Thaver, Ali Minhal

Medicine
Pakistan
Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan
I will be taking care of patients presenting with Alzheimer's dementia in order to learn and appreciate how its being diagnosed and managed in Pakistan. Like many countries; Pakistan has an increasing aging population and therefore the burden of dementia in a resource constraint society is on the rise. However awareness regarding the disease remains low. My interest is in learning the triggers that force and concerned household members to bring in patients, the differences (and their reasons) in medical management between Pakistan and the US, challenges faced by families/caretakers in managing this subset of patients, evaluating government/private initiatives available to help with managing patients dementia, creating edcuation tools for the general public in order to diagnose Alzheimer's early (through pamphlets) and writing an article based on my experience in a national newspaper to stimulate public debate about the government's role in taking care of the elderly with Alzheimer's who do not have support. The aim is to practice preventive, promotive and curative health for a problem through a holistic approach. The IM residency program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center is a champion in creating 'healers and learners' and this elective will therefore provide me with a conducive environment to practice my skills in order to stimulate change on a speciifc problem with a limited time frame.