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Greetings from the office of the President

Distinguished guests-ladies and gentleman- after three days of rich, scientific activities and other optionalactivities, I welcome you on behalf of the Association of Nigerian Physicians of the Americas (ANPA) to our2014 Gala Banquet Night which coincides with our 20th anniversary.

In addition to a night of celebration and elaborate colors, you will be seeing a brief documentary as to thejourney we have taken so far. The Southern California Chapter of ANPA have worked diligently to make this amemorable night and I thank them for all of their efforts. I also thank our Secretariat, headed by Nonie Lowry,and the Sheraton Park Hotel for their contributions to the success of this evening.

Special acknowledgement to our many partners some of who are here with us tonight. We look forward to ourongoing relationship with you.

To our distinguished guests from Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States of America, Isay a heartfelt thank you and wish you safe travels to your various destinations.

Enjoy the evening filled with entertainment by our various artists and begin your preparations for our 21stconvention in Orlando, Florida.

My Best Regards,

Michael Etomi, MD, MPH, FASNPresident and Chairman of the BoardAssociation of Nigerian Physicians of the Americas

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On behalf of the Association of Nigerian Physicians inthe Americas (ANPA),Southern California Chapter, Iwelcome our distinguished members and guests toDisneyland, the happiest place on earth, to ANPA?s2014 Gala Banquet Night. Tonight, we celebrate the20thanniversary of our great organization.

Thanks to the visions of some of our foundingmembers, some of them originating locally fromSouthern California, who 20 years ago founded thisnon-profit organization by unifying Nigerian-bornphysicians from the Americas, Canada, and theCaribbean, for the purpose of improving the healthand well-being of our countrymen/women andcreating a healthier Nigeria in a healthier world. Sincethen, through hard work, dedication, and persistency,ANPA has been in the forefront of change in thehealthcare delivery systems in Nigeria.

We have come together this evening to celebrate aftera successful three days of stimulating and informativesessions put together by our excellent faculty led byProfessor Scott Emuakpor. We are here with one mind,one purpose, and one vision of understanding theplight of the less fortunate amongst us, andempathize with them. We are also here as a family,though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhoodwe stand to help those who need our assistance.

Our sincere gratitude goes to everyone for gracing thisoccasion with your presence and generous

contributions which give hope to thousands whootherwise would be hopeless or who might continueto suffer unnecessarily-or even die- from simplecurable diseases.

We especially thank the ANPA leadership for theirdedication and persistency, and our members for theirsupport.

To our distinguished guests, partners, and supporters,we heartily thank you for your various contributions.

We cannot give enough thanks to our ANPAsecretariat, headed by Nonie Lowry, for their relentlessefforts to make this convention a success.

The action needed now is continuous support for theunderprivileged in our country of birth, Nigeria. Ihope you can continue to support ANPA in order tomeet these goals.

Happy 20th Anniversary ANPA.

Dapo Popoola, M.D.Interim Caretaker CommitteeANPA, Southern California Chapter

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Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas

Executive Council

Michael Etomi, MDPresident

Nkem Chukwumerije, MD, FACPPresident Elect

Fiemu Nwariaku, MD, FACS, FWACSImmediate Past President

Johnson Adeyanju, MD, FACP, AuthorTreasurer

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Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas,

Southern California

Caretaker Committee

Julius Kpaduwa, MDChair

Dapo Popola, MDCo- Chair

Nkem Chukwumerije, MD, FACPPresident Elect, ANPA

Ifeanyi Amuzie,MDTreasurer

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ANPA History & Goals

Our Vision is "A Healthier Nigeria in a Healthier World."

Our Mission:• To foster personal and professional growth ofits members through camaraderie and unselfishexchange of ideas.• To promote altruism, professionalism andscholarship among its members• To identify and stimulate interest in all mattersaffecting the health of Nigerians and provide theforum for debating evolving health issues• To encourage the development of practicalsolutions to Nigerian health care problems throughstrategic initiative and field activities inside Nigeria• To seek collaborative research opportunities inthe international medical community and contributeto improved health care in the Americas andworldwide

Our Vision and Mission is achieved through thefollowing activities:

• The Annual ANPA Conventions - We addresscurrent issues of healthcare in Africa, such as HIV,women’s health, child health, environmental health,health care financing in Africa, mental health, capacitybuilding, education and training of physicians andother health workers.• Our Medical Missions offer us the opportunityto provide free healthcare to the medically indigent,in rural parts of Nigeria, Africa, the Caribbean, andother needy regions of the world. We get firsthandexperience of the issues and the nature of healthproblems of the local communities. It enables us to

exchange views, share experience and participate incollaborative care with our local counterparts. We areable to educate local health institutions, governments,non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and otherstakeholders on the best practices for improving thehealth of individuals and populations.• Capacity building – Through our traininginitiatives, advisory roles, and active engagement withhealth workers and institutions, we help to developcritical skills and infrastructure needed to run aneffective health service in Nigeria and other countriesin Africa and the Caribbean.• Internet Communication - ANPA was the firstorganization to provide internet connection to anumber of major Nigerian Universities. We have alsowebcast our conventions and hope to facilitateinternet links between African institutions and theirU.S. counterparts.• Through this web site and our other onlineresources, such as the e-group, message forum, andblog, we engage in lively on-going discussions oncurrent healthcare issues that are of interest to ourcommunity.• Directory - We publish a directory andmaintain a database of Nigerian physicians in the US,Canada and the Caribbean with the specialty andlocation of their practices. Thus we are able to reachNigerian physicians in general and when necessary,can call on the appropriate expertise of our members.• Networking - With over 4,000 Nigerian born ortrained physicians in the U.S., Canada and theCaribbean, ANPA's Annual Conventions and localchapter activities provide forums to share ourexperiences and pool our expertise for a healthier

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Nigeria in a healthier world.• Policy Advocacy - We meet with African leadersand officials in charge of Health Care, such as thePresident of Nigeria, the Minister of Health and othersenior government officials to offer policyrecommendation to the Government on issues suchas HIV, medical education and health care financing.

Other Activities• We participate in international forums andmeetings such as National Summit on Africa andGrantmaker Conference, to educate participants suchas U.S. policymakers, US businesses and otherorganizations on the health system in Nigeria and thehealthcare needs of Nigerians and Africans.

• We collaborate with well-meaning groups andorganizations providing specialized medical care inNigeria, including other Nigerian born or trainedphysicians in Europe, Middle East and Africancountries outside Nigeria.• We participate in local health fairs in the U.S.,Canada and the Americas providing education,information and health care to all.• Collaborate with other African PhysicianCommunities to form regional associations.• Extend our Medical Mission to all of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean• Foster research and collaboration betweenAfrican researchers and their counterparts in the U.S.,Canada and the West.

Questions

ANPA Secretariat Office

Telephone: 913-402-7102

Fax: 913-273-1140

Email: nonie@anpa.org

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