Pre-Medical Mentoring Program

The Armenian American Medical Student and Housestaff Association (AAMSHA) established this project in March of 2001 for the purpose of guiding Armenian pre-meds on their path to medical school. Our goal is to increase the number of Armenians going to medical school so that they may fill the medical need of the community. The AAMSHA mentors consist of Armenian medical students, residents, fellows, and practicing physicians who have enthusiastically volunteered their time to support you by answering questions and providing advice. You may request a mentor from the list below or we can assign one to you. If you are interested, please email to aamsha@aamsha.org with your name, year and name of school.

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AIDS Prevention Project

The project was prepared and formulated by AAMSHA's Boston Chapter during 1994-1995.  In the Spring of 1995, it was delivered to Yerevan, to SAMSA, our sister organization at Yerevan State Medical University, the Scientific Association of Medical Students of Armenia. 

SAMSA had a slow first year with the project, because of the sensitivity of the material.  However, by 1997, the project was in full gear, and now funded by a grant from UN-AIDS (United Nations).  The educational program included poster presentations, lectures, interactive discussions, hand-outs and flyers, all targetting college students and high school students.

In October of 1998, the second phase of the AIDS Prevention Project was introduced.   AAMSHA medical student Manushak Amzoyan, along with Wendy Arnold, M.PH. of the Peer Education Program International, spearheaded and implemented the second phase.  They trained health professionals, psychologists, teachers, medical students, college students and high school students. 

The emphasis of the second phase was beyond the biology and epidemiology.  The second phase considered family, socio-economics, cultural values, environment.

The focus was on communication, conversation openers, relationship skills, negotiation, refusal.  It involved role-playing exercises and date simulations.

The program was funded by Suzanne Paparian.

In 1999, AIDS education was also incorporated into the health curriculum of Armenia's high school system.

Smoking Prevention Project.

Allen Nalbandian, M.D., then a medical student from AAMSHA's San Francisco chapter, initiated the project in the Spring of 1994.

The project involved an interactive educational program about smoking and its ill effects aimed at teens at the junior and senior high school level. 

The program was presented with large posters along with interactive surveys and exersizes.  There was no electricity in Yerevan at the time.  SAMSA, the Scientific Association of Medical Students of Armenia, continued to educate secondary school students year round.  Carl Garabedian, a medical student from the U.S. visited Yerevan in the fall of 1994, to deliver more posters.  Medical students Nishan Dadian in April and May of 1995, and Ara John Vartanian in June of 1995, delivered the entire program in slide format.  Electricity was restored in Yerevan by then.  Lastly, another medical student, Armand Dorian, made a two hour educational video aimed at smoking prevention, in the summer of 1996.  SAMSA continued the program untill 1999, when the entire program was integrated into the school curriculum at the junior high school level, as part of a comprehensive health course.

Allen's initial surveys demonstrated that at age 12, 8.7% of the boys in Yerevan smoked, at age 13: 11.8%, age 14: 52%, age 15: 56.3%, 16: 62.5%.  The Armenian CDC, Center for Disease Control, later verified our initial data.  In their study in 1995, 56.4% of boys 14 to 16 age smoked.

Our data for the girls:  age 15: 15.6%, age 16: 18.5%.  The CDC found 20.7% prevalence of smoking for girls 14 to 16 years old.

AAMSHA's Smoking Prevention Program was aimed at saving the next generation of Armenians from smoking related illnesses, such as lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease.

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/Dept/Home.aspx?DepartmentID=336

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/Dept/Content.aspx?DepartmentID=336&PageID=9045

Or, you may E-mail or call Marie Vartanian, the course coordinator, at mvartani@bu.edu (617)638-5749  or (617)638-4019

The Radiology Project

Between 1996 to 1999, AAMSHA was instrumental in upgrading the status of radiological diagnosis in Armenia.

A radiology library was started.
Iodine contrast was supplied.
Eight mammography machines were sent.
Barium contrast was supplied.
Lead aprons and gloves were donated.
Large numbers of diagnostic catheters, wires, drains and drainage bags were shipped, in order to improve diagnostic capability and to provide better renal, biliary and angiographic systems care.

AAMSHA would like to thank the the Armenian American radiologists who donated generously, the members of "Friends of Armenian Radiology", and members of the Armenian International Radiologic Society.

Other Projects.

In the last 11 years, AAMSHA residents have gone to Armenia numerous times and worked in the areas of primary care, internal medicine, orthopedics and ophthalmology.

AAMSHA medical students have participated in the Breast Feeding Project in Armenia, in the 1990's.

Several book drives were organized in the 1990's and medical books were donated to the library of the Yerevan State Medical University.

AAMSHA has been active in local North American communities as well.  Activities have included blood pressure screening at Boston's Armenian churches, bilingual CPR classes in New York, and participation in the local Armenian Medical Society's annual health fairs in Los Angeles.