IMI'S 1ST NORTH AMERICAN YOUNG LEADERS' CONFERENCE
A Holistic Approach to Leadership, Education & Community Health
Meet Mentors & Young Leaders
Unlike other conferences, IMI YLC is geared to build relationships between you as a participant and the speakers throughout the 2 days. These speakers, presenters, and facilitators are here not only to share information but also to connect with you and provide mentorship. And yes, some of them are your peers who have accomplished a lot already! Below are only some of these mentors--with many more to follow within the coming days!
Naweed Syed
"A lot of people still think that bionics is science fiction...it's not. It's already here."
Dr. Syed in the Globe and Mail: Read the full article here.
Dr. Naweed Syed is Professor and Head, Cell Biology and Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary. In 2012, he was also appointed as the Postdoctoral Program Director – office of the Vice President (Research). He has also served as a special advisor to the Vice President (Research), and the Research Director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. In July 2014, Dr. Syed was appointed as a Scientific Director of Alberta Children Hospital Institute of Child and Maternal Health. Dr. Syed has provided leadership at varies levels of national, international and local organizations, and has been a member of numerous academic leadership committees at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Syed's work has already won him many honours, such as a cover story in the Canadian edition of TIME Magazine in October 2006. His ongoing research has been highlighted in media reports around the world, including the Discovery Channel, The Globe and Mail, and the CBC.
In collaboration with his German colleagues, Dr. Syed's team was the first to develop a bionic hybrid, which enabled direct dialogue between the brain cells and the electronics and established the provision for the development of brain-controlled prosthetic devices. This study was highlighted in the Time Magazine and on the Discovery Channel. He has since developed several novel Brain chip and Lab on Chip technologies to understand/manage brain function under normal and various neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Syed obtained his Master's degree from the University of Karachi, Pakistan in 1982, and PhD in neurophysiology from the University of Leeds, UK (1988). After a three year postdoctoral training at the University of Calgary (1988-1991), he was subsequently appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine.
Dr. Syed holds a number of patents and is the founding member of a start-up company, Neurosilicon.
Arshed Quyyumi
Dr. Arshed A. Quyyumi has been involved in clinical translational research in cardiovascular diseases for over 25 years. Dr. Quyyumi received his undergraduate degree in Pharmacology and medical degree from the University of London, England. He completed his residency at Guy's and Royal Free Hospitals in London, and cardiology fellowships at National Heart Hospital, London; Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; and the National Institutes of Health. After completion of his residency and fellowship, he served in several capacities in the Cardiology Branch of National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH in Bethesda, MD, including Senior Investigator and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. In 2001 he was appointed Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine, and in 2010 he was named Co-Director of the Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute (ECCRI). Since 2005, Dr. Quyyumi has been awarded more than $21 million in research funding. He serves on the Editorial Boards of several national journals, is a member on several Scientific Advisory Boards, and is a reviewer for the NIH-NHLBI Study Sections. Dr. Quyyumi has authored more than 180 peer-reviewed publications and has been an invited speaker and session chair at numerous National and International scientific meetings and conferences.
Dr. Quyyumi's research focus includes vascular biology, angiogenesis, progenitor cell biology, mechanisms of myocardial ischemia, and the role of genetic and environmental risks on vascular disease. Other interests have spanned the fields of personalized medicine and disparities in cardiovascular diseases. During his academic career, Dr. Quyyumi has carried out more than 50 NIH, industry-funded, or investigator-initiated projects, including numerous clinical trials.
Maheen S. Ali
Maheen S. Ali is a candidate for a Masters of Public Health degree at George Washington University Milken School of Public Health in Spring 2015. She graduated from Rutgers University in January 2013 with a major in Public Health and minor in Digital Communication, Information, and Media (DCIM). Currently she conducts research in the Clinical Trials Office at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, New York to pursue her passion of defeating cancer.
