gautam samadder, md - American Association of Physicians of ...

Congratulations to 

Narendra Kumar, MD 

for receiving the pretigious 

PRAVASI BHARATIYA AWARD 

and Welcome to incoming Dynamic President 

Jayesh Shah, MD 

From: 

Ajay Lodha, MD 

Treasurer AAPI 

Taking AAPI to new heights and colors from Red to Green 

Bringing Financial Stability 

Now Going for Secretary 

AAPI 2013-2014 

Congratulations to the Executive Committee and 

Board of Trustees for the Wonderful Year!

AAPI Journal Content 

Page No. 

Topic 

5 Editor’s Report - Gautam Samadder, MD 

6 AAPI Executive Committee & Regional Directors 

7 AAPI Journal Committee & Board of Trustees 

8 President’s Report - Narendra Kumar, MD 

12 President - Elect’s Report - Jayesh Shah, MD 

13 Treasurer Report - Ajay Lodha, MD 

15 YPS Report - Kusum Punjabi, MD 

17 MSRF Report - Amit Bhakoo, MD 

18 IT Chair Report - Suresh Reddy, MD 

20 AMA AAPI Delegate Report - Piyush Vyas, MD 

22 Charitable Foundation Report - Nick Shroff, MD 

23 New AAPI-AKMG Charitable Clinic (in Cochin) 

AAPI Membership Benefits Committee Chair Report - 

24 

Hemant Dhingra, MD 

30 Women Physicians Committee Chair Report - Dharmi Kanuga, MD 

31 2013 Global Healthcare Summit - Gautam Samadder, MD 

34 Chapter News FAPI American Heritage Day - R Nathan, MD 

36 Chapter News TIPS SW GALA - Jayesh Shah, MD / Manju Sachdev, MD 

Being “Indian”: A risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus? - 

38 

Sumit Bhagra, MBBS 

The Second Victim - Collateral Damage in a Compromised 

40 

Medical Outcome - Udita Jahagirdar, MD 

42 Two Sides to A Coin - Sunita Reddy, MD 

45 Members in News 

47 Poem - Our Home - Vijay V. Kulkarni, MD 

48 The Joker - Akshat Jain, MD 

50 AAPI: Why We Should Care? - Dr. Poorvi Desai, MD 

51 My Experiences at the Global Health Summit 2013 - Arvind Pillai, MD 

52 Calendar of Events 

53 AAPI Humor - Bipin Shah, MD 

DISCLAIMER: The AAPI Journal is published quarterly by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI). This publication may not be reproduced in whole or 

in part without the express written permission of AAPI. All articles published including editorials, letters and book reviews represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect 

the official policy of AAPI. Please note that the acceptance of advertising in this journal does not constitute or imply endorsement by AAPI of any product or service nor does AAPI 

accept any responsibility for any claims made in any advertisement, unless otherwise stated by AAPI. In addition individual advertisers are solely responsible for the content of 

their advertising material which they submit to us, including ensuring that it complies with relevant legislation. 

3 

3

Best Wishes to AAPI 

On 31 More Years 

of Excellence 

"We believe in providing patients with quality products. 

When cobinedwith our education and service, we will succeed in 

offering Superior Home Healthcare” 

Specializing in care for the Cardiopulmonary Patient 

Superior Home Healthcare 

3615 Christy Way E, Saginaw, Michigan 

1-800-880-1234 - 24 Hour Service 1-888-791-1952 Fax

Editor’s Report 

The prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the 

Government of India’s highest civilian honor 

for non-resident Indians, was awarded to AAPI 

President Dr. Narendra Kumar during the 11th 

annual Parvasi Bharatiya Diwas in Kochi, India. 

Dr. Kumar is incredibly worthy of this immense 

and well-deserved honor, and I wish to congratulate 

him on all of his success. 

Gautam Samadder, MD 

Editor-in-Chief 

GSamadderMD@gmail.com 

Pranab Mukherjee, President of India, presented Dr. Kumar with the award, which serves as a capstone to the 

success of AAPI over the past six months under Dr. Kumar’s leadership. Dr. Kumar proclaimed at the beginning 

of his term, “We will put all our energy in a positive direction in order to restore AAPI’s image, improve financial 

health and bring unity, integrity and stability to our organization. 

Indeed, AAPI has once again become a beacon. We 

have become more united than ever as we continue 

to grow in membership and financial health, and the 

prestige and reach of our organization has never been 

greater. 

Because of Dr. Kumar’s leadership, the Nine-City 

Musical Tour that travelled across the United States 

was a fantastic success. The tour not only offered an 

incredible experience for so many of our members— 

it also generated $1.2 million, which a significant and 

vital accomplishment for our organization. The tour 

brought together our local chapters and the national organization in an effort to bring educational and 

entertainment events under one amazing program. It was an incredible shared experience that I was very proud to 

be a part of, and I know that everyone who attended felt the same. 

Along with the Nine-City Musical Tour, the ground breaking 2013 AAPI Global Health Summit was incredibly 

successful because of the expert leadership and dedication of Dr. Kumar. The Summit gathered more than 1,200 

delegates from around the world in Kochi for a discussion and exploration of ways to bring innovative, efficient 

and cost effective healthcare to India. Delegates participated in plenary sessions, interactive roundtables, clinical 

practice workshops and meet-the-expert sessions. And for the first time at GHS, a CEO Forum gathered CEOs 

from around the world to explore collaborative ways to bring world-class healthcare to India. The Summit was an 

incredibly productive experience, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s. 

The past six months have been unlike any other period for AAPI. I am happy and humbled to be a part of this 

organization because of the incredible work we have all done together. I know that under the leadership of 

President-Elect. Dr. Jayesh Shah, we will accomplish so much more as we continue on the expert trajectory established 

by Dr. Kumar. 

Sincerely, 



5

AAPI Executive Committee 


President 


President-Elect 

Ravi Jahagirdar, MD 

Vice President 

Seema Jain, MD 

Secretary 


Treasurer 

Sunita Kanumury, MD 

Immediate Past President 

Durgesh Mankikar, MD 

Chair, BOT 

Kusum Punjabi, MD 

YPS President 

Amit Bhakoo, MD 

MSRF President 

Regional Directors 


 

Varadendra Panchamukhi, MD 

NE Central-I Regional Director 

Madhu Aggarwal, MD 

Mid Atlantic-I Regional Director 

Jagwginder Sraow, MD 

Mountain Regional Director 

Satheesh Kathula, MD 

NE Central-II Regional Director 

Krishan Kumar, MD 

Mid Atlantic-II Regional Director 

Prasad R. Kurichety, MD 

NW Central Regional Director 

Tarak Vasavada, MD 

SE Central Regional Director 

Suresh K. Gupta, MD 

South Atlantic Regional Director 

Manju Sachdev, MD 

SW Central Regional Director 

Lalit Savla, MD 

New England Regional Director 

Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, MD 

South Regional Director 

6

AAPI Journal Committee & 

Board of Trustees 


Chair 

Shivaprasad Madduri, MD 

Co-Chair 

Muttathil Ravindra Nathan, MD 

Advisor 

Udita Jahagirdar, MD 

Member 

Nirupama Madduri, MD 

Member 

Niraj Badhiwala, MD 

MSRF Member 


Durgesh P. Mankikar, MD 

Chair, BOT 

Suresh C. Gupta, MD 

Trustee 

Naresh Parikh, MD 

Trustee 

Mathagondapally Arun, MD 

Trustee 

Vimal Goyle, MD 

Trustee 

Shashi S. Shah, MD 

Trustee 

Ammani Dasari, MD 

Trustee 

Sripad Dhawlikar, MD, MS 

Trustee 

Sridhara Iyengar, MD 

Trustee 

Vinita Bhagia, MD 

Past President, YPS 

Avni Shah, MD 

Past President, MSRF 

7

President’s Report 

The past six months have given me a wonderful 

experience to be the President of this prestigious 

organization. I have the good fortune to work 

with a team of dedicated and committed Executive 

Committee and Board members, who are up 

to the challenge of leading this organization at a 

challenging time. Together we have made progress 

and changed the course to a positive direction, and 

regained strength and trust in the leadership and 


AAPI President 

AAPIPresident@aapiusa.org 

and organization. Industry partners are again aligning with AAPI and regaining confidence. I am certain that the 

future leadership will continue along the current path and take us to a better and bigger heights. 

I hope I have done some justice to my Presidential acceptance speech- to bring unity, stability, integrity and 

financial health to our organization. We have tried our best and could concentrate our efforts without major 

interruptions for betterment of the organization rather than getting distracted with internal organizational 

conflicts. I thank you all for giving us a clean political environment to restore AAPI’s image. 

We are stronger as an organization with over 11,000 patron members and we are financially more stable than we 

were about a year ago. As you are all aware, our Nine City Educational and Cultural program was highly successful 

and certainly helped in bring our regional chapters closer than ever, and made a substantial profit of over $1.25 

Million. Encouraged by the success of this initiative, President-Elect Dr. Jayesh Shah has already started working 

on putting together another ambitious program in mid-June. We just concluded our Global Healthcare Summit in 

Cochin, which took our annual Indo-US Healthcare Summit to a different status and has helped put AAPI in the 

international spotlight. We have a responsibility and a unique opportunity to do something to improve the rural 

health in India, which is a major challenge. 

As sitting President of AAPI, I am also very humbled to receive the 2013 Pravaasi Bharatiya Award in Cochin. 

I consider this as a recognition of our entire organization, and the significant contributions of the Indian- 

American medical community, rather than an individual recognition. I thank each and every one of you in your 

continued support which made this possible. The Chicago convention committee is working very hard in making 

the upcoming 2013 Memorial Day AAPI Convention a memorable event. Hope to see you all in Chicago. 

Respectfully Submitted, 

Narendra R. Kumar, MD 


8

convention highlights 

- Record attendance of over 3,000 delegates expected 

- CRUISE - Chicago Raising Bridge for AAPI Delegates 

- Bollywood Entertainment - KK (Krishna Kumar) 

- Entertainment by Comedian Raju Srivastava followed by 

Soorya Festival - a riveting fusion of classical music and dances 

- Cutting Edge CME 

- Strategic Planning with Industry Partners 

- AAPI Corporate-Industry Advisory Council 

- Invited Dignitaries from the USA and India 

- Exhibits & Networking 

- Women’s Forum 

- Fashion Show 

- Alumni Meetings 

- Auxiliary programs 

- Yoga/Meditation/Pranayama 

Medical Students/Residents/Fellows (MSRF) and Young Physicians Section (YPS) Events 

- Practice Management and Leadership Development seminars - Outstanding professional and social networking opportunities 

contact information AAPI HeadQuarters (630) 990-2277 CONVENTION@AAPIUSA.ORG 

Narendra R. Kumar, MD 

PRESIDENT, AAPI 

AAPIPresident@aapiusa.org 

Birinder Marwah, MD 

2011 CONVENTION CHAIR 

conventionchair@aapiusa.org 

Prem Rupani, MD 

CONVENER 

prerup@aol.com 

Umang patel, MD 

CO-CHAIR 

umangpatel@aol.com 

Satya Ahuja, MD 

ADVISOR 

satyaahuja1@gmail.com 

Raj Arora, MD 

HOST ORGANIZATION PRESIDENT 

arora2952@att.net 

Amarjit Singh, MD 

TREASURER 

singh1091@aol.com 

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN 

www.aapiconvention.ORG

Amb. Nirupama Rao 

Ambassador Of India

President - Elect’s Report 

It is a proud moment for AAPI to congratulate AAPI 

President Dr. Narendra Kumar for receiving the most 

prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award in Kochi. 

