Our History

IMANA History

IMANA History – In the Fall of 1967 at the annual meeting of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) in Columbus, Ohio, a few Muslim physicians — notably Dr. Mobin Akhtar and Dr. Amjad Ali — established the Muslim Medical Association as a branch of the MSA, which evolved into the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

The following year from the Muslim Medical Association, a separate entity called The Islamic Medical Association (IMA) of the US and Canada was formed and the annual convention was held in New York City. The founders consisting of a few Muslim physicians wrote the constitution, renamed it to the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) and Dr. Bashir Zikria (IMANA president term 1969 -1971) obtained the tax-exempt status and created the original IMANA logo. Dr. Zikria and the other founders laid IMANA’s foundation.

“The real strength of IMANA lies in the dedication and commitment of the numerous members who over the past 40 plus years have provided endless hours of volunteer time to maximize the impact of IMANA in relief work and educational outreach.”

5History shared by Dr. Faroque Ahmad Khan4

MD, M.A.C.P, who served as the IMANA President from 1986 – 1988. He was the first International Medical Graduate Regent of the American College of Physicians and the Professor of Medicine at State University of New York, Stony Brook (1985 – 2011). Dr. Khan is also the Director of IMANA International Collaboration.

Journal of Islamic Medical Association

The Journal of Islamic Medical Association published original research and reviewed articles, discussed complex biomedical issues, case reports, medical ethics and the history of medicine. JIMA was originally called The Bulletin of IMA and in September 1976 it was renamed to Journal of IMA (JIMA) and, later The Journal of IMANA. The first bulletin was published in 1970 by Dr Muhammad Umar, first editor of JIMA.
Note: JIMA is no longer in publication.

Early 80's: Birth of FIMA (Federation of Islamic Medical Association)

At IMANA’s annual convention in 1981 in Florida, a handful of visionaries worked together and established the Federation of Islamic Medical Association (FIMA), a registered body of 29 Islamic Medical Associations and 17 associate members worldwide, representing about 50,000 Muslim medical and health professionals. FIMA was incorporated in the State of Indiana as a not-for-profit corporation providing outstanding relief work, student camps as well as serves as a voice for thousands of its members across all continents.

International Institute of Islamic Medicine (IIIM)

In 1992, IMANA mandated the formation of IIIM at a council meeting of its executives in Orlando, Florida. IIIM was formed to collect, collate, catalogue, annotate, research and disseminate information about the History of Islamic Medicine. IIIM also researches and publicizes numerous contributions that Islamic Medicine made to the development of medicine as it is practiced today. These are pioneering efforts by Dr. Husain Nagamia, Chairman of IIIM, who organizes resources to educate all about the rich past of Islamic Medical civilization and heritage.

Establishing Roots: Nationwide and Internationally

In efforts to expand IMANA’s educational outreach initiatives, an early president of IMANA, Dr. R.C. Amine, (neurosurgery) developed a program which paved the way for IMANA members to share healthcare knowledge in the Middle East through teaching assignments. Hospitals and Institutions in the Middle East invited IMANA members to medical schools to discuss health care advancements. This initiative strengthened IMANA’s relationship in the Middle East and we launched a Clinical Observership program that allows international medical students to observe health care delivery in the States.

IMANA Annual Conventions and Scientific Assembly

The IMANA Annual meetings are dynamic gatherings of renowned individuals in the field of medicine, religion and ethics to network with fellow industry leaders and spend time with the IMANA families at international destinations. The convention explores important issues facing the rapidly evolving healthcare environment with CME presentations to assist our physicians in keeping up with an advanced learning environment.

IMANA History – Annual Conventions

Houston, Texas 1987

Istanbul, Turkey 1990/1991

Amman, Jordan 1997

Beijing, China 2006

Washington D.C. 2009

Uzbekistan 2010

San Juan 2011

Malaysia 2012

Alaskan Cruise 2013

East Africa 2014

Dominican Republic 2015

Denver 2016

IMANA Cruise 2017

Cancun, Mexico 2018

Utah 2019

Jekyll Island, Georgia 2022

Have a question? Get in touch.

Preferred Method of Contact

6 + 14 =

Locations:

Virginia: 9681 Main Street, Suite B, Fairfax, VA 22031

Phone:

202-559-3765

Fax:

630-932-0005

Email:

[email protected]

IMANA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations to IMANA and IMANA Medical Relief are tax exempt. Tax ID: #36-4166125