Apart from academics, Maheen has been a strong member of her community where she dedicated her senior thesis to the Rising Cries; A Call for Justice campaign against Shia genocide where she and her sister Jabeen produced media content to advocate, educate, and inspire their audience to “rise up” and speak for Justice. She is also the co-founding member and former president of the Rutgers University Ahlul-Bayt Student Association and has been interviewed on Velayat TV and Ahlul Bayt TV about her youth leadership experiences. She actively works with Universal Muslim Association of America (UMAA) for their annual conferences in representing programs directed towards activating young Shi’a Muslim professionals to further serve their society and seek knowledge about the Ahlul Bayt (as). As primary organizers for the past tours of British poets Mulla Ali Fadhil and Brother Nouri Sardar, Maheen and her sister take active roles in addressing the need for more English-speaking programs at centers across North America.
Most importantly, Maheen has benefitted much from the support of IMI for various projects and initiatives, and is a great example of how a young professional who is not necessarily becoming a physician can truly benefit from the resources this organization has to offer!
Sakina Raj
Dr. Sakina Raj has been practicing Family Medicine in Calgary since 2003. In addition to standards of practice and state of the art medicine, she believes in "Changing her patients' lives" and also " Empowering people to control their chronic diseases" to understand them better. Over her 10 years of experience and practice in Canada, she has helped change many patients' lives: She arranges free YOGA classes, counseling and meditation for her patients.
She has noticed marked improvement in patient compliance and reduced utilization of narcotic pain killers or high doses of anxiety, depression and headaches medications. This approach has also led to marked improvement in controlling hypertension, obesity and diabetes. She also encourages mindfulness as an approach to stress relief in both patients and health care professionals.
Azra Khalfan
Azra Khalfan, the CEO of Plaques by Azra and Signs and Lucite Products, has been managing her family owned business for over 15 years.
Plaques by Azra was founded by her parents, Aunali & Shirin Khalfan, and named in honor of their second child and first daughter. They have been providing quality awards, engraved signs, promotional products and digitally printed products to non for profit organizations, corporations and educational institutions. Some of her awards have been presented to individuals including the former First Lady Hillary Clinton, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammad Yunus and several other political figures. Today, Plaques by Azra is the largest Islamic Award company in the world. While running this business through its ups and downs, Azra has had the opportunity to travel extensively, volunteer abroad and work closely with non for profit organizations whose missions she was passionate about.
She recently was fortunate to be introduced to the Tory Burch Foundation through Accion, a Microlender. This introduction led to Azra's successful graduation from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program. Furthermore, she was included in Burch’s most recent publication, “Tory Burch – In Color”, alongside Hillary Clinton and Arianna Huffington, on the topic of work life balance. She was also featured as the cover story in Azizah magazine as well as her double feature on The Story Exchange, an online media outlet showcasing women entrepreneurs.
Earlier this year, she was asked to lead an Islamic Invocation for a corporate business luncheon hosted by her clients, the NMSDC. Over 6000 people attended this conference every year, promoting business between Fortune 500 companies, and minority owned businesses like Plaques by Azra/Signs and Lucite Products.
Azra lives in New York with her parents and her son Muhammadali.
Ismael Khaliq
Ismael Khaliq was born in Australia in 2004 in a city heavily populated by Shia Muslims from the South of Lebanon. His father was born into a family of scholars and Quran teachers. Ismael began his in depth studies in Quran recitation, memorization and comprehension at an early age. Thus far, he has memorized 14 of the 30 parts of the Quran which is just under half the Quran. His goal is to complete the memorization of the Holy Quran prior to turning 12.
Habib Fayiz
Habib is an entrepreneur, and has his own Tae Kwon Do Academy, in Wesley Chapel Florida. Before he opened up his own Martial Arts studio in 2005, Habib studied at Hillsborough Community College for his AA degree, and then attended University of South Florida from 1993-1995 for Management Information Science. While attending college, he trained Tae Kwon Do and taught part time at his teacher's academy, and worked in many different fields such as restaurants, gas stations, and even janitorial works. Habib also worked at Chase Bank from 2003-2005 as a customer service manager. He thoroughly enjoys what he does because it allows him to help others reach their potential.