The 2013 AAPI Global Health Summit was a huge success 

and plans are underway for a very promising convention 

in Chicago during Memorial Day week this year. 

12 


President-Elect AAPI 

JShahaapi@gmail.com 

The AAPI team is not sitting on its laurels. Plans and execution 

for several events throughout the upcoming year 

have already begun. AAPI will focus on the fight against childhood obesity in various parts of the United States in conjunction 

with Shanker Mahadevan’s musical shows. Several educational seminars and walks are being planned during this event. With 

its extensive network of expertise, AAPI could offer significant advances in addressing the cause and prevention of childhood 

obesity. It is important that we collectively work to advocate for the problems facing this country. I want to thank the national 

organizing committee (Dr. Narendra Kumar, Dr. Jayesh Shah, Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, Dr. Seema Jain, Dr. Ajay Lodha, Dr. Gautam 

Samadder, Dr. Hemant Dhingra, Dr. Sam Bhagia and Dr. Manju Sachdev) for giving the seed money to help us with fundraising 

for this event. 

I thank all chapters and their executive committees who have come forward to make this event possible. This year, a mesmerizing 

musical show by Shanker Mahadevan has been planned for between June 8 and June 30, 2013. Please join the walks, participate 

in the seminars and enjoy the musical concerts across various cities in United States. This program will unite and connect all of 

us as well as our chapters in a unique way, making AAPI stronger. This event will take place in the following cities on the dates 

listed below: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 8 in Cleveland 

June 9 in Los Angeles 

June 15 in Dallas 

June 16 in New York 

June 22 in New Jersey 

June 23 in Atlanta 

June 29 in Tampa 

June 30 in San Jose 

As the youngest President-Elect of AAPI, my goals will be to increase involvement of young physicians and enhance their 

participation at all levels of AAPI and realize our vision of AAPI 2020. I will gear AAPI’s agenda to cater the needs of young 

physicians to ensure future growth and outstanding contributions from physicians of Indian origin in the American healthcare 

system. 

The vision of AAPI 2020 would be to have 20,000 paid members; three offices: an administrative office in Chicago, a legislative 

office in Washington DC and an India Liaison office in New Delhi; and 20 employees serving all members with value added 

to membership. The administrative office would perform the administrative work for all chapters and would have an account 

executive for each region who will help the subchapters perform their activities with solid administrative support. 

Registration for next year’s Global Summit is now open. Please register online as an international delegate at www.aapighsindia. 

org. 

“The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.” 

I’m looking forward to an exciting New Year. 

Regards, 

Dr. Jayesh Shah 

President-Elect, AAPI

Treasurer’s Report 

It is my privilege and honor to serve you as your Treasurer and I am 

happy to provide you with updated financial status of our organization. 

I have done utmost to keep closed tabs on expenses. The financial 

activities are monitored closely with AAPI office and Dr. Narendra 

Kumar. Accounts are being reviewed on a weekly and monthly basis. 

Monthly Treasurer’s Report is being sent to entire Executive Committee 

before scheduled EC teleconferences. 


Treasurer AAPI 

ALodha@aol.com 

All bills were paid in a timely manner. AAPI made a net profit of $731,641.57 from AAPI Multi-City Educational/Musical program. 

$25,000 was paid to the Charitable Foundation and $175,000 to Board of Trustees. $100,000 was given as advance to Chicago Convention 

and $50,040 was advanced to the next year’s AAPI Charitable Concert. Rest of the monies was reserved for operational expenses. 

The patron dues collected so far were deposited in the Board account. 

In order to bring consistency and to consolidate our financial positions, I am working diligently with the officers to raise funds for 

AAPI. A detailed Treasurer’s report will be presented at the Governing Body Meeting in Charlotte, NC on March 23, 2013. 

With Best Regards, 


Treasurer, AAPI 

13

& 

 

 

 

 

&

YPS Report 

The impact and success of an organization is determined by 

the caliber and strength of its membership. I am proud to say 

that since the new leadership has taken reign of AAPI – the 

Young Physicians Section (YPS) has had the highest growth in 

membership than any other group. 

Kusum Punjabi, MD 

YPS President 

KusumPunjabi@yahoo.com 

Since June, the YPS board and its members have organized and participated in various events like networking keynote speaker events in 

Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, and NYC. We have co-sponsored events with organizations like NetIP, SABA, MSSNY, NYCMS 

and others. We have also teamed up with the Medical Students/Residents and Fellows section and organized a health symposium in 

Florida, which was a huge success. Our enthusiasm and support for AAPI was evident in the Shreya Ghosal musical tour concerts that 

were well attended by several YPS members in various cities. 

Last September, at the AAPI Governing Body Meeting we changed the AAPI bylaws to include all Physicians up to 8 years out of residency 

in the YPS section and we rallied to make the APPI YPS NYC Metro, an official chapter of AAPI – both huge accomplishments for the 

YPS. 

These upcoming months the YPS Board is going to be working very hard to organize a fantastic AAPI Annual Convention 2013 in Chicago 

to be held from May 24th-May27th. For the YPS particularly we have planned great daytime events with good speakers on topics such 

as Business in Medicine, Relationships, Leadership in the workplace etc. We will be arranging several fun networking events and Singles 

Mixers for the entire weekend and of course, great venues for our evening events/ galas including a Boat Cruise on Lake Michigan. Also 

in Chicago we will have elections for next year’s YPS board. The positions are President Elect, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. If 

interested please contact Ashwin Mehta (dramehta@ gmail.com) for further information. 

It is an honor to serve as YPS President and I thank you all for all your support and encouragement. Please feel free to reach out to me 

with any suggestions/comments etc. 

See you all in Chicago! 

Kusum Punjabi MD, MBA 

AAPI YPS President.

Indian Physicians Association of Central California 

Congratulates Dr. Narendra Kumar, The AAPI Executive Committee and 

Board of Trustees along with the Nine-City Tour Organizers who 

came together to make this a remarkable success, 

paving the way even more ambitious endeavours to come 

Dr. Hemant Dhingra 

President, IPACC 

Dr. Pawan Sood 

Secretary, IPACC 

IPACC Board 

Dr. Sheetal Kukreja 

Dr. Narayan Ambati 

Dr. Anita Sivasubramanian 

Dr. Parlahd Jajodia 

Dr. Swarnpaul Sekhon 

Dr. Perminder Bhatia 

Dr. Venkat Avula 

Dr. Frank Gavini 

Dr. Lakhjit Sandhu 

Dr. Harpreet Dhindsa 

www.ipacc.org

MSRF Report 

Dear Colleagues, 

I hope this message finds you well and off to a great 

start in 2013! Within the Medical Student, Resident 

and Fellows Section, we have had a busy close to 

2012 and start to 2013 with events across the country. 



Amit.Bhakoo@gmail.com 

In September, AAPI-MSRF hosted its first-ever 

regional conference at the University of Miami with a focus on “Unity in Diversity” and the skills needed to succeed 

through medical school, residency and fellowship. Led by Anisha Gupta, Ami Panara and Nandini Verma, 

the event was a huge success with attendees from across Florida and MSRF members visiting from Illinois and 

Missouri. The keynote speaker, Dr. Narendra Kini, CEO of Miami Children’s Hospital was particularly engaging 

and gave his insight into the changing face of healthcare, the role of technology and what skills as trainees we 

should develop to be successful in the future. It was a tremendously successful event and I would like to thank the 

entire AAPI South Florida community for their support in this sentinel event. 

Additionally, over the past few months we have been hard at work establishing MSRF chapters in Kansas City, MO, 

Nashville, TN, Newark, NJ and Chicago, IL. It is my hope that with a strong local chapter network, AAPI members 

moving across the country or across the state for training or to practice can find a local chapter to get involved in 

and stay connected to our organization. Through local chapter events, mentorship and a focus on career development 

we hope to engage medical students, residents and fellows in AAPI and add value to the AAPI experience for 

the next generation of Indian-American physicians. 

To that end, we recently held an online webinar on interviewing for residency and the common scenarios applicants 

face during the residency interview process. This is one of the most stressful experiences of medical school 

as well as the physician-training process, and it is one of our goals to help residency applicants get a better handle 

on the interview process. 

Going forward in 2013, we plan on hosting a webinar for residents and fellows graduating this July on negotiating 

their first contract and how to transition successfully to becoming an attending. Additionally, we are planning local 

events across the country throughout the spring, leading up to the Chicago convention. I hope to see you out 

at these events and at the convention. 

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as MSRF President and please feel free to contact any MSRF Executive 

Board member or myself. Our contact information is available at www.aapimsr.org. 

Best, 



17

IT Chair’s Report 

I I am proud to announce some of our committee’s accomplishments. 

They are as follows: 

Websites: 

We now have functioning and updated websites for the following sites: 

1) AAPI CME Cruise website not only includes information about the 

upcoming Mediterranean Cruise in the summer of July 2013, we also 

have pictures from the past CME cruises. To add a personal touch, we 

have included video invitation messages from the organizers. 

2) Our website for AAPI Charitable foundation is up and running with all the updated information. 

3) Our YPF (Youth wing) website is being presently updated. 

4) The MSRF (Medical student’s wing) is fully updated and is being effectively managed by medical student officers. 

5) We are in the final phase of creating a site for CME Accreditation to make the accreditation process user friendly. I have been 

working with Dr. Iyengar and Dr. Natarajan to make the site active. This is a dream come true for me, as this will help the local 

sub chapters with accreditation. 

Conventions: 

1) Along with Dr. Marwah, the convention chair for the upcoming 

Chicago Annual convention, we are gearing up to bring you the most advanced website for the Chicago convention with user 

friendly links and interfaces. We are also trying to introduce an iPhone app for the convention to make the registration and attending 

process not only user friendly but also mobile and portable. We are trying to introduce advanced software so the attendees 

can print registration materials including tickets and badges at home to avoid wasting time at the registration counter. 

2) We will be introducing a personal video message from the AAPI president Dr. Narendra Kumar on the convention website to 

registrants to add a personal touch. 

