Category: News

YEREVAN — The HENAR Foundation recently announced expansion of their Community Health worker Program in Syunik, the southernmost province of Armenia. What started with three villages in 2024 has expanded to four additional villages, thanks to funding from the John and Hasmik Mgrdichian Foundation.

For the past year, primary medical care in these rural villages has been supported by community health workers with HENAR’s leadership and support. Most recently, HENAR has partnered with the Boston University-Armenia Medical Partnership on the CHW project, heralding an exciting new phase of collaborative effort.

Plans to scale up the project to more villages in Syunik, to introduce new training approaches, and to raise community awareness are essential components of the new partnership.

CHWs are healthcare workers that directly represent the community they work in and provide basic medical and psycho-social services without the formal education required to be a professional healthcare provider. It’s a model that has been introduced and scaled all over the world, including in the USA.

It has had deep positive change in many settings and is an intervention that the World Health Organization considers a fundamental component of any good healthcare system. Costa Rica’s CHW system has been lauded as a main cause of the country’s exceptional health outcomes, in a region with mostly poor outcomes at higher cost.

“Community health worker programs are so important to delivering quality healthcare in underserved areas,” says Aram Kaligian, Director of the BU-AMP. “Syunik is a full day’s drive from Yerevan, and most villagers there just do not have the same access to healthcare as other parts of Armenia.

So often the barrier to good health outcomes is due to patients’ misunderstanding how to take their medications, what to do if they can’t get their prescriptions filled, or just being too far from health facilities.” Community health workers help explain what medications are for, how to take them correctly, and help troubleshoot any difficulties with access to medical care.

Currently the program functions in seven villages near the towns of Goris, Sissian, and Tatev—all a full day’s journey from Yerevan—sitting close to the borders with Azerbaijan and Iran. The villagers in this region have seen conflict and trauma from generations of war and face a difficult situation given their isolation from the rest of the country. They often feel forgotten and disconnected from their doctors, clinics, and hospitals.

CHWs work to fill these gaps and support those in need. HENAR started with focus groups, asking the community what were their health priorities and obstacles. They then found villagers to work alongside the existing village nurses and trained pairs (one CHW and one nurse) in each village to provide care, both physical and psychological.

The program does not work to replace any part of the healthcare system in the region but works to complement it, connecting patients to their doctors, helping clarifying their medication lists, and supporting health screenings in places that the system cannot always reach.

The groups started slowly, going door to door, introducing themselves as part of this new approach towards health. What was first seen with a bit of skepticism by the villagers is now an essential service. If a CHW takes even a few days off villagers are asking where they went and why they haven’t visited recently.

The program is one born from a collaborative group of healthcare professionals and volunteers, including diasporan physicians from the US. The program director, Dr. Henry Louis, has built CHW programs in countries across the region and introduced the concept to Syunik through the HENAR foundation’s initiative. “The CHWs that work in Syunik provide essential services to villagers that otherwise would not interact with the healthcare system,” says Dr Louis. “Going to someone’s home and sitting with them in their living room, talking to them about their health and wellness, is therapeutic in and of itself. If we can get people to go to their doctors and take their meds, even better.”

The Boston University – Armenia Medical Partnership is a multi-disciplinary program that coordinates collaboration for the improvement of healthcare in Armenia between the Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine at Boston University and health policy and healthcare entities in Armenia. For more information, visit the website.

Founded in 2021 by Noubar and Anna Afeyan, Ruben Vardanyan, and Arman Voskerchyan, the HENAR Foundation aims to contribute to the transformation of Armenia’s healthcare ecosystem. By building and empowering a network of partners, HENAR works to deliver better value, better care, and ultimately better health for current and future generations of Armenians. With support from AIFA (Afeyan Initiatives for Armenia), HENAR is leading efforts to strengthen Armenia’s primary care system, with a strong focus on talent development and digital innovation. For more information, visit the website.

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GLENDALE — The Armenian American Museum has released a new video interview with distinguished presidential speechwriter and political strategist Ken Khachigian, offering an inside look at the power of words, the reality of working in the White House, and the enduring role of Armenian American voices in public life.

Conducted by Armenian American Museum Communications Director Arsine Torosyan, the conversation reflects on Khachigian’s decades at the center of American political history, where he served as a trusted advisor and speechwriter to Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, and touches on Khachigian’s book, “Behind Closed Doors: In the Room with Reagan & Nixon”, which offers a personal account of life inside the Oval Office and the personalities that shaped a defining era in American politics.

Khachigian discusses the craft behind memorable political messaging, including the famous question delivered during Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” The line became one of the most recognizable moments in modern campaign rhetoric.

“The goal is clarity, conviction, and authenticity. You’re not thinking about lasting decades, you’re trying to break through in the moment. But when a message reflects real conditions and reaches both the head and the heart, it stays with people.”

The conversation also explores the realities of witnessing historic events from inside the White House. Khachigian explains that moments later remembered as historic often felt surprisingly ordinary at the time, shaped by conversations, decisions, and the steady pace of daily work behind closed doors.

Khachigian also reflects on his Armenian heritage and the role cultural identity can play in shaping perspectives on leadership and public service.

