On Jan. 18, 2014, the Armenian Heritage Cruise (AHC) will set sail for the Caribbean on its 17th anniversary cruise and this year, for the first time, AHC will host “Medical Programs for Physicians and AHC Guests.” Featuring Dr. Raffi Hovanessian, Dr. Haig Minassian, Dr. Kim Hekimian, and Maro Matosian, guests will have the opportunity to hear about medical issues affecting children and adults in Armenia and Karabagh.
Kim Hekimian, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University and the American University of Armenia’s Masters of Public Health (MPH) program. She is a consultant for international health projects and has worked for USAID, UNICEF, World Vision, and the World Bank, among others. She received her Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in the department of health policy, division of behavioral sciences and health education. She received her bachelor’s in liberal arts from the University of Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass. An active member of the Armenian National Committee (ANC) and the Armenian American Health Professionals Organization (AAHPO), she currently resides in New Jersey and travels frequently to Armenia.
Her research has focused on determinants of infant feeding practices and nutrition during pregnancy and lactation. Her dissertation involved conducting the first national survey of infant nutrition practices in the newly independent nation of Armenia. The findings from this study led to a four-year nation-wide breastfeeding promotion program, and Hekimian was involved in all aspects of the design and evaluation of the program, which was funded by USAID, UNICEF, and the Ministry of Health of Armenia. At the end of the promotion program, breastfeeding rates tripled and post-neonatal mortality declined. Currently, she is working on programs to reduce in infant and child malnutrition in Armenia.
Hekimian will present two topics on AHC XVII 2014, “Public Health in Armenia: Progress and Needs” and “Infant and Child Nutrition: The Double Burden of Under- and Over-Nutrition.” There will be a questions and answer period following the presentation.
She will also participate in a round table discussion with her fellow colleagues, Dr. Raffi Hovanessian, Dr. Haig Minassian, and Maro Matosian, titled “Healthcare and Social Welfare in Armenia: How can the diaspora be more effective?”
Maro Matosian has long been activist for social justice in Armenia and assists various civil movements dealing with environmental protection, cultural heritage preservation, non-combat deaths in the army, and women’s rights. A trip to Armenia in 1981 changed her life; there, she rediscovered her ancestral roots and dedicated herself to extensive work in the Armenian communities of New York and Paris. She moved to Armenia in the 1990’s, putting her methodical research and organizational skills to work as the director of “Aznavour pour Armenie” and implementing grants from the European Union’s Humanitarian Commission. She joined the Tufenkian Foundation in 2006 and currently serves as its country director, splitting her time between New York, Armenia, and Karabagh. Matosian is also currently running the Women’s Support Center NGO, an extension program of the Tufenkian Foundation, assisting victims of domestic violence in Armenia. On AHC XVII, she will discuss public healthcare in Karabagh.
For more information on the AHC Medical Program, e-mail maria.tavitian@yahoo.com or visit www.ArmenianHeritageCruise.com.
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