3) We are working with Dr. Bansal, the Convention CME Chair, to bring you advances in IT for the smooth running of the CME 

program. We will be creating a login page so CME attendees can sign in evaluation sheets right on site and can personally print 

their own CME certificates online after attending the CME. 

This will avoid huge amount of paperwork for the CME organizers. 

Look into the Future: Elections: 

1) Our dream project is to move AAPI elections towards online voting. Not only will this increase the polling percentage but 

also make it paperless and efficient. 

2) Biographies of all the candidates along with a possible brief video presentation by the contestants to be posted on the election 

page of the AAPI website. This will help voters get a firsthand look at the candidates. 

My goal is to have every AAPI member use the AAPI website as their home page. 

I want to personally thank Dr.Narendra Kumar, Dr. Jayesh Shah, Vijaya Kodali and Sam Fulambarker for their unconditional 

support and help. 

Please stay tuned for more exciting projects from the AAPI IT Committee in the near future. 

Sincerely, 

Suresh Reddy MD 

Chair, IT Committee AAPI 

Co-Chair, CME Committee AAPI 

Co-Chair, CME Accreditation Committee AAPI 

Secretary, Osmania University Medical Alumni Association 

Secretary, APMG USA 

Executive Committee, IMA New England (IMANE) 

18 

Suresh Reddy, MD 

Chair, IT Committee 

Reddyaapi@gmail.com

INDIAN MEDICAL 

ASSOCIATION (IMA) 

Of Greater Washington, DC 

Congratulations to Dr Narendra Kumar, 

President AAPI and the entire 

AAPI Executive Team 

for their Spectacular performance 

in organizing: 

The First AAPI Nine City Musical Tour with 

Shreya Ghoshal, Fall 2012 

The Largest Global Health Summit 

in Kochi, India. Jan 2013 

The First AAPI National Golf Tournament 

in Orlando FL, Feb 2013 

From 

Dr. Sudhir Sekhsaria 

President, IMA and Convener Shreya Ghoshal Musical Event 

Phone 301-526-4402 : Email asthma4@yahoo.com 

Dr Naveen Gupta, Vice Presdent IMA 

Dr Manbir Takhar, Secretary IMA 

Dr Mandeep Sandhu, Treasurer IMA 

Members at Large, Board of Trustees and IMA Members.

AMA Delegate Report 

The 2012 AMA Interim Meeting held in Honolulu Hawaii from Friday 

November 9th through Monday November 12th emphasized the theme of 

diversity within a state that enjoys one of the greatest minorities in the United 

States. Major highlights throughout the AMA meeting included ensuring 

future generations of physicians including a research symposium, stressing 

physician leadership for care delivery, and summarizing key collaboration 

efforts in order to improve broad health outcomes. The research symposium, 

for the first time, showcased international medical graduates certified by the 

20 

Piyush Vyas, MD 

Piyush.Vyas@va.gov 

Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. Dr. Jigisha Thakker won the poster competition, while Dr. Leonard Chen 

won the podium competition. 

Physicians from throughout the country met in the AMA House of delegates to determine policy and adopt amendments twice a 

year. The following list the most important determinations for this past interim meeting: 

1)In an attempt to address the coming overwhelming shortage of physicians by 2025 especially in primary care specialties the 

House stated that the J-1 visa waiver program should be expanded. The program currently allots 30 positions in each state for 

international medical graduates who complete their graduate medical education and pledge to work two years in a Department 

of Health and Human Services designated shortage area in exchange for waivers from the return-home visa requirement. The 

AMA would like to increase the number of slots from 30 to 50 per state. Additionally the AMA House opposed any cuts in federal 

funding for graduate medical education that would lead to the closure of much needed residency programs (or dismissal of current 

residents). 

2)Several issues were discussed with regard to medical education. AMA adopted resolution advocating regulations that would 

ensure that clinical clerkship slots go first to students at accredited U.S. medical school or those who have preliminary or provisional 

accreditation instead of unaccredited for-profit foreign medical schools. Although another resolution opposing the use of 

legacy status in medical school applications was discussed it was not adopted. Indeed some physicians argued that using legacy 

status might be detrimental to the student during the selection process. However the argument still remains that many US medical 

schools may use family connections to alumni that will favor non-minority students. Further discussion is necessary for this topic. 

3)The AMA adopted other ways to accelerate changes in medical education including implementing targeted objectives starting in 

summer 2014 in selected schools. 

4)Employment principles resolutions were adopted given the increasing dependent nature of physician employment and the 

potential conflicts of interests that arise the physician-employer-patient dynamic. For the most part the guidelines are meant to 

fortify the importance of patient welfare priority in any situation. Employers are encouraged to become more transparent in this 

model and allow physicians similar rights in participation of medical staff sell-governance. 

5)11 principles to help guide physician leaders of teams were adopted focusing on patient and family-centered care, making transparent 

the teams’ missions, enforcing collaboration, accountability, quality improvement, continuing education, and efficiency of 

care. 

6)AMA encouraged the development of standards to guide clinical use of genomic-based technologies including understanding 

privacy, practice, payment, and regulatory issues. 

7)Although Washington has yet to make changes in automatic cuts scheduled to several programs, AMA affirmed its support to 

prevent automatic cuts to health programs especially in Medicare, public health, and other initiates. 

Overall AMA maintained its image as an advocate of patient-focused healthcare and implemented policies that strive to help physicians 

navigate evolving health care practices. Additionally AMA focused on reaffirming the importance of international medical 

graduates as a way to supplement the shortage in primary care by passing resolutions to increase the number of international medical 

residencies J-1 visa slots per state from 30 to 50. Additionally AMA strives to encourage a more fair selection process, while 

giving preference to those graduates from domestically accredited programs. AMA asks that federal funding not be cut in this 

crucial time and simultaneously provides guidelines and help to physicians navigating this fiscal environment. AMA emphasized 

team-based practice while helping physicians positively direct less-autonomous patient-care which is becoming the new norm. 

- Piyush Vyas, MD


AAPI President Dr. Narendra R. Kumar 

and the AAPI Executive Committee 

From 

The Georgia Association of Physicians of 

Indian Heritage 

Dr. Abhishek Gaur 

President 

Dr Sudhakar Jonnalagadda 

Chair, GAPI Board of Trustees 

The GAPI Executive Committee & 


We welcome you to the 

GAPI Annual Meeting 

April 17th, 2013 

Crowne Plaza, Ravinia, Atlanta, GA 

www.GAPI.org

Charitable Foundation Report 

The AAPI Charitable-Foundation (AAPI-CF) Executive 

Committee & Directors, Patron Trustees, 

Clinic Volunteers, Donors and over million patients 

served each year appreciate your consideration 

and continued support. 

22 

Nick Nipan Shroff, MD 

Chairman, AAPI-CF 

NickShroff@gmail.com 

The primary mission of our AAPI-CF is to serve 

sick and indigent people through our 12-AAPI 

health clinics in our motherland, Matrubhoomi. 

Currently, we are working on ECHO Project for India and the Vaccination Project. To further maximize the our 

efforts, we have also partnered with other NGOs in several initiatives such as the partnership with The Naandi Safe 

Drinking Water Distribution Foundation and Seva International Inc. among others. 

We pleased to announce that we are currently operating the Foundation with a 1% operating cost as opposed to 

many other charitable organizations for which upwards of 40% of donations are spent in administrative costs. This 

tremendous accomplishment could not be possible without the generous donations of our AAPI-CF members, 

corporate partners and the AAPI membership. 

In an effort to be self-sufficient, we hope to increase our endowment fund and be more independent in our finances. 

Presently the lifetime pledge to be Patron-Trustee membership is $10,000, which is a one-time donation 

for individuals. We also have several alumni & specialty societies who have donated $10,000 for the Organizational 

Patron Membership. 

Since voluntary donations are at an all-time low, the AAPI-Charitable Foundation is making a plea for more Patron 

members. However, before we ask general membership to contribute and become AAPI-CF Patron members, 

we must ensure that our leadership and key executive members show support for our cause. We proudly announce 

that all current AAPI-CF -executive committee and past AAPI–CF Presidents are Patron Trustees. 

We respectfully request that all AAPI Officers become Patron Trustees of our Foundation, if they have not already 

done so. Toward this end, we have communicated with current AAPI-Executive Committee & AAPI Board of 

Trustees (BOT) Chair, past AAPI Presidents & past BOT Chairpersons. 

We also request state chapters, Medical School alumni organizations and Specialty societies to become AAPI-CF 

Patron-Association-members so that we can achieve our goal of 50 new patron members. 

We are also encouraging our own liaison officers and Directors to donate/raise at least $2,000 every year. We expect 

new projects such as the new immunization programs and other worthwhile causes to attract more donors and 

Patron members into our cherished organization. 

We sincerely hope our appeal to be received with great enthusiasm. 

Please visit our website www.AAPICharitableFoundation.Org to learn more about our clinics, ongoing research 

and development, along with new projects that are underway. 

Nick Nipan Shroff, MD 

Chairman, AAPI-CF 

NickShroff@gmail.com

New AAPI-AKMG Charitable Clinic 

(in Cochin) 

Long time AAPI member Dr. P. Gopalakrishnan from South Carolina has donated his clinic to be named as 

AAPI-AKMG Charitable Clinic which will be supported by AAPI Charitable Foundation and AKMG Humanitarian 

Services in addition to personal endowment from Dr. P. Gopalakrishnan. Day today affairs of this clinic 

will be managed by Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. 

AKMG & AAPI Leaders with Dr. P. Gopalakrishnan & Dr. Prathapan Nair, Principal of AIMS 

Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust 

Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust rendering rehabilitative 

services with a holistic approach of providing Inclusive 

Education, Medical Care, Vocational Training and 

Employment in one campus. 

Amar Jyoti Rehabilitation & Research Centre 

The Founder & Managing Secretary, 

Dr. Uma Tuli was recently awarded 

Padma Shri for her dedicated service. 

Amar Jyoti Rehabilitation & Research Centre, Karkardooma, Vikas Marg,Delhi - 110092 

Tel : 011-46866200 

Contact No. 09811058000 & 09811212310 

23

AAPI Membership Benefits Committee Chair’s Report 

Dear AAPI Member, 

AAPI Membership committee is very proud to 

present very robust and attractive package for 

members. We are introducing the benefits which 

have tangible benefits and enhance the value of 

membership. The only Key to avail the benefit-Be 

a Proud AAPI member. 


AAPI Membership Benefits 

Committee Chair 

HemantDhingra@hotmail.com 

AAPI KAPLAN DISCOUNT 

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has entered into a creative partnership with 

Kaplan Medical offering AAPI members and their families 10% off select products and services offered by Kaplan. 

