President’s Letter-Jan 2026
January 2026 President’s newsletter
Dear friends and colleagues,
It is my privilege and honor to write my first presidential address for NAAMA. Best wishes for the new year for all, and may this year bring prosperity, but above all, justice. My first order of business is to profusely thank Dr Raed El-Naser for his year of service as President. Raed is an energetic, creative and incredibly dedicated physician who did a wonderful job through the year, exemplifying team work combined with astute problem-solving. He has also agreed to chair our next International convention, a Portugal/Spain combo experience in July 2026. Details will be forthcoming this week and booking will be open at the end of January.
Our organization is the longest serving organization for healthcare professionals of Arab descent. At 50 years old, NAAMA serves a crucial function as an umbrella organization that binds us all, from various backgrounds, together. I get a lot of questions about the usefulness of a global organization, in light of the proliferation of very specialized institutions, that focus on specific countries. And the answer is simple: we are the general practitioner to country-specific organizations. NAAMA brings the depth of connection and the history to navigate the challenges of creating, and sustain, a strong Arab-American network in the US & North America in a non-political, secular, non-sectarian fashion.
NAAMA is well established in its mission to give back to the homeland. That will never change. Through this coming year, you will additionally note an emphasis on enhancing our presence in the US, and strengthening our network in our current jobs, institutions, and cities. The dichotomy of biculturalism is ever-present, part of us is always looking wistfully to our origins, and therefore, giving back is part of who we are. But we owe it to our children and grandchildren to also provide a network that enhances the life of young healthcare practitioners in the US: this will allow breaking glass ceilings and making sure our NAAMA network is useful for growth in every day life.
So what is next?
The first exciting development to announce is the launch of the mentorship network. This effort will be led by Dr Khaled El-Sayes, a veteran mentor who has earned awards for his dedicated work. I encourage everyone to sign up and connect with our students and residents.
Survey link
Second, Women in NAAMA (WIN) has organized two virtual and two in-person events in 2025, pursuant to it quarterly schedule. The focus for the first half of the year will be torture survivors and the violence in Sudan. In the next weeks we will release an educational module on evaluating torture survivors according to international standards and will follow with lectures on this sad, yet very important topic.
Third, shoutout to our NextGen team, who have added 400+ student members, 13 new chapters and held 160 chapter events this past year. Please enjoy the link to the NAAMA NextGen 2025 Activity Summary.
Lastly, for those of you who have let their membership lapse, please remember to renew, and take advantage of our limited offer for discounted lifetime membership. A membership in NAAMA is, above all, a statement of support for our identity and mission.
Please follow-us on our social media outlets to stay tuned to our events
I welcome your thoughts, feedback and comments at naama@naama.com.
Regards,
Nidal Moukaddam, MD, PhD
President, National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA)
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