Farhan Zaidi
Dr. Farhan Zaidi is currently working at The B.A.C.K. Center which is located in Melbourne, FL. He completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Long Island Jewish Medical Center,NY and did his preliminary internship in Internal Medicine Maimonides Medical Center, NY. Dr. Zaidi received his Doctorate of Medicine from SUNY Health Science Center located in Brooklyn, NY and did his
combined BS/MD program CUNY Medical School – Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at City College of New York. When he graduted with his Bachelors of Science, he graduated as a Cum Laude in Biomedical Education.
Dr. Zaidi is a part of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Association of Academic Physiatrists, Brevard County Medical Society and serves as a Board Member-Secretary for JIC and is a part of the Executive Committee for the Florida Chapter of APPNA.
Maulana Kashmiri
Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Kashmiri is the son of His Eminence Sayyid Ali Naqi and the grandson of Ayatollah Sayyid Murtadha al-Ridhawi al-Kashmiri. The al-Kashmiri family descends from Musa al-Mubaraka, the son of Imam Muhammad al-Jawwad (as), and is well known for its religious involvement in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and India during the past thousand years. Since childhood, Sayyid al-Kashmiri moved frequently with his family and lived in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Lebanon. In 2000, he moved to Los Angeles, California as a resident scholar and thereafter settled in Dearborn, Michigan in 2011.
Sayyid Muhammad Baqir completed most of his religious studies in Iran, beginning in the holy city of Mashhad and later in the holy city of Qom. He has given numerous speeches and written research papers and articles on various subjects such as history, Quran interpretation and Islamic principles and issues like religion and secularism. He currently teaches Islamic jurisprudence and is involved in preparing aspiring scholars to commence their religious studies at Shia seminaries. Sayyid al-Kashmiri is always consulted about the details of the community by a number of scholars and researchers at Islamic seminaries because of his deep engagement with the Shia communities in the US.
Sayyid al-Kashmiri supervised and published various Islamic magazines, such as Rasikhoon, published in Arabic and English between 2003 and 2005, Reflections between 2004 and 2010, and Fiqhona between 2007 and 2009. He was a member of the administrative board of the Council of Shia Muslim Scholars in North America from 2004 till 2012. He is also a representative of nine former and present Religious Authorities. Currently, Sayyid al-Kashmiri is the founder, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and head of the Department of Religious Affairs of I.M.A.M.
Maedeh Asadzadeh
Maedeh specializes in evaluating international credentials from the Middle East and advising students and professionals on applications for colleges, unviversities, professionals schools and jobs . Her areas of expertise include: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait and the U.A.E. Maedeh holds a master's degree in International Relations and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the City University of New York.
Marzia Hassan
Marzia Habib-Hassan (LLB, MSW, RSW) works as a social worker and relationship consultant with individuals, couples and families. After obtaining her masters in social work, she started Family Connections International, a psychotherapy practice based in Toronto and online.
When she is not pursuing her passion of coaching families and individuals on building better relationships, Marzia chairs the board of Jaffari Support Services, a faith based social services agency that she helped found in 2008, and serves on the board of directors of various NGOs, including International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF) and Habib University Foundation.
Marzia has facilitated various marriage enrichment, parenting, self-development workshops and spiritual learning groups for youth and adults all over the world, including Canada, US, UK and Pakistan. She leads various Quran Study Circles in Toronto for youth and adults, and speaks on spirituality and social issues in various forums across North America. She has appeared on AhlulBayt TV both in the UK and Canada.
In 2013, Marzia was honoured with the Canadian House of Commons award for Outstanding Volunteer Achievement in recognition of her contributions to various minority communities in Toronto, in the fields of family strengthening and women’s empowerment.
Adnan Shamsi
With over 20 years experience in Coaching, Investments, Insurance, Risk Management & Financial Advisory, Adnan Shamsi serves with dedicated passion. Major Fortune 500 companies have sought Mr. Shamsi’s opinions and advisory services. He has also worked with small & medium sized companies and individuals advising on the mitigation of financial and operational risk, securing investment opportunities and managing assets and liabilities.