A brief list includes: 

 

 

 

 

AAPI-MEDJET ASSIST 

AAPI members will get $25 discount on annual membership on Medjet Assist. This is a great program for 

emergency Air Ambulance anywhere in the world. 

http://medjetassist.com Ask for special discount for AAPI Members. 

AAPI-Bank of America Partnership 

For merchant banking please use the BOA partnership to use to your advantage. We have developed the program 

with BOA where you will be able to use credit card swipe in your office at very low price with potential of saving 

$100-$10000 per year. 

We have also developed the BANK OF AMERICA AAPI –MASTERCARD 

Bank of America: AAPI MasterCard: AAPI 

 

Use this card with pride. 

Please call AAPI office for more information. 

24

AAPI Membership Benefits Committee Chair’s Report 

AAPI-MERCEDES BENZ PARTNERSHIP 

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz USA, is 

pleased to present its members with a Special Incentive for new Mercedes-Benz vehicles acquired through the 

Diversity Organization Fleet Program. AAPI members in good standing are eligible to receive between $2000 to 

$4000 off on the purchase or lease of a new vehicle. Mercedes-Benz, in recognition of your position as a leader in 

the business community, would like to be your choice when the time comes to select your next automobile. This 

special offer is valid until December 31, 2013. 

For additional program details, please visit the Mercedes-Benz Fleet Operations website at http://www.fleet.mbusa.com/fepor 

contact Mercedes-Benz at 1-866-628-7232. 

If you wish to participate, please click on “Start Enrollment Process” located on http://www.fleet.mbusa.com/fep. 

Please note when completing the Fleet Employee Program (FEP) Enrollment Form to indicate “AAPI” under Corporate 

Name along with Corporate Account Number: “020340” so Mercedes-Benz can identify which organization 

you are a member of AAPI 

Medical office supplies Savings with AAPI-Henry Schein Partnership 

You will be able to save a lot of money on Medical supplies in future with Henry Schien-AAPI partnership. We all 

can save money and get quality products at lesser cost with this program. This has a potential of saving thousands 

of dollars to your practice at end of each year. Do not miss this and avail all the opportunity. 

Membership Benefit Committee has worked very hard in developing these programs. These are all in place and 

ready to be utilized. We are in process of developing few more programs in coming months, which will enhance 

the value of your membership. We in talks with Verizon, Sprint to develop a preferred rate on your phone and 

Internet, develop a relationship with Airlines to have a better rate. This is a work in progress and can only be successful 

if our members use these programs and encourage our partners to strengthen the Membership benefit 

programs for the future. 

The rule is very simple; they have to see the strength of our membership. 

Sincerely, 


Chair, AAPI Membership Benefits Committee 

25

Members of the 

Texas Indo American Physician Society SW 

Chapter 

Congratulate 

Dr Narendra R. Kumar, MD 

On The 

2013 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 

& 

Jayesh B. Shah, MD 

President Elect of AAPI 

www.TIPSW.org 

TIPS SW Members cordially invite you to the 

32nd Annual AAPI Convention 

June 25-29, 2014 ~ San Antonio Texas 

Anupama Gotimukula, MD 

President, TIPSSW Chapter 

gotimukulasa14@gmail.com 

Vijay Koli, MD 

AAPI Past President 

Convention Chair, AAPI 2014 

vnkolisa14@gmail.com

THE FEDERATION OF AAPI - NY/NJ 

Congratulates 

Dr. Narendra Kumar & The AAPI Executive Committee 

For Front their Inside Vision ad and Leadership in Organizing the 

Most Successful Event in AAPI History! 

The Federation of AAPI NY/NJ 

and the 

Shreya Ghoshal Show Organizing Committee - NY/NJ 

Ajay Lodha, MD - Convener, Treasurer AAPI 

Dharmi Kanuga, MD - Chair, President Fed of AAPI NY/NJ 

Thomas Alapatt, MD - Co-Chair 

Vaijinath Chakote, MD - Treasurer 

Sanjay Jain, MD - Co-Chair, Vice-President, Fed of AAPI NY/NJ 

Rakesh Mehta, MD - President Elect, Fed of AAPI NY/NJ 

Krishan Kumar, MD - Co-Chair, Regional Director, Mid-Atlantic-II, Secretary Fed of AAPI NY/NJ 

Shashi Shah, MD - Board of Trustees, AAPI 

Seema Jain, MD - Secretary, AAPI 

Durgesh Mankikar, MD - Chair, Board of Trustees, AAPI 

Sunil Mehra, MD - President, AAPI QLI 

Vinod Sancheti, MD - Chair, Journal 

Jayesh Kanuga, MD - Chair, Website 

Tarun Shah, MD - Past President, Federation 

Shripad Dhawlikar, MD - Board of Trustees, AAPI 

Madhu Aggarwal, MD - Regional Director, Mid-Atlantic-I 

Sunita Kanumury, MD - Past President, AAPI 

Satish Anand, MD - Past Chair, Board of Trustees, AAPI 

Ami Shah , MD - President, AAPI NYC Metro 

Sharad Kothari, MD - Chair, Food & Catering 

Shyam Gajwani - Event Manager 

Chandra Sukhwal - Transportation

Women Physicians Committee Chair’s Report 

It is well known that women are poorly represented 

in medically oriented research and that this has 

far reaching implications for their personal health, 

the health of their families and the overall health 

of the society at large. The overall goals of women 

health care summit are to focus on the often unrecognized 

threats to health experienced by women. 

These can be dealt by : 

1) Identifying distinct health issues; and 

2) Highlighting successful models of health promotion and prevention. 

Dharmi Kanuga, MD 

Women Physicians Committee Chair 

DJkanuga@gmail.com 

In industrialized societies though men die earlier than women but have poorer health than men. A number of 

explanations for these differences have been postulated and tested (for example, different biological risks, acquired 

risks, reporting biases and experiences of health care). The pattern of gender differences in morbidity is more complicated 

than the conventional wisdom often suggests. The direction and magnitude of gender differences in health 

vary according to the particular symptom or condition in question and according to the phase of the life cycle. 

Women are major consumers of health care services, negotiating not only their own complex health care but often 

managing care for their family members as well. Their reproductive health needs as well as their greater rates of 

health problems and longer life spans compared with men make women’s relationships with the health care system 

complex. Women are also more likely to be low-income and often face the added challenge of balancing work with 

family health and care giving responsibilities. 

The women’s health care Summit, organized by AAPI will accomplish these goals primarily through action-oriented, 

skills-building workshops, where the participant will be given tools, skills, and/or resources to better reach 

and equipped to their target population. The workshop format is an important feature that will provide greater 

opportunities for situation based collective group thinking and creative problem-solving. 

Women’s Health Summit, which will be held on, March 22-24, 2013 Charlotte, NC 

For details visit www.carolinasips.org. Everyone; man and woman, physician and non physician from the community 

is welcome to attend. 

It is expected to draw over 300 participants with diverse backgrounds representing community- and faith-based 

organizational leaders, public health advocates and consumers who are always ready to go beyond the call of duty. 

Your active participation in this unique program will relieve hundreds of females from worries and anxiety related 

to health. Healthy woman leads to healthy family, healthy community and healthy world 

I hope you will join us at the Summit. 

Sincerely yours, 

Dharmi Kanuga, MD. 

Chair, Women physicians Committee 

Holmdel, NJ 07733 

30

2013 Global Healthcare Summit 

The 2013 Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) aimed 

to advance the accessibility, affordability and 

quality of the healthcare in India—a mission that 

GHS successfully worked toward advancing. 

By 2015, India’s healthcare sector is expected to 

grow to $100 billion, growing 20 percent each year. 

The government is committed to improving the 

country’s current healthcare infrastructure as well 



GSamadderMD@gmail.com 

as to partnering with private organizations to build modern, sophisticated 

medical facilities. Making healthcare affordable and accessible, though, is 

the need that must be met. 

It was the opportunity to explore this challenge that brought together 

more than 1,250 delegates from across the world from January 1-3 in 

Kochi to discuss how to establish the most innovative, efficient and cost 

effective healthcare solutions in India. 

“This international health summit is a forum for innovative opportunities 

for le ar ning , ne t work ing and g iv ing b ack to our mot herl and by 

prominent and talented physicians and surgeons as well as the medical 

industry leaders and scientists who are very passionate about serving 

our homeland and the 1.2 billion people of this great nation. Aimed 

at advancing the accessibility, affordability and the quality of world-class 

healthcare, the Summit will focus on prevention, diagnosis, treatment 

options and share ways to truly improve healthcare transcending global 

boundaries,” said Dr. Narendra Kuma, President of AAPI and Chair of 

GHS 2013, in his welcome address. 

Likewise, Vayalar Ravi, India’s Minister for Overseas 

Affairs, discussed the significant need to create additional 

healthcare infrastructure, emphasizing that 

the government is committed to the need to invest in 

the healthcare system. 

The Summit sought to find ways for physicians and 

healthcare providers in India to collaborate with those 

of Indian origin as well as with major global healthcare 

providers. 

31


Dr. Kumar addressed this need for collaboration. “Your presence here 

today in large numbers from around the world is a testimony to your 

continued commitment and dedication to devote your time, skills and 

resources to serve the needy and the sick who have fewer opportunities 

to care for their health needs in India,” he said. The Summit “is all about 

dedication and commitment of Indian-American physicians to improving 

healthcare in India.” 

Those attending the Summit had the opportunity to attend several 

plenary sessions, interactive roundtables, clinical practice workshops and 

meet-the-expert sessions. Opinion leaders and expert speakers presented 

the latest scientific findings related to clinical practice. And CEOs from 

hospitals, teaching institutions and major healthcare sectors, including 

pharmaceutical medical devices and technology, were brought together for 

a CEO Forum for the first time at GHS. 

At the valedictory ceremony, Dr. Kumar was given a symbolic “Key” to 

mark the launch of the Amrita Peripheral Clinic. The clinic joins the other 

15 clinics that AAPI supports around the country, but it is the first in the 

state of Kerala. The entire Summit, in fact, is instrumental in developing 

strategic alliances with other organizations. 

All of this made for a Summit that was extraordinarily well received. 

Chair of the AAPI Board of Trustees Dr. Durgesh Mankikar said, “This has 

been the best summit ever held in terms of the number of participations, 

the depth of knowledge shared and the collaboration and goodwill created 

between AAPI and the local government.” 

Anwar Feroz, who played a key role in organizing the Summit, summed up 

its success. 

“Through the successful summits, we have been able to influence the 

government of India, state and local governments and the private sector in 

enacting policies and programs based on the inputs and recommendations 

from the summit,” he said. 

Dr. Jayesh Shah, President-Elect of AAPI, plans to continue the legacy of 

the Summit that Dr. Kumar has established. 

