What a difference a year makes! 2023 has come and gone and has been associated with great strides and exciting opportunities in our organization!
As another fulfilling year comes to an end, I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you. To all our selfless Members, generous sponsors and donors and relentless volunteers, I say, on behalf of the ANPA Executive Team and myself, THANK YOU! Your dedication, faith in our Mission, support, and contributions have been the fuel that has kept the engines running. Your generosity has inspired our leadership to embrace challenges and follow through with innovative solutions to help make our mission achievable.
Here are a few of the many highlights ANPA had in 2023:
- We launched ANPA ECHO Programs with bidirectional educational activity in Primary Care and Sickle cell to hundreds of multidisciplinary care team members globally.
- Provided over 17.75 CME credits in our 29th Annual National Scientific Convention, which drew over 350 attendees worldwide to New York City. The theme of the Convention was Innovations for Effective Healthcare in the 21st Century.
- Continued to scale our Stop The Bleed Programs, completing five training classes in Ogun State, Lagos State, and New York, including completing training for over 200 champions on how to address the most preventable cause of death; hemorrhage. Educating first responders (road safety personnel in Nigeria) and non-medical personnel (US) has served to further the ANPA Mission.
- Successfully conducted ANPA’s annual Medical Mission in Nigeria. In 2023, the Mission was to Ota, Ogun State, where over 5,000 patients received free medical care, including over 190 surgeries; the largest number of surgeries performed at any of our Missions. This was mainly thanks to our collaboration with Rotary International District 9110 and recruitment of local providers and bidirectional skills transfer, including three Global Health Fellows from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
- Collaborated with awesome partners including Rotary District 9110 in creating excellent pathways for medical missions, education, service delivery and public health programs. We also became a Paul Harris Fellow and partnered with the United Nations Foundation/United Against Malaria for Leadership Summit and Malaria Advocacy.
- Had our first ANPA Board of Directors Retreat with the new Board consisting of eleven members and celebrated the event with our Inaugural White Party in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
- Grew ANPA Membership substantially (by 20%), including the addition of three new ANPA Chapters in Minnesota, Triad City (Greensboro, Winston Salem and High-Point), and Alabama. We also engaged with new ANPA Members, adding two Honorary Members, Dr. Ibrahim Wada and Dr. Wole Kukoyi, both excellent stewards of the Association and a Resident/Fellow subcommittee to the Membership Committee and including an Organizational calendar. Congratulations to the subcommittee Chair, Dr. Anthony Okolo and Vice Chair, Dr. Ochuko Ogbon.
- Increased communication and engagement including by embracing innovation. Launched and completed the first Season of our ANPA Closing the Gap Podcast which reached over 100,000 views in its first season, launched the MyANPA app to assist with connectivity during our National Convention during which paper menus were avoided with associated savings.
- Raised $250,000 in special donations from Montefiore, courtesy of Dr. Phillip Ozuah, President and CEO of Montefiore Medicine, which assisted in funding our Annual Convention in New York!
- ANPA members continue to make waves locally, nationally, and globally; ANPA Member Tunji Alausa, as Minister of State and the current Minister of Health prior friend of the Organization and Speaker in prior conventions, and the numerous Nigerian physicians creating headlines all over the United States.
- Created connections with the National Lawyers Association of Americas to provide legal resources to practicing physicians.
- … and so much more!
So once again, I say thank you to our Chapter Chairs, Committee Chairs, members, volunteers, partners, sponsors and donors for the privilege of working with you over the last year. I also invite you to engage, once again, with the Organization and look forward to working with you in 2024. We are excited about what we will accomplish together in 2024. I wish you and your loved ones a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season and a bright and hopeful new year.
Thank you,
Dr. Chinyere Anyaogu,
National President,