AAMS Awards Ten Scholarships During its Annual Christmas Celebration

GLENDALE — A joyous and festive evening was had by all at the annual Armenian American Medical Society (AAMS) Christmas Celebration and Scholarship Awards Ceremony on Thursday, December 5, 2013 at the Impressions Banquet Hall in Glendale.

With over 250 AAMS members in attendance, everyone enjoyed a sumptuous dinner and danced until midnight to amazing musical entertainment. The evening also included a brief Continuing Medical Education (CME) lecture on “Sports Injuries and Prevention: Healthy Joints Matter” presented by AAMS Members and Orthopedic Surgeons Vahan Cepkinian, MD, and Michael Abdulian, MD.

Each year, the AAMS awards scholarships to Armenian American medical and allied health care students to assist them in their education. During the evening’s Scholarship Awards Ceremony, the AAMS presented 10 – $1,000 scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year. Awardees of the AAMS Scholarships included: Babken Asatryan, Rupena Atmajian, Sona Bekmezian, Artin Galoosian, Dana Malajian, and Laura Patakfalvi. The AAMS Ladies Auxiliary Scholarships went to Arabo Aghazarian and Jennifer Ann Khoshafian. In addition, Vartan Tashjian received the Dr. Norick Boghossian Memorial Scholarship and Ara Rostamian was awarded the Aznive Kalenian and Garo Bardakjian Memorial Scholarship.

The AAMS also welcomed its new 2013-2014 Board of Directors who were elected at the General Assembly on October 23, 2013. The new Board Members include: Serineh V. Melidonian, MD, President; Manuel P. Momjian, MD, Vice President; Armond Kotikian, DDS, MD, FACS, Secretary; Silva Gasparian, PharmD, Treasurer; Evelyn Baghdasraian Barkhoudarian, MD, FAAP, Parliamentarian; Vicken Sepilian, MD, FACOG, Membership Chair; Harry Balian, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Advisor; Alex Jawharjian, PharmD, MPH, Advisor; and Raffi Tachdjian, MD, MPH, Advisor.

“I am extremely honored to be serving as the new AAMS President,” commented Serineh Melidonian, MD. “Our new board will strive to build on past successes and to promote the growth of the AAMS in the coming year.”

For more information on AAMS projects, events and scholarships, please visit our website at www.aamsc.com.