32


“We plan to build on the success of the summit with the 7th GHS in 2014 to be 

held in Ahmadabad, Gujarat from January 3-5 in order to realize the objectives 

of the summit,” Dr. Shah said. 

“Narendra has shown us how to do a global summit. I have walked with him 

through the entire planning and organizing of this summit and have seen how 

passionate and committed he has been to make this summit a grand success,” 

he said. 

BY: 

Gautam Samadder, M.D. 

Samadder@columbussleep.com 

33

Chapter News 

FAPI American Heritage Day 

M. P. Ravindra Nathan, MD 

Ravinath@tampabay.rr.com 

of chronicling the experience of immigrants from India 

and Indian Americans in United States. (details at http:// 

apa.si.edu/indianamerican/) 

“Inspired by this concept, upon turning 25, Florida Association 

of Physicians of Indian Origin (FAPI) is looking to 

morph its annual tradition of celebrating Diwali into celebration 

of Indian American Heritage Day at a school, so 

that young hearts and minds of this county will grow with 

respect for the Indian Heritage, Culture and its contribution 

to the United States,” said Dr Vipul Kabaria, President 

of FAPI. 

Florida Association of Physicians of Indian origin (FAPI) 

celebrated Saturday, December 8th , 2012 as a combined 

Diwali and India Heritage Day, at Carrollwood Day 

School (CDS), Tampa, Florida with Indian music, dances 

and food along with a CME seminar for physicians on 

Medical Error Prevention and Fiscal Cliff planning while 

Hillsborough County Sheriff ’s Office (HCSO) provided 

Bike Safety and Anti-Bullying training for children and 

CDS cricket club played exhibition cricket match. 

Indian American Heritage Project is a historic initiative 

by the Smithsonian Institution, originally launched as 

the HomeSpun Project in 2008, with the objective 

34

Chapter News 

FAPI American Heritage Day 

This year, on December 8, 2012, it was held at CDS, a private school that boasts an excellent IB program, with 

exhibition of photographs on loan from MOSI’s (Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa) ‘Demystifying India 

Exhibition’ and presentation of various dances – from classical to folk, and Bollywood to international pop – under 

the leadership of Dr. Kabaria, President, FAPI. 

The event was attended by members and families of FAPI, students, staff and various dignitaries. Addressing 

the audience, April Griffin, Chair of Hillsborough County Public School Board said, “We have such a diverse 

population of students including many Indian students. It is a microcosm of our entire nation. The school board 

recognizes that diversity. Happy Diwali.” 

Ryan Kelly, incoming Head of CDS emphasized character 

building as a prime objective of the school. Shanker Montoute 

of HCSO drew raffle and accepted charitable contributions 

from FAPI for Thanksgiving Food Drive and 

Christmas Toy Distribution by HCSO Charities. The other 

distinguished guests included Florida State Senator, Tom 

Lee and Florid State House Representative Mark Danish. 

The evening’s cultural program started with invocatory 

prayers and chanting of ‘Shanti Mantra’ by Sanskriti group 

and, ch i ldre n’s l amp lig ht ing . This was fol lowe d by an 

invocatory dance by Abhyasa school of dance, a Folk Dance - Garba 

- led by CDS parent Mina Patel, Bharatha Natyam Dances by Tara 

Bikkasani’s school of Dance, Classical Dances by Anjana Menon, 

Bollywood dance by Radhika Mehrotra and Indian version of international 

pop “Gangam Style” by CDS India Student Club led by 

Suhani Patel. Also, our own ‘Indian’ Michael Jackson was on hand 

to entertain the crowd during dinner time. Sid Morgan, COO of JSA 

Health Care Corporation was the chief sponsor of the evening. 

35

Chapter News -TIPS SW GALA 


Manju Sachdev, MD 

JShahaapi@gmail.com 

HChandna@aol.com 

Texas Indo-American Physician Society SW Chapter, continues its legacy in charitable contributions towards Multiple 

charities including Saint PJ’s Children Home and AAPI Charitable Foundation. 

can 

Physician Society SW Chapter (TIPS-SW), an association of physicians of Indian origin in the Southwest region, over 

$40,000 was raised to support local charities, international causes and towards a new scholarship program. The annual event 

 

 

of Indian origin. 

It is to be noted that TIPS SW has been an annual and one of the few local chapters to be contributing to the parent organization, 

AAPI charitable trust, four years in a row, for operating charitable clinics in India and US. 

The Leadership Conference in the morning of the Gala, organized by Dr. Monika Kapur and Dr Shankar Sanka, had three 

distinguished speakers. Dr Sandra L Oakes MD, Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, 

Geriatric Division, UTHSCSA, spoke on “Geriatrics for the Subspecialties.” Dr Jennifer Marie Healy DO, Assistant Professor 

of Medicine, Director of Palliative Education, UTHSCSA, addressed the audience on “Communicating the Bad News 

Effectively.” Ronald L. Blumoff, MD, MBA FACS, Vascular Surgeon and Adjunct Clinical Professor of Healthcare Management 

at Jindal School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas, provided the participants with an insightful lecture on 

“Physician Leadership-Look Within.” 

Dr. Hormazd Sanjana, Gala Chair and the treasurer of the SW chapter, hosted the evening with much fanfare, glitz and 

glamour. The theme was “An Evening in Paris” which was also a tribute to our beloved late actor Shammi Kapoor. The crowd 

swayed to the tunes of Shammi Kapoor hits performed live by Dr Sanjana. He said that of the total money raised this year, 

$25,000 is being donated to St PJ Children’s Home, while $10,000 is given to AAPI charitable Foundation, and $5,000 has 

been donated to start a scholarship program for medical students at University Health Science Center in San Antonio. 

While the audience cheered loudly, Dr Sanjana, announced that TIPS-SW Chapter has generated local and national leaders 

like Dr Vijay Koli ex-AAPI President, Dr Rajam Ramamurthy and Dr Jayesh Shah President elect AAPI. They will be proudly 

showing their Texas sized hospitality by hosting the 32nd annual AAPI convention in San Antonio from June 25 -29, 2014 

coinciding with the Presidency of Dr Jayesh Shah. 

Dr. Jayesh Shah,the President Elect of AAPI, in his keynote address, applauded the contributions of TIPS SW chapter and 

it’s present and past leaders for their continued charitable giving over the years. Dr. Shah, the youngest president-elect of 

AAPI,said, “I consider it a great honor and a rare opportunity that one receives in a lifetime to be the President elect of a 

prestigious organization like AAPI, the largest ethnic medical organization in the US and the second largest medical organization, 

second only to AMA. I promise to put my heart and soul into this fine organization to serve its members. 

36

Chapter News -TIPS SW GALA 

Expressing concern over the many challenges faced by physicians across the United States, Dr. Shah, who has been 

Past Chair of American Medical Association International Medical Graduate (AMA –IMG) Governing Council, 

said, “Every day we feel that we are losing our autonomy. Every day we feel that we are spending more time in 

electronic medical records than holding hands and speaking to our patients. It is time to say, we are going to take 

responsibility and shape the health care that is best for this country.” 

Describing the goals and objectives of TIPS-SW Chapter, Dr. Neela K. Patel, President of TIPS-SW, said, it is a 

forum to facilitate and enable Indian American Physicians in the Southwest region to excel in patient care, teaching 

and research, and to pursue their aspirations in professional and community affairs. Through AAPI Charitable 

Foundation, AAPI members support and promote philanthropic activities in India and in the US. The distinguished 

faculty offers medical education programs throughout year. 

Dr. Patel announced a new legacy of starting an annual TIPS SW scholarship for deserving medical students and 

presented a check for $5000 to the chief guest of the evening Dr Franscisco Gonzalez Scarano, Dean of the medical 

school, at University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio. 

She also thanked the TIPS SW members for helping over the years to collectively donate to AAPI Charitable Foundation, 

Hope for Haven, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, and this year to St PJ’s 

Children Home. 

TIPS SW also contributes to the local India Association of San Antonio, annually and plans to donate a check of 

$5000 during it’s annual Diwali function this year. 

For more details, please go on www.TIPSSW.org 

I am committed to give back to the 

community and to enhance the 

opportunities for the professional 

growth of over 100,000 Indian origin 

physicians including 25,000 fellows 

and residents.” As presidentelect, 

his goals will be to increase 

involvement of young physicians 

and enhance their participation 

at all levels of AAPI and realize 

AAPI’s vision of AAPI 2020. “With 

its extensive knowledge network, 

AAPI could advance the science 

of healing all over the world. AAPI 

should be respected for its service 

and advancement of medicine” he 

added. 

37

Being “Indian”: 

A risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus? 

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (“diabetes”) was traditionally considered 

an age-related disease predominantly affecting individuals 

living in developed countries. While its global prevalence 

has steadily increased throughout modern times; it has reached 

epidemic proportions in the developing world over the past 3 

decades for reasons that are not fully understood. 

Sumit Bhagra, MBBS 

Bhagra.Sumit@mayo.edu 

Currently, India is home to the largest number of diabetic individuals in the world. People of Indian origin living outside India, 

regardless of when and where they migrated, have a high risk of developing diabetes. Studies from Fiji, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, 

Kenya, United Kingdom and United States of America have reported a higher risk of diabetes in people of Indian origin 

living in those countries compared to local people and even other immigrant ethnic groups. 

Prevalence of diabetes in India: Based on projections from a recent study (phase 1 of the ICMR-INDIAB); India has 62 million 

diabetic individuals and 77 million people with prediabetes (Anjana, Diabetologia, 2011). Indian people develop diabetes at a 

younger age and lower body mass index (BMI) than their western counterparts. A study from Chandigarh in northern India 

showed that 11.1% people surveyed had diabetes (Ravikumar, Diabetes Metab, 2011). A study from Chennai in southern India 

showed that the number of diabetics had nearly doubled (72% increase) over a short span of 14 years (Ramachandran, Diabetologia, 

2001). 

Prevalence of diabetes in Asian-Indians living in the United States: A survey conducted on randomly selected Asian-Indian 

people living in various cities within the United States showed that nearly 1 in 5 people had diabetes. Surprisingly, the average 

age of those surveyed was just 45 years and these people were not markedly overweight (Misra, J Diabetes Complications, 2010). 

Diabetes in Indians: Nature vs. Nurture?: How do we explain the high risk of diabetes in Indian people? What factors can explain 

the rapid increase in diabetes seen over the past 3 decades? Is it our genes or the environment... or both? 

It is reasonable to assume that Indians have a genetic predisposition for diabetes, being that Indians living in different parts of 

the world share that risk. However, studies from India show that city-dwellers and people with a higher income are affected with 

diabetes more often than lower-income rural counterparts. Moreover, healthy people from villages that migrate to an urban setting 

within India show adverse metabolic changes including diabetes. While genes may play a permissive role, it appears that the 

recent epidemic of diabetes ought to be explained by invoking environmental factors such as changes in diet, activity and other 

lifestyle patterns. 

