American Tamil Medical Association (ATMA), which is meeting in Boston, MA, from August 23 to August 25 is an alumni organization of Tamil medical professionals. ATMA supports its members, who are in various academic medical centers, teaching hospitals, and community hospitals; in their careers, clinical practices and research.
By C.K. Palani, MD
Boston, MA: American Tamil Medical Association (ATMA) will be holding its eighth annual convention at the Sheraton Boston from August 23 to August 25.
ATMA is an alumni organization of Tamil medical professionals. Most are trained in the medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, India. It also includes graduates of Tamil origin from other medical collages from around the world.
The organization’s mission includes charitable activity, Continuing Medical Edu-cation and promoting unity and professional excellence of their members. Their membership now exceeds 850 in number.
The convention is being organized by the convention committee chaired by Dr. Prakash Rau, a Massachusetts Gastro-Enterologist. Their members will arrive on August 23, for an evening reception and registration. The next morning there will be first of two CME sessions followed by a luncheon. Immediately after lunch, they will get down to the business of their main mission, charitable activity. The Board of Trustees of ATMA will convene with the attendees to discuss the organization’s strategy for charitable activity. The rest of the afternoon is free for tour of Boston. Members, mostly being immigrants will enjoy visiting historic Boston. There will be booths for jewelers, fashionable clothing vendors and pharmaceutical companies. In the evening there will be a dinner cruise of Boston harbor. If the weather holds up, it should be spectacular. On Saturday ( August 25) the second session of the CME seminar will be held. After lunch, they will convene their general body meeting to elect officers, discuss bylaw changes and matters of concern to their membership.
In the evening there will be a gala dinner at which they will be addressed by Consular General of India, Prabhu Dayal. They will recognize their peers with awards, one for lifetime achievement and another for public service. They will also present awards to recognize an outstanding young investigator and an outstanding physician in residency or fellowship training.
ATMA is a 501(c) 3, IRS tax exempt, charitable organization. In the eighth year of its existence, it has distributed about $600,000 for charitable activities. It has held seven annual conventions in the past where they have conducted educational seminars to promote high level medical knowledge among their members. These conventions also provide information on delivering healthcare related charitable activities in India.
ATMA supports its members, who are in various academic medical centers, teaching hospitals, and community hospitals; in their careers, clinical practices and research.
They foster teachin /mentoring of medical students and residents of Tamil origin. ATMA is committed to forging collaborative alliances with other organizations in efforts that support their mission.
