Author: IPNOnline

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Resources

[DJAC Video] Serving from the Top: How to Catalyze Change as a Board Member

Serving from the Top: How to Catalyze Change as a Board Member
Session was held at the Diamond Jubilee Alliances Conference held on September 2018.

Program Overview
Congratulations on reaching a point in your career when you can set the tone from the top and be the force that drives change. As a part of our community, you have likely always had a pre-existing passion for service, and a strong desire for stewardship to others. Learn how to hone these traits and best use this privilege to create successful pathways for giving, best align your business model with a well-chosen cause, and quantify what success means to your company. Contributing a career’s worth of experience and knowledge as a board member will truly effect change on a massive scale.

Moderator
Zain Gulamali

Speakers
Kamruddin Shams, Shelmina Abji, Omar Samji

The presenter(s) have granted permission for use of this content for IPN members only.  Please do not share this content outside of IPN without requesting permission from the presenter(s).

 

 

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Resources

[DJAC Video] How to Embed iCERV in Your Workplace

How to Embed iCERV in Your Workplace
Session was held at the Diamond Jubilee Alliances Conference held September 2018.

Program Overview
How can we embody our core ethic of service in the corporate world and become ambassadors for change in our professional lives? Many local non-profits struggle to procure adequate funding and volunteers. iCERV (Ismaili Community Engaged in Responsible Volunteering) offers a higher impact alternative. iCERV, when embedded in any corporate structure, creates a larger service footprint, as entire departments and business units get involved in service activities within their community. Often, there are designated community service days embedded within working hours, if not after-hours, as a way of team building while simultaneously giving back. Integrating iCERV as part of your company’s service endeavors is a way to leverage your professional network to contribute with greater impact through a larger vehicle of change.

Moderator
Amira Dhalla

Speakers
Salima Khakoo
Salman Bhojani

The presenter(s) have granted permission for use of this content for IPN members only.  Please do not share this content outside of IPN without requesting permission from the presenter(s).

 

 

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Spotlight

Dr. Zohray Talib

IPN Spotlight: Dr. Zohray Talib (Associate Professor of Medicine & Health Policy, George Washington University)

Dr. Zohray Talib is Associate Professor of Medicine and of Health Policy at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She practices Internal Medicine and is a leader in global health with expertise in health workforce, community engagement and medical education. Dr. Talib is a Member of the National Academy of Science Global Forum of Health Professions Education and currently serves as the Honorary Secretary of the Aga Khan Health Board for the USA. She has worked with leadership of medical schools in Africa to improve the quality of their education programs. She currently leads a study across ten countries examining the value of bringing students and academic rigor to community health facilities. Dr. Talib has consulted for programs in Central Asia and Africa and has published on different aspects of building capacity within health system in low-resource settings. Dr. Talib received her B.Sc. in Physical Therapy from McGill University and her M.D. from the University of Alberta.

What skills have helped you in your career?
Being able to develop my career in multiple dimensions simultaneously – as a clinician, as an educator, as a program director, and as a global health researcher.
Balancing the urgent daily tasks, while also investing regularly in a longer-term goal and keeping my eye on the ball of what contribution I would like to make.
As a mom of three kids, the balancing act can get complex so I have embraced creative ways of managing at home including scheduling meals in advance, shopping online for groceries and getting the kids involved in housework.

What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
There were times during residency training that I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. The days seemed long and I was not able to nurture any other part of my career path. At those times, I needed reminders that it is important to embrace certain phases of learning and dive deep in skill-building. In hindsight it is much easier to appreciate the value of having immersed myself in clinical training for that time.

What is next for you in your career?
I would like to continue to strengthen the academic health sector in low-resource settings. I feel strongly that strong academic institutions can underpin and sustain development. Strengthening academia will require diversifying partnerships (e.g. to include the private sector) and innovative thinking on how we teach and evaluate education programs. I would like to continue to build the evidence and advocate for decentralizing academia. Bringing academic rigor and resources to low-resource communities and under-served areas creates a vibrant environment where there is synergy and efficiency between teaching, learning, service and research.