Nutritional Imbalance: A variety of dietary factors could explain the development of diabetes (a) increased omega-6 fatty 

acid intake (b) increased intake of saturated fat (c) increased sugar consumption. One or more of above factors may be partly 

responsible for the higher prevalence of diabetes in Asian-Indians. Alternatively, Asian-Indians may be ill-suited to “western” 

dietary patterns due to genetic factors. 

Physical inactivity: Data regarding leisure activity and physical fitness in Asian-Indian children and adolescents are sparse. 

Asian-Indian children may have lower level of activity and fitness due to nutritional, social and cultural factors. Cross-sectional 

data from Asian-Indians living in the United States shows that 65% of those interviewed did not get the recommended minimum 

daily exercise. 

Prevention: The first step towards prevention is the recognition that being “Indian” is a risk factor for diabetes. Summarized 

below is a list of interventions that can potentially decrease the burden of diabetes on Asian-Indian populations. 

38

Being “Indian”: 

A risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus? 

Diabetes: Prevention at the population level 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catch them young! 

School based educational programs 

School based dietary interventions 

School based physical activity interventions 

Spread the word 

Mandatory food labels 

Educational programs for via mass media 

Educational programs for medical providers to spread awareness regarding Asian-Indian predisposition for diabetes; 

need for aggressive risk reduction. 

Screening programs 

Lower cutoff points for overweight and obesity to appropriately identify at-risk individuals. 

Develop guidelines to screen for pre-diabetes and diabetes in Asian-Indians. 

Development of robust healthcare infrastructure 

Cost-effective, value-driven primary care for all 

Secondary prevention 

Surveillance and lifestyle coaching programs for at-risk and pre-diabetic individuals 

Tertiary prevention 

Cardiovascular risk reduction (weight reduction, cardiorespiratory fitness programs, smoking cessation, optimal management 

of blood pressure and lipids) 

Diabetes: Prevention at the individual level 

Diet (Misra, Diabetes Technol Ther, 2011) 

Reduced intake of carbohydrates. 

Preferential intake of complex carbohydrates and low glycemic index food. 

Higher intake of fiber. 

Reduced intake of saturated fat. 

Optimal ratio of essential fatty acids. 

Reduced intake of trans- fatty acids. 

Lower intake of salt. 

Restricted intake of sugar. 

Activity (Misra, Diabetes Technol Ther, 2011) 

Children: 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity daily 

Adults: 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity + 15 minutes resistance training + 15 minutes work related 

activity (total 60 minutes daily) 

Summary: Diabetes shows many worrisome characteristics in the Asian-Indian population. First, the age of diabetes onset in 

Asian-Indians is at least a decade earlier than in a Western population hence threatening young people in the prime of their life. 

Second, the early age of onset translates to a higher lifetime risk of diabetic complications and associated costs. Third, the sheer 

magnitude -- 140 million people with prediabetes or diabetes live in India, totaling a little less than half the population of the 

United States. 

How to stem the tide? There is no magic bullet solution for this problem. Diabetes is a complex disease resulting from adverse 

interactions between genetic and environmental factors. For any solution to be effective, a comprehensive multi-pronged strategy 

is needed; an action plan that incorporates elements of healthcare infrastructure investment, childhood education, lifestyle 

counseling, early diagnosis and management to decrease complications and deaths related to diabetes. 

39

The Second Victim - 

Collateral Damage in a Compromised Medical Outcome 

A poignant scene in my memory is a colleague’s 

six year old son lisping a bedtime prayer “…..and 

please God, don’t let my father get sued” – His 

father happened to be an obstetrician practicing 

in Florida. 

Udita Jahagirdar, MD 

UditaJahagirdar@yahoo.com 

A reverberating slogan for this millennium is “to live to be a healthy hundred.” In this age of technological wonders, 

instant communication, precise testing and expectation of the perfect outcome, there appears to be no place for 

human falliability in medicine. “To err is human” does not apply to health care professionals. 

Given this background, we still have the sobering statistic of medical errors occurring in 5-10%, and in some studies 

upto 50% of hospitalized patients; 34% of internal medicine residents report atleast one major medical error 

during their training and 16% of multi disciplinary residents report an adverse event related to their care in the previous 

week. These are self-reported statistics; no good data exists for attendings or physicians out in private practice, 

and most certainly there is no way of evaluating the “near misses” 

The medical profession has taken cues from the airline industry in an effort to reduce such errors and both academic 

medicine and regulatory agencies have instituted a plethora of cautionary rules to improve patient safety. 

However we still work in a “Name, Blame, Shame” environment. 

What is not often discussed is the impact of these adverse events on the physician and health care provider, now 

termed as the “Second Victim”, the first victim being the affected patient. The second victim is defined as healthcare 

providers involved in an unanticipated outcome or in a medical error and or patient related injury and are now 

traumatized by the event. Frequently they feel personally responsible for the outcome; many feel as though they 

have failed the patient, second guessing their clinical skills and knowledge base. 

The emotional impact ranges from loss of confidence (44%); reduced job satisfaction (42%), difficulty sleeping 

(42%), feeling their reputation has been damaged (13%). There is threefold increase in depression, burn out, and 

decrease in overall quality of life. The physician reenacts the events over and over again, is distracted and thereby 

prone to more errors, limits his practice and avoids certain procedures or refuses to implement new procedures. 

These effects are long lasting and occur regardless of number of years in practice. 

Needless to say, there is a negative impact on interpersonal relationship with significant repercussion on close family 

members. The ultimate impact is the individual abandoning his profession or committing suicide. 

The malaise is compounded by the invariable threat and inevitable commencement of litigation. The initial admonition 

the physician receives on reporting an adverse event to his malpractice carrier is “Absolutely, do not discuss 

this with any one,” thus losing the ability to obtain any solace from colleagues and peers. A minority ethnic background 

or gender, where the individual may not be “one of the boys” adds to the feeling of desolation. 

40

The Second Victim - 

Collateral Damage in a Compromised Medical Outcome 

 

Tragedy of 1877” which changed the line of succession and changed obstetric practice to allow intervention in protracted 

labor. Princess Charlotte, the extremely popular and only child of King George IV, would have inherited the 

throne of England. She was married at age 17 to Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburn – Gotha. She suffered 2 miscarriages 

before carrying her third pregnancy to term; her personal obstetrician was Dr. Richard Croft who belonged to the 

non-intervention school. After a fifty hour labor she delivered a stillborn 9lb male. She appeared to be doing well but 

five hours later grew restless, had breathing difficulties, continued to hemorrhage and died despite all valiant efforts 

of a host of physicians. The country was plunged into mourning akin to what followed the death of Princess Diana. 

Three months later Sir Richard Croft shot himself, unable to live with the veiled criticism and feeling that he had been 

lotte 

survived she would have been the queen and there would have been a Charlottan age instead of a Victorian age. 

Cultural changes and coping strategies are needed to prevent the second victim tragedies. In a culture of blame, the 

thrust, whether it be in a morbidity/mortality meeting, or quality assurance or peer review committees, is to identify 

one or more individuals to hold accountable and impose sanctions. This leads to people trying to cover up, not report 

errors or near misses which could be learning opportunities and try to shift blame and grab on to a quick fix solution. 

Enlightened institutions are changing the emphasis to a “root cause analysis” and an effort to provide an opportunity 

for error acknowledgement, open discussion and mentoring. Dr. David Marx in his book “Whack –a – Mole 

–The Price We Pay for Expecting Perfection” states that professionals will make mistakes, and may develop unhealthy 

norms. There should be a distinction between a human error where we console, at-risk behavior where we coach and 

reckless behavior where we punish. He suggests an overhaul of our system, just as New Zealanders did more than 30 

years ago, where they gave up the right to sue their doctor and chose to accept a national responsibility to take care of 

those who were injured. 

Such a radical change is unlikely in our life time. 

We need to focus on prevention, as the first key, understand and accept that we are human, and that a need for support 

is not a sign of weakness. Institutional support comes from educational curriculum, at times counseling, and above 

all peer support. The supporting individual needs to be one who is admired and respected, and has listening skills and 

can keep strict confidentiality A culture shift will be necessary to allow the appropriate healing of affected individuals 

so they can move on, learn, correct and remain productive physicians. 

Those of us subscribing to an eastern school of philosophy may gain some solace from the feeling that our acts and 

outcomes are just predetermined manifestation of a karmic destiny. As an organization AAPI could look at establishing 

a “Second Victim Support Group”; comprising of committed multi-disciplinary physicians from different scopes 

of practice willing to give of their time and energy for their anguished brethren. 

- Udita Jahagirdar M.D., F.A.C.O.G. 

Gynecology – Orlando, Florida 

uditajahagirdar@yahoo.com 

Acknowledgement - Patrice M. Weiss MD., Physician Recovery from Medical Error 

41

Two Sides to A Coin 

I came to this country, from India, at the age of 

twenty-two. As all immigrants do, I went through 

my share of acclimatization issues. In those days, I 

had an anxiety of the unknown in a land that was 

foreign, clubbed with a nervous anticipation of an 

exciting future. This happened more than two decades 

ago. I have come a long way since. 

Sunita Reddy, MD 

SReddymd53@gmail.com 

Who we are, where we belong, and what we become are complex issues to analyze. Genetically predetermined? Maybe. 

For me, it has been everything and everybody around me that has determined who I am today. To reiterate this standing, 

that my environment had everything to do with who I am today, I have to start with a thought I had while celebrating 

my last birthday. I will share that thought with you soon, but first let me give you a bit of the background before 

explaining what led to that thought. 

On my last birthday, I turned forty-four. At the time, that number was an insignificant one that laid in the midst of 

nowhere. It didn’t mean much. To put it simply, it felt like what it was-just a number. 

Some of you will disagree with what I have said about ”Forty Four”, that it is a lost and wayward number, a number of 

no significance. Many will place the number right in the middle of middle age. OK, middle age it is! 

I distinctly remember what my nurse manager, Jill, told me when I was a starry eyed novice starting medical practice at 

the age of 29. She said, “Doc, there will be a day in your life, when you wake up in the morning with some part or the 

other of your body hurting. That day will be the start of middle age.” I still remember how I laughed at that description 

of middle age. I couldn’t relate to it in anyway then, but I can completely now. Episodes of headache, back pain, wrist 

pain, the recurrent regularity of them, over the last few months, remind me of Jill’s forewarning. 

Many other concrete reminders of middle age like greying hair, failing memory, far-vision, and mood swings are 

creeping into my life at a steady and unrelenting pace. 

Having made middle age sound overwhelming, I will now proceed to explain the reason why I had to divulge my age 

in the first place. 

