DALLAS, TX – July 9, 2025 – The stage is set for the 48th annual convention of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA), kicking off tomorrow in Dallas, Texas. A vibrant pre-welcome event held at the Dallas Palm Event Center offered a preview of the four-day gathering, hailed as APPNA’s largest convention to date.
Host Committee Chairman Dr. Muhammad Tariq, alongside Co-hosts Dr. Fazal and Dr. Naeem Tahirkheli, welcomed attendees to the pre-event. APPNA President Dr. Humira Qamar, addressing the media, emphasised the convention’s significance: “This four-day event brings together our community from across Pakistan, the USA, Canada, and globally,” she stated. “It’s a cornerstone event for Pakistani physicians worldwide.”
The convention promises a packed agenda combining professional development, strategic planning, and community engagement. Highlights include:
Continuous Medical Education (CME): Accredited sessions for physicians.
APPNA Bazaar: An exhibition showcasing products and services.
Business Meetings: Physicians will strategize for the upcoming year.
Social Forums: Discussions on issues relevant to Pakistani Americans and Canadians.
Dr. Qamar underscored APPNA’s extensive outreach across the USA, Canada, and Pakistan. She detailed the organization’s crucial support for young doctors: “Medical education is paramount. We mentor Pakistani medical graduates settling here, assisting them with residencies and job placements through our clinics. We offer internships and externships to enhance their resumes and familiarize them with the healthcare system.”
Beyond professional support, APPNA’s commitment to large-scale social welfare projects was highlighted. “We run multi-million dollar projects in Pakistan,” Dr. Qamar explained. “This includes initiatives like our SOS program sending corneas to treat blindness, installing water pumps, and executing numerous welfare projects through local partners.”
Reflecting on the preparations, Hosts Dr. Fazal and Dr. Tahir Khaskheli informed Chairman Dr. Muhammad Tariq that the committee had worked “day and night” to organize the Dallas event. The Host Committee extended a special invitation to the Dallas Pakistani community to participate and warmly welcomed guests arriving from across North America.
Local Dallas physicians Dr. Khalil Khan and Dr. Hassan Arif shared their perspectives on the importance of the APPNA convention. Young doctors who recently arrived from Pakistan for higher education expressed profound gratitude for APPNA’s role. “APPNA plays a vital role for young doctors and provides immense help,” one stated.
Adding to the cultural dimension, renowned Pakistani fashion designers Deepak Perwani and Iram Sheikh, also attending the convention, shared their views on the event’s significance.
The 48th APPNA Convention officially opens tomorrow, July 10th, at the Dallas Palm Event Center.
Dr. Humeera Qamar said that I am the president of APPNA’s 42nd convention. I am a paediatrician in Florida, and right now, we are all gathered here as our APPNA convention starts tomorrow in Dallas, Texas, for four days. This is our major convention, where people from Pakistan, the USA, Canada, and around the world come together to make our convention a success. We have a bazaar, continuing medical education for physicians, and our business meeting, where APPNA physicians brainstorm for the next year. All this happens over a few days, and we have social forums during these four days where we discuss issues affecting the Pakistani-American and Pakistani-Canadian diaspora and seek solutions for them. Every night, especially on the last day of the convention, we provide dinner and entertainment to our audience to remind them of Pakistan.
Dr. Tariq said that I am the chairperson of the APPNA Dallas meeting. We are so excited to have this fun meeting. It will be a four- to five-day function, with all our friends coming from out of town and out of the country. During the day, there will be continuing education, social forums, and many activities. In the evening, there are dinners and events. We are expecting close to three thousand doctors from all over America. Old friends meet, catch up, and get revitalized. Everyone looks forward to it. Many people are coming from Pakistan, including fashion designers and singers. It will be exciting, and we are looking forward to it. Thank you so much.
Fazal Akbar Ali said that i am co-chair of APPNA’s annual banquet happening in Dallas. Every year, we have our annual event where about four thousand Pakistani doctors, philanthropists, and businessmen come and join us. During this event, we do a lot of activities, including medical education, with cardiology and other subspecialty events being arranged. Cardiology was arranged recently this year by Dr. Nita Hailey. Thank you very much. APPNA has two missions: one is education, and the other is philanthropy. For education, every morning there will be many hours of lectures by the most famous people from around the world and America, who are of Pakistani origin, giving lectures to our other doctors. As for philanthropy, it’s obvious that when you look from the outside, it seems like a lot of fun and festivities, but we live in America and among foreigners. We want to create our own Pakistan, so for two or three days a year, we invite all our friends and people from Pakistan, sit together, joke, recite poetry, laugh, hug each other, and alongside that, we do philanthropic work. We think about how we can help Pakistan and how we can help Pakistani people here, especially doctors. We think about how we can help new doctors coming from Pakistan or those who want to come. We raise funds for them and help them move forward. Doctors from here go to Pakistan to educate, working with institutions like Indus Hospital, training local doctors and treating Pakistani patients. When you see the news, you might think it’s all about fashion shows or that Atif Aslam will perform, but the underlying goal is how we can help with education and philanthropy.
Dr. Maria Ehsan said, “I am a graduate of King Edward Medical University. I am rotating with Dr. Tahir Naeem Kheli, and I am very excited to attend the APPNA summer convention. It’s a great opportunity to network with seniors, learn from them, seek their guidance, and revive the cultural activities taking place at the APPNA meeting.
Dr. Manzoor said, “I am from Peshawar, Pakistan, and I am a cardiologist by profession. I am here to conduct research in cardiology. We are currently at the APPNA conference, where we hope to meet many other Pakistani doctors, inshallah. I am here with Dr. Naeem Tarkheli and my other colleagues, and we are engaged in research and observership. This allows doctors from the U.S., who are of Pakistani origin, to learn techniques that are not available in Pakistan. This is an excellent opportunity, and we are gaining a lot of knowledge. We are very grateful to the doctors in America. Our goal and intention, inshallah, is to use the skills we learn here for the betterment of our country.
Hassan Arif said that I’m a graduate of Allama Iqbal Medical College. I’m the chair of alumni host committee and I’m a proud member of APPNA. We are organizing this APPNA 2025 at Dallas and we are very excited to host everyone. We welcome all of you.
It will be a lot of fun to get together with all friends, alumni, old friends, senior, junior, a lot of entertainment with Arif Lohar, Atif Aslam. So I look forward to seeing you all. Come and we will all enjoy together.
Deepak Perwani said that we are here in Dallas for APPNA. We are very excited because tomorrow we have our fashion show as well. Many people have come from Karachi. I think this year’s APPNA will be great. There is a lot of talent, many designers, singers, and actors. Everyone is showcasing their brand-new collections, and we are showcasing ours too. So, if you are in Dallas, you must come
Eram Sheikh said that, we are designers, and we are here at APPNA. We have a fantastic exhibition here, and we have come from far away to participate. I am from Karachi, and this is my first time at this place. I have heard a lot about it, that it’s an amazing venue and a great platform for our designers, various vendors, jewelers, and clothing businesses. We are receiving a very good response here.
The most important thing is that we have brought our Pakistani culture with us. As you know, we promote Pakistan and its heritage. It feels wonderful to be in another country where Pakistani things are appreciated and liked. It makes us very proud of our culture and our country.
