San Antonio Hosts 32nd AAPI Convention

SAN ANTONIO: The 32nd annual convention of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) attended by nearly 2,000 delegates from across the nation concluded at the Grand Hyatt Henry Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, with the outgoing preside of AAPI Dr. Jayesh Shah administering the oath of office to Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, the new president of AAPI during the Presidential Gala on Saturday, June 29.

In his final address as president of AAPI that represents over 100,000 physicians of Indian origin in the US, Dr. Shah attributed the successful term to the contributions of its members. “We do not view successful AAPI year through the limited prism of one year. It is a golden opportunity to strengthen and expand the organization for years to come. We are very proud of each one of you. AAPI’s success this year is the story of the hard work of each and every AAPI member who has selflessly set out to create a better AAPI for future generations.” He particularly paid rich tributes to the Convention Committee led by Dr. Vijay Koli, for their extraordinary commitment and dedication.

In his first ever presidential address, Dr. Jahagirdar, who is not only an expert in medicine, but also is proficient in world’s ancient language, Sanskrit, praised the great tradition of AAPI and said, “AAPI has had great visionaries in its short life. As President, I see myself as another member in the trenches who likes to team with others and reach out to even higher goals.” As he take charge of AAPI, Dr. Jahagirdar believes that everyone needs to “Think of our organization first, and not about individual glory. No one person has a monopoly on ideas, and any member with a passion will have a role to play.”

Anwar Feroz, Honorary Advisor of AAPI, while moderating the Town Hall Meeting, which focused on Enhancing Collaboration between Physicians of Indian Origin Across the World and India, updated the audience on Swasth India Portal, which was officially launched by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, India’s Health Minister, who was the Chief Guest at the Convention. Dr. Vardhan lauded the great contributions of Indian American physicians for their hard work, dedication and achievements.

Earlier, the 32nd annual convention was solemnly inaugurated with the lighting of the traditional Indian lamp by Dr. Jayshreeben Mehta, president of Medical Council of India (MCI), Parvathaneni Harish, Consul General of India in Houston, Dr. Jayesh Shah, President of AAPI, Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, President-Elect of AAPI, Dr. Shashi Shah, Chairman, Board of Trustees of AAPI, Dr. Vijay Koli, Chairman of the Convention Organizing Committee, and Leticia R. Van de Putte, Texas State Senator on Thursday, June 26.

Kaul Singh Thakur, Minister for Health in the state of Himachal Pradesh, the Guests of Honor, thanked AAPI members for the Healthcare Clinic they had organized in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.  Parvathaneni Harish, Consul General of India in Houston, while pointing to the enormous amount of capital invested on the education of physicians of Indian origin who now serve work abroad urged AAPI to initiate a Fellowship Program whereby, its members could go to Indian Medical Colleges and educate the young generation of Indian physicians and students in Medicine. “That will be the greatest contribution AAPI can provide to your motherland,” he said.

Other panelists who addressed the audience during the Town Hall Meeting included Dr. Narendra Saini of Indian Medical Association, Dr. Ramesh Mehta of British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Dr. Sunil Patel of Canadian Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage, Dr. Vani Rao, President of IAPA and John Meiners of American Heart Association. Nina Davuluri, the first ever Indian American to be crowned Miss USA was the keynote speaker at an inspiring Women’s Forum Session.

Some of the highlights of the 32nd annual convention included, Healthy Cooking by famed Sanjay Thumma, fashion parade by world famous designers and models led by Nina Davuluri, live musical night by Kumar Sanu, Vishaal Shekhar, and Senthil Ramamurthy and over 100 Exhibition Booths, Yoga, Zumba, Table Tennis and many other entertainment and networking for the young and the senior physicians were a delight to the participants who came from across the nation to participate in the 32nd annual convention.

 During the first of its kind, a formal concluding ceremony was held on Sunday, June 29 where the Convention Chair, Dr. Koli passed on the “torch” to the next Convention Chair, Dr. Amish Parikh, who will be coordinating the 33rd annual Convention in Orlando, FL from June 17 to 21, 2015.

For further details, visit: www.aapiconvention.org and www.aapiusa.org.