Adnan’s coaching practice is strongly influenced by his devotion to Mindfulness practice & his daily physical practice of Yoga. As a father of a child with Autism, plus unique experiences of ADHD, Aspergers and Bipolar, Adnan also provides expertise in planning for the specific needs of families of children and adults with Different Abilities, and Neurodiversity.
Previously with UBS AG, Bank of America, Chase Manhattan Bank and PEGG | Hornor, Townsend & Kent, Inc. Adnan received his MBA in Finance from Thunderbird School of Global Management & BA in Economics from Rutgers University.
Syed Ashraf
Syed Mehdi Ashraf is a Structural Engineer with a Master’s degree in engineering from the University of South Carolina. He has practiced engineering for more than 27 years and has designed several landmark buildings like the Trump Towers in Sunny Isles, Florida. He holds 31 licenses/certificates and has won several awards in Florida. He has been an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, Florida International University and has offered several seminars in engineering. He serves as Expert Witness in engineering and construction litigation.
Mehdi Ashraf has a Master’s degree in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College of Advanced Studies (ICAS), Middlesex University, London where his curriculum included: Islamic Beliefs and Thoughts, Islamic Sources and Law, Islamic Theology, Islamic Philosophy, Quran and Hadith, Islam and Modernism, Islam and Modern Politics and Ethics. The title of his thesis was “New Paradigm for the Educational Advancement of Muslims”. He is a board member at the Islamic Jafferia Association (IJA), Miami. He mentors Muslim students in career advancement and teaches SAT math. He has given several lectures on Islam in public libraries and Islamic centers.
Sarfaraz Hasni
Dr. Hasni earned his medical degree from the Sindh Medical College at the University of Karachi in Pakistan. He completed residencies in pathology and internal medicine at the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York, which is affiliated with the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Later he completed a fellowship in rheumatology at the Stony Brook University Hospital at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.
In 2009, he joined the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) as the Lawrence Shulman Scholar in Clinical Research. He is a member of the American College of Rheumatology, and in 2013 he received the NIH Merit Award for achievements and sustained excellence in leading the lupus clinical program.
Dr. Hasni’s main area of research is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). He has been involved in multiple SLE-related clinical research projects at NIAMS, including the “Studies of the Pathogenesis and Natural History of SLE,” an ongoing study at the NIH since 1994, and the clinical trial, “Safety and Tolerability of Omalizumab in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,” which is about to launch two additional clinical trials using novel therapeutics for the treatment of SLE. Today he will address “Treatment Implications of Current Advances in Clinical Research of Lupus.”
Jacqueline Fewkes
Jacqueline H. Fewkes is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from the Johns Hopkins University, and her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Fewkes has conducted research in many different parts of the world, including work in India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
Her work has been recognized and funded by a number of different institutions, including the US Department of State, the Library of Congress, National Science Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies, and the Social Science Research Council. She is currently the Flagler Mentor for outstanding student leaders at the Honors College, and a liaison for college admissions.
Dr. Fewkes also works as a consultant for the Academic Leadership Centre of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education, where she has conducted a number of workshops on academic leadership, global excellence in undergraduate education, and work-life balance issues.
Zainab Merchant
As a Homeland Security and Political Science major, Zainab Merchantunderstood early on the dire need to create awareness for globalissues and empower youths to enact change, founding The HumanitarianEndeavor, a non-profit student service organization at VirginiaCommonwealth University.
Zainab has also served as Executive Directorof United Muslim Foundation, a national, non-profit organization thatseeks unity through community service and is headquartered in Orlando,Fl. She has held numerous posts as strategic analyst for VirginiaDepartment of Labor and Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Zainab is an alumna of the Emerge USA program, a civic engagementorganization that engages underrepresented communities into thepolitical process with a focus on the Muslim, Arab, and South AsianAmerican (MASA) communities.
