Saturday, November 6, 2021

7AM-12PM PACIFIC TIME

7:00 AM      Welcoming Remarks – Vicken Sepilian, MD, FACOG, President, AMIC

Message from the President of Armenia, Mr. Armen Sarkissian – Delivered by Mr. Gevorg Melikyan, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Armenia

Arsen Torosyan, Member of Parliament, National Assembly of Armenia, Minister of health 2018-2021

Anahit Avanesyan, Minister of Health, Republic of Armenia

Mikael Hayriyan, Minister of Healthcare, Artsakh

Zareh Sinanyan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Republic of Armenia

7:30 AM      Opening Plenary Session Day 1

Moderated by: Ara Babloyan (Yerevan, Armenia), Lilian Grigorian (Madrid, Spain), Kim Hekimian (New York, USA)

AMIC President’s Address - Vicken Sepilian, MD, FACOG

COVID in Armenia from First Reported Case to Overcoming the Pandemic - Araz Chiloyan, MPH, Consultant, Ministry of Health of Armenia

Diasporas’ Role in Armenia’s Healthcare Sector: Results from the NIH/MoH/AMIC Survey of Healthcare Professionals and Executives - Alexander Bazarchyan, MD, PhD, Director of RA MOH National Institute of Health named after academician S. Avdalbekyan

8:40 AM      International Organizations Engaged in Healthcare in Armenia Moderated by: Vicken Sepilian (Santa Monica, USA), Hambardzum Simonyan (Yerevan, Armenia), Araz Chiloyan (Yerevan, Armenia)

WHO in Armenia: Together for a Healthier Future - Oleg Nikolayevich Storozhenko, World Health Organization

Health and Nutrition Challenges for Armenia’s Children. UNICEF Response – Christine Weigand, UNICEF Representative to Armenia

The Power of the Diaspora Alliance - Anne-Marea Griffin, Senior Director, Diaspora and Multicultural Partnerships & Arantxa Moreno Baeta-Neves, Manager, Diaspora and Multicultural Partnerships UNICEF, USA   

9:25 AM      Collaboration Between Armenian & Diasporan Medical Associations & Specialty Groups

Moderated by: Gevorg Yaghjyan (New Haven, USA), Viken Babikian (Boston, USA), Gayane Hovhannisyan (Toronto, Canada)

                     Armenian Medical Association: Bridge Between Armenian and Diasporan Medical Societies - Armen Soghoyan, MD, PhD, President, Armenian Medical Association

Armenia Stroke Council: Highlighting the Importance of Independent Autonomous Advisory Bodies – Dr. Nune Yeghiazaryan, Head, General Neurology Department, Erebouni Medical Center, Chair, Armenia Stroke Council – Dr. Viken Babikian, Professor of Neurology, Boston University, Chair, Stroke Initiative Advisory Group for Armenia

A New Initiative of Armenia and Diaspora Medical Experts - Aramayis S. Galumyan, MD, Expert Council of Artsakh’s Ministry of Health. Head of interventional Radiology Service at Wigmore Clinic, President of Progressive Medicine NGO

War in Artsakh and COVID-19: Developments on Mental Health Field - Armen Soghoyan, MD, PhD - President, Armenian Psychiatric Association, Scientific Manager, Psychosocial Recovery Center

Rehabilitation in Post-Conflict Armenia and Artsakh: A Collaborative Initiative for Development - Nicholas Tavoukjian, MS, ATC, Founder & CEO, Armenian American Sports Medicine Coalition & V. Armineh Babikian, MS, OTR/L, Founder & Executive Director of Therapists for Armenia

Pediatric and Adult Armenian Epilepsy Group: Challenges and Opportunities – Dr. Viken Babikian, Professor of Neurology, Boston University, Chair, Stroke Initiative Advisory Group for Armenia & Aline Herlopian, MD Assistant Professor, Yale School of Medicine

10:40 AM    Updates on the 6^th International Medical Congress of Armenia (6IMCA) – Gevorg Yaghjyan, MD – Co-Chair 6IMCA

10:45 AM    Presentations by AMIC Affiliated Organizations Part I

Moderated by: Garni Barkhoudarian (Los Angeles, USA), Tagui Sarkisyan (Los Angeles, USA)

Armenian American Medical Association (AAMA)

                     Armenian International Medical Fund (AIM Fund)

