Russian American Medical Association

2004 Annual Report

Boris Vinogradsky, MD
R-AMA President

General Surgery
Cleveland, OH

Dear colleagues!

It is truly an honor and a privilege for me to write to you. Russian American Medical Association is now 3 years old and we were able to do a lot and I hope made some difference in lives of many people. This short report is a culmination of efforts of many people who worked to bring us together.

Original idea:
The original idea of the Association came from Lyuba Vartikovski, MD. When I first landed in Vermont in 1991, one of my friends gave me the list of Boston’s’ Russian physician group, which was organized by her. I wanted to meet Lyuba and join the group then, but was not in the position to do that. We finally met in January of 2004 in Washington, DC.

Our work for formation of R-AMA started around 1996 in Lexington, KY, where, during my surgical residency I met several Russian residents. It took several years before the official Russian American Medical Association was formally organized. It happened on the 15th of May of 2002 in the city of Toledo by doctors Alex Senchenkov, Andrew Kriegel and me for the purpose of uniting Russian medical professionals who live and work in the United States and Canada. It was established as a non-profit charitable organization and incorporated in accordance with laws of the State of Ohio, and registered with the Office of the Secretary of State. During next few months the Association received its tax ID, the bank and credit accounts. R-AMA started to attract new members. In October of 2002 the first version of the web site of the Association was published on the Internet and the e-mail service was started.

Statistics
The Association’s size doubled in 2004 – we now have 192 full members from 31 states of the United States and Canada. We also have two members in Russia and South Africa. The database of the Association includes more than 3,000 Russian-speaking physicians and other medical professionals.

Physicians are a majority of R-AMA members
In residency 37
Practicing 81
Professors 11

By specialty:
Surgery 19
Internal Medicine/FP 42
Pediatrics 11
Psychiatry 7
OB/GYN 11
Dentistry 2
Other 16

Researchers 26
Students 39
Nurses 4
Other medical professionals 15

Main goals of R-AMA
Education and Academic Excellence
Humanitarian work
Networking
Representation

Legal status
The Association is working with several lawyers who help us with multiple legal issues (legislative, immigration etc.). We adopted the amended Articles of Incorporation and the Code of Regulations of R-AMA and they were approved by the State of Ohio. In December of 2004 we completed the application process and now officially have 501(c)(3) status of a non-profit organization.
R-AMA hired an accountant, who oversees our financial work.

R-AMA Board of Directors
The Board includes 11 people from 8 states and coordinates all R-AMA work. The BOD meets 4-6 times a year. Teleconferencing is used to connect all participants.

Local Chapters
In 2004 R-AMA grew sufficiently large to form several separate chapters – Ohio (George Muenster, DO – President), Massachusetts (formerly the Association of the Russian-speaking Physicians of Massachusetts – Michael Maysky, MD - President) and the Student Chapter (Alla Kukuyev – President). Canadian members are working of forming a chapter, as well as physicians in Missouri (Alex Beyser, MD – Coordinator) and Indiana (Dmitry Arbuck, MD – Coordinator). Ohio Chapter held its first meeting in May and the first New Year’s Ball in December of 2004.

I would like to underline the fact that our Association is not a political organization. We participate in legislative and political process but we DO NOT endorse or support any particular party, group, or political opinion.

We consider democratic principles to be of the paramount importance in the functioning of the Association. R-AMA has no intention of “enslaving” any group of physicians in different states of the Nation. We would like to expand and incorporate new regional chapters, which should be independent in their activity and decision-making. State chapter President or representative becomes a member of the Council of States (COS) and helps to coordinate our work. Michael Maysky, MD is the COS President.

Finances:
Our finances come from three main sources: membership fees and donations, sponsoring drug companies and medical equipment manufacturing companies, and fees from Association conferences and other activities. A financial report is presented to members at each annual Conference and is available to public per written request.

R-AMA Programs

The Help Initiative - Charitable Foundation
The goal of the Foundation is to provide humanitarian help to patients in the United States and Russia, with emphasis on illnesses that are not treatable in Russia and specifically children. Vladimir Bogin, MD from Longview, WA is a head of this Program.