What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
I am constantly learning. I am an ad hoc reviewer for several medical journals which is a way to keep abreast of what is happening in my field of work. My research and teaching roles require me to read the literature regularly and I often read about the conditions my patients have. Like many others, I also watch TED talks and enjoy reading articles on social media.

What advice would you offer to others?
Allow for creative paths to achieve your career goals – don’t assume just because you can’t see the path that there isn’t one. Career paths are rarely linear. New doors often open at unpredictable times, so allow for that while working diligently towards the goals you set. Work hard and smart but also seek mentors to guide you in different aspects of your career. It is very uncommon to find one mentor who can advise on everything and often it takes time, effort and patience to find the right mentor. Be bold and ask those you admire if they can guide you on your path.

Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
•Mentoring professionals interested in global public health
•Finding opportunities to get involved in our community service
•Monitoring and evaluation

Categories
Content

Why Join IPN?

Dear Fellow Ismaili Professional:

Welcome to the new and improved IPNOnline website! The website has been re-designed from the group-up to be mobile friendly, facilitate easy registration by LinkedIn login, and soon to have a powerful search engine that will enable the easy search and connection with Ismaili Professionals. The site is still a work in progress but important that you sign-up and encourage others to do so too.  Please read below to learn more.

– IPN USA Leadership Team

What is IPN?
As a community we often do not have a good understanding or appreciation of what other Ismailis are working on and how we can be of assistance to one another. The IPN aims to help better connect us through a professional community founded on three primary goals: Career Advancement, Collaboration, and Contribution.

Don’t know who the Ismailis are? Read more about us here.

Why Join?
You might be asking….why do we need a network for Ismaili professionals? The key reasons individuals are members of IPN are the opportunity to learn about each other, provide opportunities for collaboration, and to leverage our professional experience and expertise to help one another. Specifically IPN aims to provide:

Career Advancement – Learn about 1) job / internship opportunities, 2) opportunities for professional advancement, continuing education, lifelong learning, 3) “universal skills” (i.e. negotiations, personal brand, etc.) for your career, 4) hear from successful professionals within the community and learn from their journey

Opportunities for Collaboration – Leverage the IPN platform to 1) connect with relevant Ismailis professionals, 2) be aware of what other Ismaili Professionals are doing in your field, and 3) explore joint business opportunities. In order to enable targeted collaboration opportunities, IPN has also been rolling out new Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to connect industry professionals. To date, SIGs have been rolled out for Finance, Technology, Public Service, and International Professionals. Plans are in place to continue to roll-out additional sectors. Any members interested in taking on a SIG leadership role can contact us here.

Meaningful Opportunities for Contribution – Assist fellow Ismailis, share job opportunities & recruit, learn about seva opportunities – including international opportunities.

What can I do on the Website?
For now the main features of the website are to register and update your profile, be able to sign-up for various email newsletter communications including Special Interest Groups, and to be able to browse upcoming events, professional spotlights, and more. Soon we plan to release a powerful member search engine and opportunities to share and browse jobs and internships.

Who Can Join?
IPN’s goal is for its members to collaborate and help one another advancing the entire Ismaili professional community. Members should have a desire and dedication to the development and advancement of themselves, others, and the broader Ismaili community. Current members range from college graduating students, early and mid career professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs.

I joined in the past, why do I need to join again?
The previous IPN platform (built over 10 years ago) was substantially out of date. IPN has completely overhauled its technology platform to be simplified, mobile friendly, and to have a powerful search engine. Most importantly instead of having to recreate your profile on IPN – you can simply leverage your LinkedIn profile through one click. By updating the data and connecting to the new system – we can ensure updated information and streamlined communications for everyone.

How do I Join?
Great question – just click here and follow the instructions. By using your LinkedIn account to sign-up – it can take 60 seconds or less! For any technical problems signing up, please email us at [email protected].