AIPHA holds banquet and business expo

AIPHA dignitaries attending annual event
AIPHA dignitaries attending annual event

CHICAGO: The Association of Indian Pharmacists in America (AIPHA) hosted its Annual Banquet and Business Expo on Sunday, May 15 at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows, a northwest suburb of Chicago.

The Banquet was attended by many dignitaries including Consul General of Chicago, Dr Ausaf Sayeed; Jay Stewart, director of professional regulation; Dr. Yash Amin, director of drug compliance; Alex Hemsley, director of policy and procedure; Hardik Bhatt, chief information officer; Aarti Parikh, investigator for professional regulation; Marcus Evens, state representative; Thaddeus Jones, state representative; ShahabUdddin, chairman of Qatar Airways; Jeff Brannon & Mike Synor from Cardinal Drugs; Mark Andricks and Tony Ferrante from HD Smith and Raja Krishnamoorthi, Congressional candidate for the 8th district of IL.

With the rising price of generic drugs, and increased government regulation, the cost of doing business has increased, observed Harish Bhat, AIPHA president. “In addition, we find ourselves coming up short due to the sharp decrease of reimbursements and lack of equivalent margins. Medicaid is going to expand under the Affordable Care Act, and we must get a fair opportunity to partner with them in providing the most cost-effective care. I encourage all pharmacists to come together to negotiate with the state, with one voice,” he added

Bollywood singer Shibani Kashyap rocked the AIPHA annual gala. Vendors were recognized on stage for contributing to the success of this event.

The national organization of the Association of Indian Pharmacists in America (AIPHA) was founded in 1985 by 20 members. Today, there are over 453 members. The student chapter of AIPHA at the niversity of Illinois-College of Pharmacy was established in 1996 with the same drive and initiative that was shown in 1985.

The student chapter of AIPHA has established specific objectives that need to be fulfilled year in and year out. The most important is to promote the representation of Indo-American practicing pharmacists and student pharmacists in various professional and socio-cultural activities.

Suresh Bodiwala