2012 – Las Vegas
On behalf of the entire executive board & personally, I would like to thank each and every one of you and your families who traveled all the way to Las Vegas to attend & participate. I hope you all enjoyed the meeting and if there were any glitches or misgivings please accept my heartfelt and personal apologies. I would also like to thank Candi Thomas of MDR services for tirelessly working and helping us organize the meeting especially when the venue had to be changed at the last minute due to flooding. Cristina Lopez & her staff at Embassy Suite very graciously accommodated us & we are extremely thankful.
Our meeting began on Thursday, with a reception dinner on Oct 4th at “India Palace “ restaurant. I can say that many of you missed a delicious, savory, finger licking meal. Many of us were awestruck by the wide variety of dishes & remarkable hospitality of Surjit Heera along with his staff. Moreover we had a great turnout.
It was very impressive to see many young generation Sikh doctors and medical students who attended the meeting with remarkable zeal and participated despite the limitations, since they are busy with studies, careers & small children. We had about 35 percent of registrants who were in the young physician/dentist category.
On Friday, after our General Body meeting we had chance to see clips of a movie “Kab Gal Lavehnge”, depicting socio-religious aspects in Punjab and the drug menace. This was followed by very impressive presentation by representatives of Guru Nanak Mission Medical & Educational Trust Dhahan Kaleran on a upcoming medical college there. This is our sister organization in Punjab with whom we have a letter of understanding & members are urged to support the project. Dr Amarjit S Nijjar, as always, put up a wonderful evening “For NASMDA by NASMDA” which had many new performers – delightful comedians, poets & singers. There is no dearth of talent in NASMDA. Again we had a real treat when the attendees enjoyed the very delicious dinner catered by India Palace.
As always Dr Mandeep S Dhalla the CME Coordinator put up a stellar CME program with magnificent speakers. This time the CME was held only on Saturday Oct 6th. He deserves commendation for an exemplary job. We were all impressed by the ease and proficiency with which the speakers delivered the lectures and responded to many questions. Dr Satwant S Dhillon ‘s presentation on Hormone Replacement Therapy was very scholarly and well rounded. Dr Upinder Singh, a Geriatrician from Las Vegas, made his very informative lecture on Alzheimer’s interesting with humor and wit. Dr Gurtej Singh‘s wonderful presentation on Interventional Spinal Therapies showed his mettle as a very proficient pain specialist. Dr Vikram S Brar‘s presentation on Viteroretinal Update was remarkable and had everyone spellbound. Dr Mohanpal S Dulai a
Neuropathologist spoke on Role of Sangat in Professionalism which was thought provoking. All these lectures were by younger generation of Sikh doctors and were far superior to many CME lectures one may have attended elsewhere. These speakers certainly serve as great role models for medical students,residents & fellows .
After the CME program, Dr Mandeep S Dhalla spoke about the role of Dasvandh in our lives and the existence of Dasvandh Network which can help channel our donations to various Sikh organizations & projects. Jakara movement representatives showed a very moving video of their youth projects that build strong character. International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination apprised us of their global availability in times of need. We were all spell bound by the documentary “Golden Temple Revealed”, a Discovery Channel production. It was coordinated by Dr Maninder S Gujral and his wife Renu Gujral. He also showed clips about his upcoming documentary project “I Witness” based on the 1984 pogrom.
The Saturday evening banquet dinner & concert highlighted “Ricky Jatt” a young gursikh singer of EMDO entertainment. Born and raised in DC area, he really rocked us with his melodious voice and performance. He had the crowd on their feet, doing bhangra, both young and old. Our own Jagjot S Chilana was the fill in Dholi, and was remarkable. DJ Inder Judge of Vegas played popular numbers and I never saw the dancing floor empty except when there were presentations. You can find videos and pictures on our FACEBOOK page. I do think everyone had a great time.
Congratulations to Dr Mohanpal S Dulai who became a life member even before the meeting had convened. Some Life Member pledges were made at the meeting. My heartfelt thanks to them for their support and commitment to the organization.
List of pledges:
- Dr Amarjit Kaur Pannu from Las Vegas
- Dr Avtar S Dhillon from Vancouver
- Dr Gurtej Singh from Maryland
- Dr Virender S Kaleka from Fresno
- Dr Vikram S Brar from Virginia.
I am requesting new life members who have pledged to send in their dues . Others are more than welcome. Please fill the membership form from our website and mark the appropriate section.
As you all know the Life member fee has been discounted according to the number of years after you complete your training to encourage younger generation to join. The dues are as follows:
- Up to 3 years after training $ 500.
- 3-5 yrs after training is $ 750.
- Regular Life Membership Fee is $ 1000.
Heartiest Congratulations to our 2012 Travel Grant Recipients who attended the meeting:
- Amandeep Kaur, Med Std -4, Hollis, NY
- Baldeep Kaur Chera MD, PGY-I Canton, OH
- Jasmeet Kaur, Med Std -3, Galveston, TX
- Jasleen Singh MD, PGY -1, Moreno Valley,
- Karan P Singh MS -3, Los Angeles, CA
- Sandeep Singh Saluja , Med Std-4, Bronx, NY
- Sarabjeet Kaur Arneja MD, PGY II New York, NY
- Simren Jit Kaur Singh, Med Std,-4 Saginaw,MI
- Supreet Singh Bindra, MD, PGY III Philadelphia,PA
- Tripta Resham Singh Med Std Extern New York ,NY
- Kanwar Preet Singh MD, PGY II, Dallas, TX
- Harpreet Singh Wadhwa MD, PGY II, Chicago, IL
I sincerely hope the grant recipients will spread the word about NASMDA and highlight the importance of joining and being active in the organization.
There are few changes in the executive board. Dr Manbir Kaur Pannu has very graciously agreed to fill the much needed Dental liaison position. Dr Sangeeta Kaur, another Member at Large will be an additional CME coordinator.
Heartfelt Congratulations to Dr Kulwant Singh Modi, a member at large, who was elected Secretary /Treasurer. His term will begin after the annual meeting, Oct 10th -13th 2013 (Columbus Day weekend). I will keep you informed of the exact venue.
Please remember NASMDA will have a new beginning in 2013 . There are going to be very exciting changes which I am going to keep you all abreast. Please ensure NASMDA has your most current email address and also pass this communication to your Sikh doctor/dentist friends who you believe are not aware of us. Our email address is NASMDA@gmail.com .
Our website is WWW.NASMDA.ORG very ably managed by our own President Dr Mohan Deep S Dhillon
On behalf of the entire NASMDA board, our President Dr Mohandeep S Dhillon, I wish you all a pleasant fall and happy thanksgiving.
Guru Fateh
Aap Da Sewadar
Amarjot S Narula MD DFAPA
Secretary/Treasurer NASMDA
Highlights from our 2012 Annual Meeting:
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