Alphie Rahman, a clinical nurse specialist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, lights a ceremonial lamp to signal an auspicious beginning for the Indian American Nurses Association of Maryland, a group she founded and for which she serves as president. Dedicated to supporting professional development and networking for nurses and nursing students of Indian origin and heritage, the group has more than 50 members, including nurses from The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Howard County General Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview. It is a chapter of the National Association of Indian Nurses of America. “Our hope is to have a professional body where we mentor each other and develop leadership qualities,” Rahman says. The group also performs community service projects in Baltimore.