Her passion includes working with leadersof social change organizations that serve under-representedcommunities locally and globally to attain justice and end theirsuffering. She enjoys seeing the power a group of individuals can havewhen they find a way to effectively work together. Zainab’s hobbies include writing and illustrating; in addition to serving as founderand editor in chief of Al Kamaal magazine and compiling researchanalysis on global-political issues, Zainab has her first children’sbook titled Princess Siyana’s Pen underway.
She currently resides inOrlando FL as a devoted wife of one and mother of two baby boys.
Nusrat Naqvi
Professor Nusrat Naqvi was born in Badaun, India, educated and trained in Hyderabad, Sind, Pakistan and several institutions of USA. She now resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the United States of America. She holds 2 Masters degrees and a PhD with Post Doctoral Research training. In addition, Dr. Naqvi has many certifications and courses to her credit. She completed 35 years of service and retired as a Professor of Biology from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in August 2011. She also served as the Assistant Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies for several years.
During her career, Professor Naqvi has earned numerous academic honors as well as grants (over one Million dollars) and awards for teaching, research and service. Some of her citations include a silver medal for first class, first position in her Bachelor of Science Class from Sind University, first class third position in Masters of Science, first place in Graduate Research Competition by the American Phytopathological Society in Memphis, TN (1970), and Macy Foundation Research Fellowship (1977) among many others. Southern University honored her as the Mentor of the Year in 1992. The College of Sciences awarded her the Teacher of the Year in 1999 and she earned several service awards from various organizations. Her State funded project, Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching Science was rated third among 53 that were identified for recognition nationally in 1995. Her Honor society affiliations include Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, Gama Sigma Delta, Phi Delta Kappa, Beta Beta Beta, AAAS, NABT and others.
Dr Naqvi has held many leadership positions including President of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Association for Women in Science (1984), First female Global President of Imamia Medics International (IMI, 2006-2008) , twelfth President (first female) of the Association of Pakistani Scientists and Engineers of North America (APSENA, 2008-2010) and Vice president of the LA Earth Day. She has served on many boards and commissions, including the Louisiana Earth Day Board, the Louisiana Environmental Education Commission and the IMI Board of Directors and IMI Board of Regents. She has been a frequent presenter at numerous professional conferences in the USA and internationally over the past thirty years. Presently, she is the Coordinator of Women and Youth-related programs of IMI and a member of the Academic Council. She currently also serves as a member of the Mateen Education Center’s Board of Advisors and has served as a past-President and secretary. Recently, Nusrat organized an IMI conference in New Jersey engaging Young Leaders and Women of New Jersey and New York focusing on Obesity in October 2013 and now she chairs the First IM I North American Young Leaders’ Conference entitled, A Holistic Approach to Leadership, Education and Community Health to be held, December 24-26, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal Hotel in Orlando, Florida.
Nusrat Naqvi is the blessed mother of two sons, three grandsons and one granddaughter. She is a frequent local, national and world-wide traveler, Speaker, Mentor and Educator and enjoys socializing and serving to support causes in which she believes, Education and Equity being on the top of her list. IMI is very dear to her HEART!
Sakina Naqvi
Sakina Naqvi, born and raised in Hyderabad, India has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Osmania University in History and Sociology. While in her final year, Sakina took some programming classes and fell in love with Software development. After migrating to US in 1989, she went back to school to get her second Bachelors in Computer Information Systems. She has been working in the IT field for the last 20 years and enjoys every day of it.
Sakina is blessed with 4 children and in her free time, she enjoys working on community projects. She lived in Chicago for 23 years before migrating to Tampa, FL 2 ½ yrs ago. She was very active in her center in Chicago and taught Sunday school for more than 15 years. Although she is a teacher, she ends up learning a lot from her students.
Sakina has been working with IMI for the last 2 years and is involved in a few projects. She is especially passionate about the NEST II project that involves building Assisted Living and Nursing home facilities for our Elderly. Sakina is currently serving as the Site Coordinator of IMI's First North American Young Leaders' Conference being organized on December 24-25, 2014 in Orlando FL.