ALMA National Meeting Los Angeles, CA
Date Held:May 4-6 2012
The Los Angeles chapter of the American Lebanese Medical Association (ALMA) hosted the 2012 National Meeting at the Renaissance Hotel in North Hollywood, CA. The activities started on Friday May 4,2012 with a reception at the Next Door Lounge in North Hollywood. The lounge owner and general manager is Ferris Wehbe, a long time friend and diligent supporter of ALMA. Saturday May 5, started early for all the attendees. By 8:30AM, the meeting room was full of enthusiastic medical professionals awaiting the start of the CME program. The CME program, chaired by Joseph Ghazal M.D. through the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center was exciting and informative. The CME Program included:
8:00-8:50 Breakfast/Registration
8:50-9:00 Introduction (Joseph Ghazal, MD)
9:00-9:35 Reducing Harm From Modern Medical Care (Alan F. Rothfeld, MD )
9:35-10:10 An Update on Rheumatoid Arthritis Rania Shammas, MD
10:10-10:45 Wanna be Cool? The case for hypothermia (Tamika M. Burris, MD)
10:45-11:20 Understanding Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury M. Mike Kreidie, MD
11:20-11:35 Break
11:35-12:10 Recent Advances in Neonatal and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery (Michel N. Ilbawi, MD)
12:10-12:45 Secondary Prevention and Risk Reduction Therapy for Patients with Coronary and other Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: AHA, ACCF, Update (Joseph S. Ghazal, MD)
12:45-1:20 Recent Advances in the Application of Stem Cells in Clinical Medicine (James P. Watson, MD)
1:20-1:25 Closing Remarks
On Saturday afternoon the executive board along with the board members held their annual meeting. A newly appointed ALMA board was formed and consisted of the following health professionals:
Emad Al Asmar, MD; Elias Ayoub, MD; Rosana Ayoub, MD; Joe Ayoub, MD;
Jason Boutros, MD; Nabil Feghali, MD; Joe Ghazal, MD; Fadi Habib, MD; Ray Hachem, MD;
Joseph Hasrouni, Pharm.D; Joe Jabre, MD; Rafik Khoury, MD; Mahmood Kreidie, MD;
Joe Mouawad, MD; George Nassar, MD; Issam Raad, MD; Philip Salem, MD; Adel Tabshi, MD;
Jacob Tchacmanian, and Paul Wakim, MD.
On Saturday night 260 people gathered at the Renaissance Ball Room to honor the recipients of the American Lebanese Medical Association scientific achievements award for 2012. The honorees, both from the Los Angeles area, were Doctor Nabil Feghali-Internal medicine; Introduced by Elias Ayoub, MD; and Doctor Bassam Omari-Cardiologist; introduced by M.Mahmood Kreidie, MD.
Honorable Johnny Ibrahim, the newly appointed counsel general of Lebanon was among the attendees. He took the opportunity to meet all the ALMA members and supporters, and expressed his enthusiasm about working with and for the Lebanese community in his new home in Los Angeles.
Joseph Hasrouni Pharm.D.
Los Angeles Chapter-President