Dear AKMG Family,

This is a monthly report from the AKMG president. The main points covered in this update include:

1. 2020-21 AKMG Mentees.

2. AKMG YOUTH ICON AWARD

3. Launchpad: Leadership course

4. AKMG HS

5. Kerala Piravi Celebrations

6. Awards and Accolades

7. AKMG Website: new look

2020-21 AKMG Mentorship Committee Residency Applicants

The mentorship committee under the leadership of Dr. Deepu Sudhakaran continues to excel in its activities. This year we had 18 mentees in the pre-residency group. Wish them luck in their application process. We are sure most of them will be successful. Please check out their profiles and support them in this journey. Click to view profiles

Enjoy the Kerala Piravi Videos


AKMG YOUTH ICON AWARD

We are pleased to invite AKMG families to nominate their talented kids for the AKMG Youth Icon Award 2022. Candidates aged between 15-25 years are encouraged to apply. Applicant has to be a child or spouse of AKMG Life Member with outstanding achievements in academics, sports, arts, literature, social work etc. Awards will be presented at the gala night on Saturday, August 6, 2022 during our annual convention in Toronto. The winner should be present at the convention. The jury's decision is final.

Please submit your applications to akmgyouthiconaward@gmail.com
Deadline: April 30th, 2022
Check list for submission:
1. Curriculum vitae
2. Two recommendation letters (one page each)
3. A personal statement (maximum two pages).


Launchpad: Leadership course

The mentorship committee and education committee under the able leadership of Drs. Deepu Sudhakaran, Rojymon Jacob, and Khaleel Ashraf as well as our Toronto Convention CME Chair Dr. Vinod Chandran have excellent plans in place for th eyear ahead. "Launchpad", AKMG's leadership course led by Dr. Marina George MD, MBA, is ready for launch. This is meant to be an introductory course on leadership in medicine and this would be immensely helpful in understanding important principles of management and leading teams of various sizes. Guest speakers will bring in different perspectives and open our minds to various career options for health care workers.


AKMG HS Philanthropy continues

Artists have been significantly affected by COVID and many were pushed to the verge of not only financial but also psychological breakdown. AKMG has developed a collaborative program to help and support some of these artists. We are contracting with artists to entertain us through the year with 3 main aims: to increase the awareness of the artforms of Kerala among our members and in North America in general, to support the artists financially and finally to provide an important platform to these artists.


Kerala Piravi Celebrations

On October 31, 2021, we will celebrate Kerala Piravi on the zoom platform. Please read the brilliant piece penned by Dr. Venugopal K. Menon MD, on Kerala and the tradition of Kerala Piravi Celebrations below. We have a great line up of artists to entertain you. This will also be our first opportunity to engage artists from Kerala in addition to our own talents. Please contact Drs. Susan Thomas, Archana Abhayambika, Radhika Nair or Deepthy Nair, if you are interested in performing. We may not be able to accommodate all on the same day. But we do plan to have periodic meetings where we can provide opportunities for all who are willing to perform. We thank all of you for your continued contributions to AKMG. We plan to stage a drama on the life and story of Shri VT Bhattathirippadu on this day. VT (1896–1982), as he is popularly known was a social reformer and an Indian independence activist. He played a major role in the fight against casteism. His famous works include the play Adukkalayail Ninnu Arangathekku ('From the Kitchen to the Stage', on the emancipation of women) and his autobiography, Kanneerum Kinavum ('Tears and Dreams').


Awards and Accolades

Congratulations Dr. Hari Parameswaran
Dr. Hari Parameswaran, past president of AKMG, is joining as Senior Vice President for Clinical Sciences at IOVANCE Biotherapeutics, a mid-sized bio-pharmaceutical company focusing on novel cellular immunotherapies for cancer. This is a brilliant move and Hari is most deserving of this important position. We wish him luck in all future endeavours.


AKMG Website: new look

The AKMG Website is getting a new fresh look. In connection with this, we are upgrading the look and functionality of the membership directory. Please help us by sending your Photo and 2-3 sentence Bio to update the Membership Directory. Please send the details to akmgoffice@gmail.com or to office@akmg.org.