 The
Persian American Society
for Health Advancement
(PASHA) is a non-profit
organization dedicated
to promoting healthcare
and health education in
the Iranian community.
Founded in 2004 by
students at the David
Geffen School of
Medicine at UCLA, in
conjunction with Dr.
Mohamad Navab, professor
of Cardiology at UCLA,
PASHA's mission has been
aimed at making the
Iranian community
healthier.
The
organization's goals
include the following:
(1) to provide outreach
to the Iranian community
locally
through educational
programs, local clinics,
and health awareness
campaigns; (2) to
provide outreach to the
Iranian community
abroad
through cooperation with
Iranian medical programs
to enhance medical
education in Iran, to
target important health
issues, and to support
and contribute to
various relief efforts
in Iran; (3) to provide
education enrichment
programs and mentoring
opportunities for
students interested in
the health science
professions; and (4) to
provide a forum of
communication and
interaction for medical,
dental, and other
health-related students and
professionals.
Since its inception,
PASHA has implemented
several community
programs in an effort to
achieve its mission.
PASHA's Health Education
Committee has organized
regular bimonthly
lectures on important
health issues, such as
heart disease and
cancer, for the local
community. These
presentations are often
dictated in Farsi by
physicians at UCLA, and
are open to the public,
without any charge.
PASHA has also created a
bimonthly newsletter,
which
features articles on
important health
conditions, fitness, as
well as pertinent
current events. More
recently, PASHA has also
helped develop and write
the Health and Fitness
section for OC-PC
magazine, a monthly
magazine based in Orange
County, California. In
addition, PASHA has
established a network of
communication and
interaction between
health students and
professionals in the
greater Los Angeles
area. Furthermore, PASHA
has created an
affiliation with Kaplan
Education to provide
medical, dental and
undergraduate students
with greater access to
medical teaching tools.
In its
future, PASHA looks to
expand its outreach
programs in serving the
Iranian community. Some
of PASHA's plans
include: providing
health information on
various diseases and
conditions in both Farsi
and English; supporting
health programs and
hospitals in Iran, such
as the Mahak
Rehabilitation Center;
establishing health
clinics in rural Iran;
and establishing a form
of free healthcare for
the uninsured Iranian
elderly living in the
greater Los Angeles
area.
As PASHA
continues to grow, it
will undoubtedly impact
the Iranian community in
a positive manner. Much
of PASHA's growth and
success, however, lies
heavily upon volunteer
participation from the
community and funding
from its Board of
Trustees. For more
information on ways that
you can help, please
e-mail us at
info@pasha4health.org |