                     Armenian Healthcare Association of the Bay Area (AHABA)

                     Armenian Canadian Medical Association of Ontario (ACMAO)

Armenian Medical Association – Great Britain (AMA-GB)

                     Armenian Russian Medical Association (ARMA)

Panel Discussion to Follow

Sunday, November 7, 2021

7AM-12PM PACIFIC TIME

(please note change in time in California on this day due to daylight savings)

7:00 AM      Opening Remarks

7:10 AM      Opening Session Day 2

                     Moderated by: Bagrat Alekyan (Moscow, Russia), Vicken Sepilian (Santa Monica, USA), John Bilezikian (New York, USA)

Minister of Health’s Address – Engaging the Diaspora: Working Together to Ensure a Healthier Future - Anahit Avanesyan, Minister of Health, Republic of Armenia

Minister of Health’s Address – The Status of Healthcare System in the Republic of Artsakh: Healthcare Agenda and Opportunities for Diaspora Involvement and Engagement - Mikael Hayriyan, Minister of Health, Artsakh

Crisis Response with the Diaspora: Successes, Challenges, Future Directions - Zareh Sinanyan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Republic of Armenia

8:00 AM      Healthcare Education and Lifelong Learning in Armenia and Artsakh

Moderated by: Jerry Manoukian (San Francisco, USA), Viken Babikian (Boston, USA), Georges Mosditchian (Paris, France), Asadur Tchekmedyian (Montevideo, Uruguay)

Medical Education in Armenia – Yervand Sahakyan, MD, Vice Rector, Yerevan State Medical University

American University of Armenia and Healthcare Education – Varduhi Petrosyan, PhD, MS, Dean American University of Armenia

The Transformation of Continuing Medical Education in Armenia – Sona Sargsyan, MD,  Head of National Certification Center for professional Development, NIH, MoH, RA

NIH's experience Working with the Armenian Diaspora during the COVID-19 Pandemic - Alexander Bazarchyan, MD, PhD, Director of RA MOH National Institute of Health named after academician S. Avdalbekyan

An Active Platform for Enhancement of Talent Creation & Development - International Center for Professional Development (ICPD) – Rafi Avitsian, MD, FASA

Development of the Sustainable Model of Continuing Professional Development for Healthcare Practitioners of Armenia Regions and Artsakh - Hambardzum Simonyan, MD, Fund for Armenian Relief, Healthcare Programs Director           

9:05 AM      Multi-Sectoral Cooperation and Coordination

Moderated by: Lawrence Najarian (New Jersey, USA), Elena Sagayan (San Francisco, USA), Armen Soghoyan (Yerevan, Armenia)

Developing the Oxygen Producing Capacity in Armenia: A Collaborative Effort between A.Alikhanyan Yerevan Institute of Physics and Diasporan Healthcare Stakeholders – Ani Aprahamian, PhD Director A.Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory of Armenia and Frank M. Freimann Professor of Physics, University of Notre Dame

Unifying Diasporan Organizations, the United AIO Experience – Maral Mouradian, MD, FAANS

Armenia Fund in Healthcare – Anna Aghajanian, Head of Programs and External Relations Department

The New York Area Diaspora Impact on Healthcare Delivery in Armenia  - Lawrence V. Najarian, MD, President, The Armenian American Health Professionals Organization, PA, AMIC Executive Committee Advisor, Assistant Clinical Professor, New York University School of Medicine

9:50 AM     Updates on the 6^th International Medical Congress of Armenia (6IMCA) – Hambardzum Simonyan, MD – Co-Chair 6IMCA

9:55 AM      Presentations by AMIC Affiliated Organizations Part II

Moderated by: Shant Shekherdimian (Yerevan, Armenia), Salpy Akaragian (Yerevan, Armenia)

American Armenian Health Professionals Organization (AAHPO)

Armenian American Medical Society (AAMS)

Armenian American Nurses Association (AANA)

Armenian Medical Association of Quebec (AMAQ)  

Armenian Medical Association of Spain (AMADeA)

Eternal Nation Foundation

                     Fighting Infectious Diseases in Emerging Countries (FIDEC)

                     Sante Arménie, France

                     Union Medicale Armenienne de France, Lyon (UMAF – Lyon)

                     Union Medicale Armenienne de France, Paris (UMAF – Paris)

Panel Discussion to Follow