA
 Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 Telephone +1 650 961-2013
 Fax +1-888-960-1869

AMIC would like your help to produce these Info Flash articles. Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.