For me, forty-four turned out to be that age when my life could be divided into two equal halves -my life in India and 

my life in the United States. Without calling it a watershed moment, I can say that I have now lived equal number of 

years in these two culturally very different countries, in very different roles--as a student in one and a working woman 

in the other, a single girl in one and a married woman in the other, as a daughter and sister in one and as a wife and 

mother in the other. 

Life in India was a carefree one for me, for I was a student living with my parents. I led a comfortable middle class life. 

My family provided for my every need. There was a lot of love in our home. People gave great value to families staying 

together and taking care of the elderly, spending judiciously, saving regularly, investing time, effort and money in 

educating the children. The only thing expected of me was to be disciplined--disciplined in pursuing my education, in 

respecting the law of the land, and in following the culture. That was very easy to do. 

42

Two Sides to A Coin 

India possessed great potential but also had many flaws. No hard and fast rules were followed when it came to civic 

issues. At every level political leaders and government officials were corrupt. Poverty, illiteracy, ignorance were in 

abundance. For good or bad, life in India was slow and unhurried. All these issues are true even today! I was part 

of that landscape and I very comfortably belonged there. 

When I first left India to live in the US, I entered a completely different scene. The contrast in between the countries 

and the cultures was drastic. I missed the crowds, the dust, the noise, the heat, the unregulated traffic, to no 

end. Honestly, I never imagined I would ever miss these aspects of life, but I did. The contrast was too acute and 

the change unbearable. Above all, I missed my parents. I was intensely homesick. 

Home sick I was, however new mannerisms had be absorbed fast. With a sense of urgency, I learnt many new styles 

quickly. Still, cultural assimilation took longer than I had expected. 

I had heard about the riches of this country way before I came here and I found obvious signs of luxury everywhere. 

With a keen sense of curiosity, I started to analyze characteristics that gave this society economic and social 

success. Many such signs were evident to me immediately. This was a highly regulated society. People followed 

rules. Standards of work ethic were high. Soon I learnt that no other society encouraged individualism and ingenuity 

as this society did. My respect for this society solidified. Slowly I absorbed venerable ideas from this society 

and imperceptibly, I began to change. 

Change I did, in many ways. New friends were made. Novel ideas grew. Holistic ways of approaching things were 

learnt. My family grew and my roots began to reach deeper into this land. 

I would have changed and adapted, undoubtedly, had I lived anywhere else in this world as an adult, but in this 

land of opportunity, it happened in a more wholesome way and I am thankful for it. 

So far, I have been lucky to be part of two lands. The first land, inspired me to be who I am today, and the second, 

made me who I am now. The amalgamation of the shared experiences has worked greatly for me. At heart, I am 

still a middle class girl from India with the same cultural orientation and yet, I am also an independent thinker 

with much more balance of thought. 

After all these years and fears, I now feel I equally belong to both the worlds. I don’t have to choose between the 

two, I am comfortably a part of both. I have been reared and nurtured by both the worlds. In the beginning, I felt 

like I lived two different lives, in two different worlds, cultures, and countries that seemed world apart, but as I 

have matured, I have understood that, people, families, and values are the same everywhere. Sometimes they are 

colored differently but beautiful hues exist everywhere. Today, I am just at home here in the United States as I was 

in India. I am not at cross roads anymore. I am proud to say I belong equally, to both the country of my birth and 

this country of opportunity. I have two places in this world, which I love equally and call each of them “home”. My 

two halves are inseparable and the whole put together today is “me”, and that thought was the best forty-fourth 

birthday present to me. 

43

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YOUR M.D. + AN EINSTEIN M.P.H.: 

The Sum is Greater than its Parts

Members In the News 

Dr Musunuru Rao - 2012 Philanthropist of the Year 

Dr. Rao Musunuru, a nationally recognized practicing cardiologist 

was honored as the “2012 Philanthropist of the Year” on Nov. 

13, 2012 by the Nature Coast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising 

Professionals and the Community Foundation of Tampa 

Bay. In appreciation of his exemplary educational contributions to 

the medical community as well as the public at local, state and national 

levels for 30 years, the Regional conference center in Hudson, 

Florida has been named as “Rao Musunuru, M.D. Conference 

Center” on 12/5/12. 

Musunuru Rao, MD 

Dr. Rao’s accomplishments are numerous. He is the recipient of the “National Physician of the Year” award from the American 

Heart Association in 2005. He also served as a member of the advisory council for the National Heart, Lung and Blood 

Institute at N.I.H and currently serves on the national leadership committee of the clinical cardiology council of the American 

Heart Association, along with his son, Kiran Musunuru, an internationally recognized cardiologist, based at Harvard. 

Also, the art gallery at Pasco-Hernando Community College has been dedicated on 12/12/12 as “Rao Musunuru, M.D. Art 

Gallery” for his committed support of public college education, having served on the board of trustees since 1999; three times 

as its chairman. Also in 2012, he was recognized by the education commissioner of the state of Florida for his volunteer work 

to support the school system, especially the homeless students. 

In 2011, in recognition of his extraordinary humanitarian efforts, the West Pasco Historical Society named its museum “Rao 

Musunuru, M.D. Museum and Library”. Several years ago, in recognition of his extensive community service, ‘CARES’ honored 

him by naming their activity center “Rao Musunuru, M.D. Enrichment Center”. In addition to all these activities Rao 

finds time to volunteer for ‘Lighthouse for the Blind’ and ‘Good Samaritan free health clinic’ serving the indigent. 

Dr. Musunuru is a regular guest columnist for the ‘Tampa Bay Times’ and the ‘Tampa Tribune’. AAPI congratulates and 

thanks Dr. Rao Musunuru for representing the Indian community so well. 

Dr. Mohan Durve was honored with the globally renowned 

“Bharat Gaurav Award” at the annual Global Participation 

in India’s Economic Development event in January by the 

that India International Friendship Society (IIFS) for giving 

a fight in life and his worthy example of inspiring others 

towards remarkable achievements. 

Mohan Durve, MD 

Dr. Mohan Durve an Allergist in Cleveland/Akron area of Ohio and is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Case Western 

Reserve University and North-East Ohio University (NEOUCOM) He is a graduate of University of Bombay (GOSUMEC). 

Besides the Bharat Gaurav Award he has received many other prestigious awards such as the Distinguished Physician of the 

Year Award from the Association of Indian Physicians of North East Ohio, Distinguished person of the year from Brihan 

Maharashtra Mandal (BMM) of North America. He has served AAPI in many leadership positions: Regional Director, 

Co-chairman of Membership Committee and CME committee. He has been the President of many Alumni associations 

such as Bombay University Medical Association (BUMA), Association of India Physicians of North-East Ohio (AIPNO) and 

Association of Maharashtra Physicians of America (AMPA). 

45 

45

Heartiest Congratulations to 

Dr. Narendra Kumar 

AAPI President and 

recent PBD Awardee. From the 

Indian American Community of 

Metropolitan Washington. 

Dr. Kumar, you have made us look & 

feel tall, at a National level. 

From 

Suresh K. Gupta, MD 

Regional Director AAPI (MD, DC, VA, WV) 

President, NCAIA 

skguptamd@gmail.com Cell: 301-332-9596 Work: 301-681-5922

Vijay Kulkarni, MD 

AAPI Past President 

VKulkarni1@wi.rr.com 

Poem - Our Home 

Let this house be our Home 

Let it not be just walls and plans 

Let it be a place where love and joy roam 

Let it not be just filled with clans. 

Let our words carry a meaning 

Let it not be just a spelling 

Let our tunes merge with a feeling 

Let them not be just a wailing. 

Let our wealth have a meaning 

Let it not be just a count of winnings 

Let our strength overcome our despair 

Let us not stop love flowing through our tears. 

Let a birdie fly out with our tradition 

Let it fly on the wings of ambition 

Let it carry our power and strength 

Let it keep its faith at our doorstep. 

Let it fly high to the edge 

Yet return to renew its energy and pledge. 

Let it know the core of our matter 

And not run after pomp and glitter. 

Let it stand tall behind a friend 

In dispair due to an unjust trend 

Let it carry our mission to the end 

With warm heart and cool head to append. 

VIJAY V. KULKARNI, M.D. 

Past President AAPI

THE JOKER 

A frantic 911 call , a shrieking bystander , a slumped writhing kid on the 

sidewalk and the commotion – 

“I am the Joker . 

Akshat Jain, MD 

I like rocking back and forth, pushing my single engine train to and fro Akshatusa@yahoo.com 

, I hate the smell of mamma’s food (but cant say anything ...hey she’s my 

mamma ) , and I love being alone . 

But does that make me a freak???? The other kids call me so, so I stopped walking on the sidewalk outside my home ...I wanted to ask 

them , but decided not too god only knows ( If he really is up there somewhere ..Mamma says he is!) , what else they may say to me … 

My mamma likes that stuff a lot... she hides it from me though . 

Its such a beautiful golden shiny liquid … I want to see it someday, may be play with it … I mean Mamma likes it so much it must be 

good. 

But it makes her crazy sometimes … I know its going to happen , when I see the pretty glass bottle empty ... It makes mamma really 

angry ,she shouts and throws things around , mostly at my father , even when he is not there !!! Can you imagine? 

I don’t say anything to her then , for some reason it makes her sob even more , and that scares me ... 

By the way , I haven’t seen my father, apparently he does not love me ...I wished he did .. I saw it on TV, Father is someone who takes his 

son to the park, reads him stories, takes him to the church on Sunday’s! May be the kids on the street are right. I am a “freak”.I wish I 

was not... then I would have a father too... “ 

This is O , He suffers from Intellectual Disability ( The “less” offensive term for Mental retardation ) ,Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Mild 

Autism . His mother drank and smoked recklessly while she was pregnant AND 16. 

He was just punched in the belly recently, on his way back from special school, which made him throw up a liter of fresh blood, almost 

killing him. 

He is the Joker but wants to drive an Electric train someday! 

