Dear members and colleagues of the Iranian American Medical Association (IAMA),

It is my pleasure to present this report on IAMA activities in 2009. The online version of the Bulletin of Iranian American Medical Association now replaces the print form of that publication. The online bulletin facilitates access to information pertinent both nationally and internationally to our organization, and we hope that it will increase our membership and improve communication with our members. It will also enable us to save considerable printing and postage costs that can then be applied to other projects. The publication of our e-bulletin could not have been accomplished without the persistent and continuous efforts of the members of the board of trustees, the Publications Committee, and the IAMA-Javaan, to whom I am eternally grateful.

The members of the Publication Committee (especially Ali Alizadeh Sovari, MD; and Omid Zad, MD, our Web master) have been greatly instrumental in establishing the e-bulletin. I am particularly proud of the members of the IAMA-Javaan and their accomplishments under the leadership of their current president, Afshin Ashkan, MD. Dr. Ashkan’s activities during 2009 - 2010 have included joining the International Medical Graduates Section of the American Medical Association (AMA) without incurring additional dues from the AMA, orchestrating the IAMA-Javaan annual scientific and social meeting, establishing for members of the IAMA a financially profitable relationship with the Kaplan Institute, and participating in a recent interview on the southern California radio station 670AM-KIRN, which should improve the recognition of the IAMA in the Iranian community.

Our annual meeting, which was held in Boston, Massachusetts, during the Memorial Day weekend, was a great success. Thanks to the board of directors of the Massachusetts chapter of IAMA, especially, Hamid Esbah, MD, the president of that chapter, for his utmost cooperation and help.

The 2009 continuing medical education program was outstanding, and we have been introduced to the work of several new gifted Iranian physicians and researchers who have made outstanding presentations, all of which made us proud of our Iranian scholars. Continuing medical education credits were awarded by Rosalind Franklin University (Chicago Medical School), and we thank Fredrick Ellyin, MD, who facilitated the availability of those credits. Thanks, too, to Hosein Shokouh-Amiri, MD, and Ali Moshirfar, MD, who organized and moderated the continuing medical education program.

I would also like to thank the 9 state chapter presidents and their boards of directors for their dedication and efforts in promoting the goals of the IAMA.

At present, the IAMA is in good financial shape, due in large part to our frugal management and having saved the cost of printing and postage for the IAMA bulletin by replacing it with an online version.

The next annual meeting of the IAMA will be held in, Las Vegas, Nevada, from May 28 to May 30, 2010. We negotiated with the exclusive Paris Las Vegas Hotel to obtain the economical rate of $119.00 per night and with the adjacent Bally Hotel ($89.00 per night). A limited number of those rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, after which different rates will apply. Remember, we’ll be there on the Memorial Day weekend, during which prices are usually higher than the customary rate. Please make your reservation as soon as possible by calling (toll-free) 877-603-4389 for either hotel.

Respectfully submitted,

President, IAMA