College of Medicine students presented at the Association of Physicians of Pakistani-Decent of North American – Northeast Ohio chapter (APPNA-NEO) Future Forward: Leading Through Innovation CME & Gala earlier this year. Humza Akbar (rising M3) helped organize the event and coordinate student research presentations.
Programming included several compelling presentations including “Hot Topics in Cardio-oncology,” presented by Fawad Taj, M.D., as well as “Impact of Real-World Data and Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Healthcare,” presented by Rehan Waheed, M.D. Physicians, residents and students from any background were welcome to attend both the meeting and gala.
NEOMED student poster presentations included:
- Ankit Patel (rising M3) presented a poster, titled “Ultrasound-guided Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy: Efficacy in Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis Management and Outcomes”
- Zoya Khan (rising M4) presented a poster, titled “Right Atrial Appendage Aneurysm in an Infant with Cor Triatriatum: A Rare Association”
- Sophie Tayade, Alex You and Abdullah Ali (rising M3s) presented a poster, titled “Strategies to Foster Mentorship in Medicine”
Special “thank you” to the following judges who volunteered their time:
- Fatima Samad, M.D. – Cardiology
- Muhammad Ghazanfar Husnain, M.D. – Internal Medicine
Describing her experience at this event, rising third-year Zarah Shah shared: “It was such an amazing experience to be able to connect with professionals within my community. The CME lectures, particularly those on high value care in psychiatry and innovations in dermatology, were extremely topical and digestible, even for those of us at the beginnings of our education. I loved seeing my fellow NEOMED students give standout poster presentations and was excited to hear that a NEOMED team took home best poster presentation. This event is open to anyone, so I look forward to seeing more NEOMED students when I attend this conference again next year.”
Describing his poster presentation experience, rising third-year student Alex You shared: “Attending regional conferences like APPNA-NEO can be extremely beneficial to students early in their career journey. For example, during the lunch hour, I was seated near physicians in cardiology, general surgery, dermatology and internal medicine from hospital systems including University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth. Based on my interests, I know I can reach out to them later in my career and even meet with them in-person again.”
Describing his second year attending this event, rising third-year student Abdullah Ali shared: “I see immense value in hearing from physicians across specialties and topics, because this is the time where I can learn and see how their perspectives can be woven into the type of physician I will become. Even though I am not Pakistani, I have great respect and appreciation for the opportunity to connect with communities in a professional setting.”
Congratulations to these student organizers and presenters for representing NEOMED at this level! Thank you to the APPNA-NEO planning committee for providing this valuable opportunity.
– Submitted by Humza Akbar and Sophie Tayade, rising third-year College of Medicine students
GALLERY
Photo: Attendees of the APPNA-NEO conference
Photo: from left Farnaz Baig, LPCC, MetroHealth, Khalid Akbar, M.D., of University Hospitals, and NEOMED student Humza Akbar.
Photo: from left, Sarah Mirza, Zarah Shah, Sophie Tayade and Zoya Khan
Photo: Requisite conference selfie
Photo: Sophia Tayade, right, answers questions about a poster