DR MOHAN DURVE PRESENTS CME PROGRAMS FOR YEAR 2013 

*trips Dr. Durve will be escorting. WEBsite: CMETravels.com 

Destination Days Dates Prices Start From 

Antarctica 14 days Dec 31, 13 or Jan 9 $8149 or Feb 11, 2014 $7849 

Australia/New Zealand 14 days March 11, April 8, April 15, May 13, June 3, $3299 

July 29, Aug 26, Oct 15, Nov 4, 2013 or 

1/13, 2/18, 3/18, 4/22, 2014 

China w/Yangtze cruise 16 days April 8, May 20, Sept 9 Oct 7 $2599 + internal air $520 

Cuba 9 days Sept 8 w/air from Miami $3517 dbl $3874sgl 

Italy (Rome, Florence, Sienna, Venice, Lake Como) 9 days Weekly 3/13-11/6 2013 $2449 

Madagascar 11 days May 5, Sept 15, Oct 27 $4150 

National Parks of America 12 days Weekly 5/19-10/5 $2899 

Palace on Wheels, India 8 days Every Wednesday except in Summer $4160 approx 

*Patagonia ( S. Am) Easter Island 

w/optional Atacama Desert 

8 days 

5 days 

Jan 12 – 19, 2014 

Jan 19 – 23, 2014 

$4599 + intern air$1600 

$2199 

Poland 11 days July 11 or Nov 10, 2013 $2149 

*Portugal (Estoril Coast, Azores & Madeira Islands) 13 days Aug 2 or Sept 13, 2013 $2249+ $590 Int Air 

*Romania & Bulgaria 12 days Sept 19 - 30, 2013 $3499 

Russian River Cruise 11 days June 18, July 7, Sept 2, Sept 21, 2013 $2299 + $190 port 

charges 

South America (Brazil, Argentina & Iguassu Falls) 10 days 3/1, 4/6, 5/29, 6/8, 7/31, 9/4, 9/26, 10/9, 

10/24, 2013 

$2699+$1600 Int air 

South Africa 13 days March 7, March 28, April 25, June 6, July 4, 

Aug 8, Sept 5 , Oct 3, 2013 

*Thialand w/optional Laos 13 days Apr 19 or Nov 1, 2013 or Jan 17, Feb 7, 2014 $1549 

Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia 19 days October 10 or Oct 31, 2013 $3249 

$2749 + $400 Int 

Air 

Call 888-794-1995 or 440-845-7272 E-mail at: mjdurve@sbcglobal.net or jdurve@yahoo.com. 

All above prices are per person sharing a twin / double in US dollars. ALL departures are guaranteed. Gratuities, Visa Fees & CME 

fees are extra. Non-Physicians and guests are most welcome. Dates and Prices are Subject to Change without Notice 

ALL rates are for land only. Call for Air prices. We will help book your air from your city of departure. 

Call for discounted prices for Exotic Countries for family or group vacations to your dream destination on your dates of choice all around the world

Best wishes to the 

AAPI organization. 

congratulations to 



and to 

Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda 

Regional Director-South 

for Your Exceptional Work 

Drs, Basivi & Prameela, 

Vindhya and Ramya Baddigam 

Baddigam’s Clinic 

43211 Dalcoma Drive, Suite 3 

Clinton Township, MI 48038 (568)-263-6812

AAPI: Why we should care 

As a child, I grew up attending “AAPI” functions, and 

“CME’s,” and “ASCO” conferences. So little were the 

meanings of these strange acronyms to me, except that 

at the “AAPI” events I had a lot of friends I could hang 

out with for a couple hours, all dressed up in cholis. 

Yet as I grew older and started considering medicine 

more seriously, I realized that Parent AAPI has been 

my support system even before medical school. Four 

Poorvi Desai, MD 

Poorvid6@gmail.com 

months ago, I received an e-mail from my mother and some friends advertising an AAPI conference to be held 

the next month. As I perused this flyer, I recognized a few names- names of friends with whom I grew up going to 

these obscurely named, acronym-filled grown up parties with. They were advertising their first ever South Florida 

conference for something called AAPI-MSRF. Immediately I was intrigued, since I had been out of touch with 

the AAPI world for over four years. When I learned about MSRF and read more about the expansion of AAPI to 

younger generations, I decided to go to the conference. Undoubtedly, it was a smart decision. 

This conference was much more than a trip to Miami. Though the lectures and interactive workshops 

were very educational, the most I picked up on was the society. I was surrounded by some of the most intelligent 

people in South Florida who seemed to hold one another together with an incredible amount of support. There 

were medical students, residents, fellows, physicians, and parents. There were people inconceivably further than I 

was in their medical careers. Yet there was no sense of hierarchy, which we see so often in medicine. As silly as it 

sounds, they were all friends. Though I knew only a handful of people before the conference, I had an innate sense 

of trust in everybody I met there. The night before, I stayed with a friend of a friend who I had just met. I found 

her hospitality unparalleled (she did not even know me, yet she trusted me!) then soon found that anybody at that 

conference would have included me in the same way. Why? Because in many ways, medicine is a team sport. We 

are lucky enough to belong to a strong Indian community that regards any of the children as their own and any 

colleague as a brother or sister. I felt as if this type of unity, thriving at the University of Miami, was a little broken 

at my school. I asked myself how to strengthen it at UMKC, and the simple answer was to begin an AAPI-MSRF 

chapter. When I presented this idea to the South Florida chapter and the members of the National AAPI Board, it 

seemed as if the only person who had doubts for its success was I. Good thing they pushed me, because in three 

months our chapter has over 30 members. 

As glamorous as it sounds to say that I chose medicine as my career single-handedly with no outside influence 

or help, that would be a lie. It’s a well-known fact that children strive for more if they are led by example and if 

their parents, teachers, and friends help them realize what they can accomplish. But it doesn’t just stop at the child. 

Medicine is a journey, and there are many rough patches. It is nice to have a mentor or two at any stage in life to 

really show us the ropes and keep us connected so we do not lose faith in ourselves. Who better to do this than our 

own kin, people who relate to us in ways far beyond medicine? Dr. Kini gave an uplifting speech about the future 

of AAPI and the potential of our network. According to him, we have the brains. We have the money. We have 

the network. So basically, we have the power to make a difference. Part of me anticipated that I would lose touch 

with national AAPI once I returned from the conference, but I was proved wrong. Thanks to some great national 

AAPI members, the University of Missouri-Kansas City is slowly realizing that students and residents older than 

them are approachable and can relate. Who will be next? 

50

My Experience at the Global Health Summit 2013 

The 2013 AAPI Global Healthcare Summit in Kochi—the firstever 

global summit—was an enormous success, and I enjoyed it 

immensely. The phenomenal success of this summit is because 

of the hard work and determination of our AAPI President Dr. 

Narendra Kumar, who was rightfully given the Prvassi Bharatiya 

Samman by the President of India. 

by the dance performance of Soorya Krishnamoorthy. And our 

he ave n ly t r ip to t he worl d’s r ichest Hindu temple, Sr i Padmanabha 

Swami Shrine, was incredible as was our bus trip to Kanyakumari, 

where the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal join to support 

the Swami Vivekananda Memorial Shrine. The New Years Eve celebration 

was enjoyable as well and when it came time to bid farewell to 

Trivandrum, we did so reluctantly. 

Arvind Pillai, MD 

DPillai605@aol.com 

More than 200 delegates from the United States and countries around 

the world flew to the capital of “God’s own country” where we shared 

sweet and rare nostalgic memories of our life at the Trivandrum Medical 

College Campus. The diamond jubilee celebration of the pioneering 

medical school was very well organized by the Alumni Association officers. 

From the very first day, we enjoyed their hospitality. Dinner and 

music at Udaya Samudra Restaurant was superb and Kovalam Beach 

was incomparable. 

The AMA-accredited CME program at Trivandrum, led by an eminent 

class of professors, was of an exceptionally high caliber. The meetings 

covered several topics and they were all extremely interesting and 

informative. The hospitality and food were flawless. We were stunned 

Thousands of young doctors, medical students and families danced to 

her music for hours. And on the last day, Cochin IMA held the most delicious 

Kerala-style farewell dinner. The houseboat trip on the backwaters 

of Kerala was breathtaking and the night at Kumarakom Taj Resort was 

incredible. 

It was then on to Kochi where we met the majestic Le Meridien. GHS 

was hectic but relaxing. Mr. Anwar Feroz Siddiqui was a great emcee, and 

the auditorium was spectacular. We all thoroughly enjoyed a Kerala-style 

dinner hosted by the Chief Minister, which was followed by a fantastic 

dance program by Sri Soorya Krishnamoorthy. The Shreya Ghoshal musical extravaganza was a blast. 

We must thank our leader President Dr. Narendra Kumar for his dedication and effort! 

This was truly a rare experience, and I’m very proud that I was able to participate in such an amazing opportunity. 

51

Calendar Of Events - 2013 

DATE 

February 22-23, 

2013 

March 22-24, 2013 

April 11, 2013 

May 23-27, 2013 

June 8 – 30, 2013 

July 12-19, 2013 

August 2-5, 2013 

September 18, 2013 

October 4-6, 2013 

December 24, 2013 

-January 1, 2014 

January 3-5, 2014 

EVENT 

Golf Outing 

The Villas of Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida 

AAPI Spring Governing Body 

Charlotte, North Carolina 

AAPI Legislative Day 

Washington, DC 

31st AAPI Annual Convention 

Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, IL 

AAPI & AAPI Charitable Foundation 

Regional CME program with Charitable musical program 

AAPI / BAPIO Family CME Cruise 

Mediterranean 2013 

AAPI & CAPI 

Strategic Planning Meeting & Conference 

Hotel Fort Garry - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 

AAPI Legislative Day 

Washington, D.C. 

AAPI Fall Governing Body Meeting 

Dayton/Cincinnati, Ohio 

Delivering Value through Accountable Care -Techniques 

 

AAPI Pre-Global Healthcare Summit 

CME Tour 

India/New Year Celebrations 

AAPI Global Healthcare Summit 

Ahmedabad, India 

52

Bipin i 

Shah, h MD 

R. Murali Krishna, MD, DLFAPA, noted and well respected 

Oklahoma City psychiatrist, has recently published his first 

book, VIBRANT: To Heal and Be Whole, which he coauthored 

with Kelly Dyer Fry, president of news at OPUBCO. 

VIBRANT allows India born, Dr. Krishna, to share his insights 

on human resilience and the power of living a vibrant life. He 

draws upon his own childhood experiences in India; coming 

to Oklahoma, his passion for helping people understand the 

importance of a mind, body, spirit connection; and his efforts 

to help people move forward following the tragic 1995 bombing 

of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, 

Oklahoma. 

He served as Chief of Staff at St. Anthony Hospital where most 

of the victims were treated. Dr.Krishna is President and Chief 

Operating Officer of Integris Mental Health, a center that 

provides adult and child/adolescent mental health services. He 

is also Co-Founder and President of the James L. Hall, Jr. Center 

for Mind, Body and Spirit, an educational organization devoted 

to improving health through raising awareness of the healing 

power of the connection between mind, body, and spirit.

A SHARED VISION 

OF PROSPERITY 

AND SUCCESS 



for receiving the prestigious 

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2013! 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AAPI JOURNAL 

GAUTAM 

SAMADDER, MD 

FOR 

AAPI Treasurer 2013 

Bringing financial stability, transparency and participatory leadership.

A SHARED VISION 

OF PROSPERITY 

AND SUCCESS 



for receiving the prestigious 

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2013! 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AAPI JOURNAL 

GAUTAM 

SAMADDER, MD 

FOR 

AAPI Treasurer 2013 

Bringing financial stability, transparency and participatory leadership.

gautam samadder, md - American Association of Physicians of ...

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