Beginning on April 2nd, the Office of High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, in close collaboration with RA National Institute of Health, the Armenian Medical International Committee, and Armenia Fund, jointly launched a series of medical webinars for health care professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight in the Diaspora and in Armenia. The purpose of these webinars is to discuss COVID-19 prevention and treatment protocols for health care providers, explore treatment approaches for specific cases, exchange expertise, expand the pan-Armenian medical network, and consolidate the medical field’s potential into an accessible format for medical professionals from around the world.
19 webinars have taken place so far, discussing a variety of topics as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, including but not limited to critical care, pharmaceuticals, pediatric health, radiology, pregnancy management, personal protective equipment and infection control, cardiology, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, COVID-19 sampling techniques, endocrinology, neurology and more.
As the fight against COVID-19 continues, the webinar series continues to attract more and more medical professionals from Armenia and the Diaspora, with the number of participants growing from an average of 40 in April to an average of 100 participants in May and June.
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A set of nursing webinars led by the Armenian American Nurses Association was added to the webinar series as well, giving an opportunity to hundreds of nurses from nearly all regions of Armenia to join the discussions, learn from their colleagues in the Diaspora, and exchange expertise with one another.
The webinars have been conducted by highly qualified Armenian Diaspora healthcare professionals who work or teach in some of the best medical institutions from around the world.
“As the world is navigating through these turbulent times and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are constantly reassessing and reframing our collective efforts with colleagues in healthcare from all over the world, including Armenia and Artsakh. With the use of new and existing platforms, we have been communicating freely in virtual yet face to face discussions and sharing information and experiences that have allowed all of us to better understand and be prepared to best care for our patients, our loved ones and ourselves. We look forward to continuing these efforts and are very thankful to all the institutions and partners in healthcare who have been collaborating in these bilateral activities. We are especially thankful for the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Health for enabling these synergistic global efforts for the mutual wellbeing of all of our communities,” stated Dr. Vicken Sepilian, President of the Armenian Medical International Committee.
“The Diaspora’s role in our ability to fight this pandemic has been instrumental from the very beginning. In fact, medical professionals from the Los Angeles Diaspora began sourcing personal protective equipment for Armenia, even before the first COVID-19 case was confirmed. This initiative has brought medical professionals from Armenia and the Diaspora closer than ever before. It is a true testament to the strength of our partnership and the readiness of the Diaspora to mobilize and stand by the homeland,” stated High Commissioner Sinanyan.
It should be noted that the “Zoom” account and professional translation services which make the webinar series possible are provided by “Armenia Support Initiative,” which is funded by USAID and implemented by Management Systems International.
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The Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs is the main body responsible for developing and implementing policies and strategies for Armenia-Diaspora relations. To learn more about our activities, follow us on social media: @DiasporaHighCommissionerOfficeArmenia or contact us at [email protected].
Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs
