AAMS & YSMU Meeting Leads to a Global Health Initiative

GLENDALE – A formal meeting between the Armenian American Medical Society (AAMS) Executive Board, led by Raffi Tachdjian, MD, MPH and Prof. Armen Muradyan Rector of Mkhitar Heratsi Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU) and Former Health Minister of The Republic of Armenia, was held at the Armenian Consulate in Glendale, CA. The meeting was facilitated by Dr. Shant Shekherdimian Pediatric surgeon at UCLA Health.

This visionary and impactful meeting took place at the Armenian consulate in the presence of the Deputy General Consul of Armenia Valery Mkrtumyan. The primary objective of this meeting was to open a dialogue to discuss collaboration between AAMS and YSMU. The plan for this collaboration and AAMS’s goal is to foster a new era of communication and sharing of ideas, to increase the school’s impact both scientifically and altruistically in order to become a model system to be exemplified by other countries and healthcare systems.

The parties reached concrete goals to set an outline that looks to assist, not just the students both here in the diaspora and in Yerevan, but to correspondingly lay the foundation to strengthen the impact the school will have, this collaboration will have, and to make YSMU one of the leading schools in the world.

The AAMS plans on fostering this long distance relationship by growing and cultivating students, professors, faculty and a complete system for health. The vision is to create a self-sustaining system of healthcare to not only serve the people but to be a role-model for other countries and systems worldwide. This commitment serves to strengthen YSMU’s world ranking, and to not only help students succeed but to also create exchange programs in order for the science, knowledge and information to flow not only from teacher to student but through multiple channels worldwide, consistently.

“We had a very productive meeting with Professor Armen Muradyan. By having these colleagues in Yerevan we will be able to work closely and forge a path forward with a solid outline and solid roles to be partitioned off and to eventually come together with a bigger picture than we envision now that will lead to a superb entity and union with the two parties involved. Through this cooperative effort we hope that today’s meeting will define our roles within our respective medical organizations and put together this quilt of information in order to create self-sustaining system of healthcare. Tonight’s meeting was an excellent start to make this vision and to make positive and impactful changes” said Dr. Raffi Tachdjian.

Photo Caption:
Standing from left : Dr. Haroutun Hovanesian, Dr. Armond Kotikian, Dr. Silva Gasparian, Razmik Stepanyan, Valery Mkrtumian Deputy General Consul, Osheen Keshishian, Dr. Shant Shekherdimian
Sitting from left: Harut Sassounian, Dr. Armen Muradyan, Rector of YSMU, Raffi Tachdjian, President of AAMS and Dr. Hmayak Sisakyan