“My father, a genocide survivor, instilled in me the importance of being driven, resourceful, and determined, lessons that stayed with me in every high-pressure moment,” said Khachigian. “That legacy speaks to a broader truth about Armenian Americans, one rooted in resilience, responsibility, and a commitment to civic life as both an opportunity and an obligation.”

Readers interested in learning more about Khachigian’s experiences in presidential politics can purchase his book “Behind Closed Doors: In the Room with Reagan & Nixon” by clicking here.

The Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California is a world-class educational and cultural institution currently under construction in the heart of Glendale’s Arts and Entertainment District. The museum will feature Core and Temporary Exhibitions, Auditorium, Learning Center, Demonstration Kitchen, Archives Center, and more. Its mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Armenian American experience.

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BY YANA ADIMYAN

As soon as I landed in Washington, D.C., something changed.

It was not simply the change in weather conditions or the unfamiliar highways of the East Coast. It was the realization that, for the first time, advocacy was no longer theoretical; it was real, and we were about to step into it.

Within minutes of meeting the staff of the Armenian National Committee of America, any nervousness I carried disappeared. What I expected to be a formal, intimidating environment instead felt like something else entirely: a home away from home.

But what makes the ANCA Rising Leaders Program so powerful is not simply their warmth but rather their ability to turn passion into practice.

For many students like me, policy and advocacy exist mostly in classrooms, as we attend briefings in lectures and learn about policy memos in assigned readings. We constantly learn how systems work, how legislation is drafted, how arguments are structured but rarely do we get to experience what it means to be a part of those systems; thanks to the ANCA staff, we lived it.

At ANCA, the gap between learning about advocacy and actually advocating disappears.

Through direct engagement with policy professionals, hands-on advocacy, and meetings on Capitol Hill, we were no longer observers of the process, we were participants in it. We were challenged not only to understand policy, but to defend it, communicate it, and stand behind it in rooms where decisions are actually made.

One lesson, in particular, stayed with me: effective advocacy is not about arguing one side in isolation; instead, it is about understanding the incentives of the other side and forming solutions in a way that creates mutual gain – an insight that changed how I think about policy.

But beyond skills and knowledge, what truly differentiated my experience with the ANCA Rising Leaders Program is its human dimension.

Leadership, as I witnessed it, was not defined by authority but by mentorship, encouragement, and the ability to make young people feel their voices matter. In an environment that could easily feel overwhelming, the ANCA staff created space for confidence to grow.

And that confidence matters because advocacy is not just about knowing what to say. It is about believing that you have the right to say it.

The ANCA Rising Leaders Program does more than educate: it empowers by transforming students into advocates who are prepared not only to engage with policy, but to shape it.

For me, this experience was more than a professional milestone as it shaped the moment when my academic interests, my identity, and my aspirations finally aligned.

And once that happens, there is no going back. Ever since returning home from Washington, D.C., my experience with the ANCA Rising Leaders program has continued to drive me to learn more, push myself further, and strengthen my skills, so that when ANCA grants such an opportunity again, I will rise to meet it even more fully.

As soon as I landed in Washington, D.C., something changed, and it was me, for the better.

Yana Adimyan, a UCLA Political Science student and ANCA Rising Leaders participant, is passionate about Armenian advocacy and policy, using her voice to highlight issues of human rights, displacement, and the importance of global awareness.

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The Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation today announced the appointment of the 101st class of Guggenheim Fellows, honoring 223 exceptional individuals across 55 disciplines. Selected through a highly competitive application and peer-review process from a pool of nearly 5,000 candidates, the 2026 Fellows were chosen for both their distinguished records of achievement and their outstanding potential for future contributions.

The Fellows’ projects engage deeply with both enduring questions and urgent global challenges. Their work explores the promise and risks of artificial intelligence, advances transformative innovations in medical technology, examines the historical foundations of contemporary crises, and pioneers bold new directions in the arts.

Bedross Der Matossian, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, is among this year’s recipients of a Guggenheim Fellowship. During his fellowship, Der Matossian will undertake a major research project examining the history of mass violence in Eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus over the past two centuries, shedding new light on patterns of conflict, memory, and historical interpretation.

Der Matossian commented, “Receiving this fellowship is both humbling and inspiring. It not only affirms the work I have devoted myself to over the years, but also provides me with the time, resources, and encouragement to continue pursuing ambitious projects that challenge me creatively and intellectually. I am profoundly grateful to the selection committee for this recognition, as well as to my family in Lincoln, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, Yerevan, and Beirut; my friends and colleagues; and the scholars who wrote recommendation letters. Their support and guidance have been invaluable throughout my journey.”

Established in 1925 by U.S. Senator Simon Guggenheim and Olga Guggenheim in memory of their son, John Simon Guggenheim, the foundation is dedicated to advancing scholarship and artistic creation by supporting individuals in pursuing independent research under the freest possible conditions.

A leading scholar of modern Middle East history, Der Matossian currently teaches at the Department of History at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He has previously taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago. An author, editor, and co-editor of nine books, his works include the forthcoming volume “Shattered Truths: Denial of Genocides in the Digital Age” (University of Nebraska Press, 2027).

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