Dr. Richard Hovannisian to Present in Tampa
Dr. Richard Hovannisian
St. Hagop Armenian Church of Pinellas Park, FL will host Dr. Richard Hovannisian for a presentation entitled “The Ubiquitous Armenians: The Lesser Known Armenian Communities of Asia Minor and the Northeastern Mediterranean” on Monday, February 13 at 7:00pm at St. Hagop Armenian Church, Shahnasarian Hall, 7020 90th Ave N., Pinellas Park, FL 33782.
This presentation is based on the last three volumes of Professor Hovannisian’s UCLA conference series “Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces.” It focuses on lesser known but vibrant Armenian communities in Asia Minor, such as Ismid, Bardizag, Adabazar, Armash, and Bursa as far as Konia. Other communities that will be discussed include the Cappadocian region of Gesaria/Kayseri, Talas, Evkere, Tomarza, and Evereg-Fenese. Finally, Dr. Hovannisian will discuss the Northeastern Mediterranean coastal centers of Dort-Yol, the Sanjak of Alexandrettta, Musa Dagh, and Kessab, an area where the rugged and sturdy people repeatedly demonstrated their heroism.
Dr. Hovannisian will also present “Differing Armenian Choices in Times of Crisis” on Tuesday, February 14 at 3:00 pm at the University of South Florida (USF) Library, 4th Floor Grace Allen Room.
Dr. Richard Hovannisian is Professor Emeritus of Modern Armenian and Near Eastern History at UCLA, President’s Fellow, Chapman University, Adjunct Professor of History, University of Southern California, and the Editor of Armenian Communities of the Northeastern Mediterranean Series.
Armenian EyeCare Project Introduces New Board Members as 25th Anniversary Year Begins
(L-R): Mr. Alexis Gevorgian, Dr. Khodam Rostomian, AECP Founder Dr. Roger Ohanesian, and Mr. Michael Sahakian
NEWPORT BEACH, CA – As the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP) enters its 25th year of providing quality eye care to Armenia, the organization is pleased to announce its newest board members who will help facilitate the organization’s success for many years to come.
Dr. Khodam Rostomian, Mr. Michael Sahakian, and Mr. Alexis Gevorgian joined the Board of Directors for the Armenian EyeCare Project late last year and each will bring their professional expertise as well as their personal dedication to fulfill the organization’s lifelong mission of eliminating preventable blindness in Armenia and providing quality eye care for every Armenian in need.
“The Armenian EyeCare Project is very near and dear to my heart,” Dr. Rostomian, an ophthalmologist at Kaiser Permanente in Lancaster, says. Dr. Rostomian’s history with the AECP goes back to 1995, when the doctor joined the organization’s Medical Mission to Armenia, then as a junior medical resident.
Appropriately, it is Dr. Rostomian’s early educational experience with the AECP that inspires him to further develop that section of the organization, be it through encouraging students abroad to visit Armenia with the group and learn more about ophthalmology or by providing quality medical training to doctors in Armenia so they can care for patients at the same level as physicians in the U.S.
“I love that our mission goes beyond just charity,” Dr. Rostomian says. “Our goal is to establish an infrastructure in Armenia so the doctors there can be self-sustainable and be able to provide care even without us.”
Dr. Rostomian, who also sits on the Board of Directors at Southern California Permanente Medical Group, intends to share his 20 years of experience working with large patient populations at Kaiser Permanente with the AECP so the organization can benefit from this knowledge and build its capacity capability to treat even more patients in Armenia.
Sahakian also joins the Board of Directors at the Armenian EyeCare Project and says his respect for the organization grows with each visit to Armenia.
“As I spend more time in Armenia, I find real value in the Project,” Sahakian, a business consultant and owner of MISHO Consulting, says. “It touches me when they save the sight of so many Armenians, especially of children and the elderly who can’t afford care on their own.”
Gevorgian, the organization’s third new board member, echoes these sentiments.
“Giving back to the community has always been important to me and the Armenian EyeCare Project is known for its professionalism and legitimacy,” Gevorgian, a real estate developer who runs the land development company AMG & Associates, says. “Anything I can do to help the underserved population in Armenia is time well spent.”
Gevorgian adds that he hopes to add value to the AECP in its finances and operations, which is where his expertise lies.
Rostomian, Sahakian, and Gevorgian join the Armenian EyeCare Project’s Board of Directors as the organization begins its 25th Anniversary year. The AECP will celebrate 25 years of service to Armenia by hosting several activities throughout the year —a special Mission Trip to Armenia in July with the organization that’s open to all its friends and supporters and a 25th Anniversary Gala in November, which will be the organization’s biggest Gala yet.
“I think the EyeCare Project’s 25th Anniversary is a testament to the fact that our mission is based on a solid foundation,” Dr. Rostomian says. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t be around for 25 years and we wouldn’t be thriving like we are today.”
Since 1992, the Armenian EyeCare Project has developed several sight-saving programs in Armenia, including eight subspecialty eye clinics in Yerevan; a Mobile Eye Hospital that travels throughout Armenia to treat patients unable to travel to the capital; a Center of Excellence for the Prevention of Childhood Blindness specializing in infants and children; and — its biggest project yet — five Regional Eye Clinics in five different provinces in Armenia so those living far from the capital can still receive quality eye care. To date, the organization has treated over 600,000 patients in Armenia and performed more than 20,000 surgeries.
Rostomian, Sahakian, and Gevorgian will join the Project’s current board members: Mr. David Keligian, Mrs. Meredith Khachigian, Mr. Jack McHale, Mr. Archie Cholakian, Dr. Barry Kuppermann Dr. Richard Hill, and Dr. Roger Ohanesian, who is also the organization’s Founder and President.
“The EyeCare Project is thrilled with the new energy that these committed Armenians bring to our Board,” Dr. Ohanesian says. “Since our inception, our board members have assisted us greatly in policy decisions as well as fund raising. We could not function without their considered direction when making difficult decisions. I would like to thank these new members as well as those I still call upon for advice from time to time.”
To learn more about the Armenian EyeCare Project, visit its website — www.eyecareproject.com.
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