Medical Missions Program
As a part of the Charitable Foundation, this program will provide assistance in organization of educational and clinical missions to Russia for R-AMA members, groups and partners. Gregory Chernyak, MD – Oklahoma City, OK is working on this project.

Partnership Program
The goal of the program is to coordinate efforts of multiple medical and non-medical groups that work with Russia (i.e. Cleveland-Volgograd Alliance, Kidsave International etc.)

R-AMA partners:
American International Health Alliance
Association for Advancement of Ilizarov Method
36.6C - Chicago Russian Medical Internet Magazine
Greater Cleveland-Volgograd Oblast Alliance
CluMBA
The Congress of Russian Americans
The Continental Group
Doctors without Borders
Eurasia Health Knowledge Network
Foreign Consultants, Inc.
Friends of Russian Orphans
Global Pediatrics
From Heart to Heart
www.Medico.ru
International College of Surgeons
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Kidsave International
Lake County (Ohio) Medical Society
LOREO - Local Russian Emigre Organization
The Magic House Project
Maria’s Children International
Meridian Health Group
MNAP Diagnostics
Molbiol
Physicians for Human Rights
Russian American Medical Partners
Russian Media, Inc.
The Ukrainian Medical Association of North America
US-Russian Nurses Association
Russia House
Russian Surginet
New Russian Surgical Archive
The Health Magazine

More than 20 major pharmaceutical companies support R-AMA

Scholarship Program
The goal of this program is to allow the best medical students; young doctors and medical researchers from Russia visit the United States and learn the American medical system. Nikolay Vasilyev, MD – Cleveland, OH is a head of this program. First two medical students – winners of the Russian National Scientific Contest will arrive to the USA for one-month fellowship in the summer of 2005.

Observership Program
The purpose of this program is to let those Russian doctors, that immigrated to the United States and passed their USMLE exams get clinical experience of an American hospital, in preparation for the residency training.

Heart Health Awareness in Russians Project
This pilot program is being developed and will provide health information and medical education to the Russian immigrant population. The Phase I of the project will focus on the issues of the heart disease.

R-AMA Discussion Forum
This is the largest Russian medical discussion group in America. Most questions of the certification process, residency and private practice issues, as well as the areas of all levels of the American health care system are discussed in detail there.

Russian-speaking Physicians Database
R-AMA maintains the database of the Russian-speaking physicians in North America that is used for referrals and benefits both – physicians and patients across the country

R-AMA Journal
The first issue was published on time for the 2nd National Conference in Boston, MA and includes information about R-AMA as well as scientific articles of R-AMA members. We plan to have two journals a year. The Journal is prepared by a large group of people and Nikolay Vasilyev, MD is coordinating this work.

Other programs (at different stages of development)
Credentials Verification Service
Job Search Assistance Program
Translators Bureau
Speakers Bureau

World Russian Forum
Annual meeting of Russian and American political and business leaders put together by the organizer of The Russia House Edward Lozansky in Washington, DC. Igor Efimov, PhD – member of R-AMA Board of Directors went to this meeting in 2004 and we plan to develop this cooperation farther.

R-AMA web site
The most important information resource of the Association, being developed and maintained by Ivan Alpatov, MD – Memphis, TN

The 2nd National Conference of R-AMA took place in September at the Caritas St.Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston, MA. More than 100 physicians and other medical professionals from the USA and Canada attended this 3 day meeting. Culminating event of the conference was the signing of the Affiliation Agreement between R-AMA and the Massachusetts Group of Russian-speaking medical professionals that effectively became Massachusetts Chapter of R-AMA.

The 3rd National Conference of R-AMA is scheduled for the fall of 2005
Exact dates and location will be announced. Proposed sites are Washington, DC and New York, NY

I would like to thank all people who help us in our work. Even though I could not mention everyone in this report, but I want you to know that I remember each of you and am immensely grateful for your efforts!