Networking Event for IT Experts, Doctors, Academics and Engineers in Phoenix
By Yousaf Bhuvad
Pictures above: Glimpses of the networking events organized by APPNA-AZ and PANSEP in Phoenix on December December 14, 2008 at Mesa Hilton
The Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America - Arizona Chapter (APPNA-AZ) and Pakistani American Network of Science & Engineering Professionals (PANSEP) organized a very successful networking event on Sunday, December 14, 2008 at Mesa Hilton. It was a joint program aimed at building network among physicians, IT professionals, engineers and educators living in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The APPNA session started at 1:30 pm. Dr. Asim Khwaja, the current president, welcomed the audience. His address was followed by the annual reports of the Executive Council. Dr. Azhar Jan presented the Treasury Report. Dr. Taqi Azam presented the Secretary Report and Dr. Asim Khwaja presented the President Report. Asim Khwaja then gave an update on the ISPU (Institute for Social Policy and Understanding) pilot research project of Muslim physicians’ positive impact on local communities in rural and urban areas of the United States . This was followed by an update on the free clinic in Phoenix. Physicians volunteer their services every Saturday morning at the Cultural Cup Food Bank.
A seminar was then conducted by MICA entitled “Avoiding the Perils of Medical Malpractice” that focused on risk management for Arizona physicians, allied health professionals and staff.
Connie McHugh, Associate VP for Membership and Accreditation, Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) also gave a presentation.
The meeting concluded with a report by Dr. Habib Khan. He also announced the names of the newly elected executive council members for the year 2009:
President – Taqi Azam , MD
Secretary – Rushda Mumtaz , MD
Treasurer – Azhar R. Jan, MD
The PANSEP program started at 1:30 pm in the afternoon. About 60 people gathered in the PANSEP room to listen to a number of presenters belonging to various engineering disciplines.
Nasir Raza, one of the board members of PANSEP and a civil engineer by profession, served as moderator and timekeeper. He went around the room and let each attendee introduce himself along with what every body was hoping to achieve in the networking session.
Ahmer Syed, the president of PANSEP, talked briefly about the mission of PANSEP emphasizing the role of networking in today’s job market. Ahmer is the Vice President of Mechanical and Thermal engineering in Amkor technology.
Lubna Ahmed enlightened the audience by her crisp presentation on bioengineering, specifically in the area of biosensor development. She kept the audience engaged by asking questions highlighting key takeaway messages for the young adults in the audience. Lubna is close to completing her PhD degree in bioengineering.
Asad Khan, who works in Intel as a senior staff engineer, holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering. He gave a presentation on smart phone technology discussing various components of the smart phone and its next generation architecture.
Uzair Qureshi, a senior technical marketing engineer, who works for Intel and is currently doing his executive MBA, gave a talk on careers with Engineering and MBA degrees. He talked about various types of MBA opportunities available to people with technical backgrounds. Career enhancements vary depending upon the type of an MBA degree. Shahid Pervez, who recently completed his executive MBA, also gave a presentation on MBA related topic. He covered broadly the benefits of doing an executive MBA in terms of building network, mentors and faculty resources.
Mohammed Bilal Siddiqui, an IT professional working for Motorola, gave a presentation on business process management and its impact on the bottom line of any company. Bilal also teaches in the Gilbert Community college.
Dr. Tariq Mian gave a lecture on various types of healthcare careers focusing on the benefits and growth potential of this field. There are 600 types of health care careers to choose from. He directed the young audience interested in pursuing healthcare profession to talk to the people in this business and use Internet as a resource to gather information. This is one of few areas where hiring is still going on. Tariq Mian has a PhD and an MS in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas .
The evening session started with a recitation from the Qur’an by Qasim Rahman. Shazia Malik, the master of ceremony, welcomed the guests and recognized the VIP’s. Syed Ahmer, president of PANSEP, briefly talked about PANSEP and thanked all the volunteers and the presenters of the networking session. Asim Khwaja, the president of APPNA-Az, thanked the volunteers. After the dinner was served, the keynote speaker Dr. Brian Gratton (ASU Prof. of History) gave a presentation on Four Hundred Years of Immigration to America: Ethnicity, Public Opinion and Policy, 1607 to 2008. The presentation furnished a historical perspective of immigration, an issue close to every body’s heart. It captivated the audience till the very end.
The night ended with a musical concert presented by Hanif Noormohamed and the LA Supremes Band. The audience enjoyed the songs of the sixties and seventies. Tabla player Deepak received a lot of applause for his performances on semi classical songs by Hanif.
Over 280 guests attended the banquet event.
Congratulations to APPNA and PANSEP teams for a flawless execution of a very highly successful event that brought together elite minds of our community under one roof. This has raised the bar of excellence for future community events.
For additional pictures, please visit
http://www.kodakgallery.com/yousufgallery/main/az_professional_holiday_banquet_2008
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