India Post News Service
CHICAGO: It’s very great joy that I welcome you all who have come to be part of the MINI Convention and the Fall Governing Body Meeting of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) here in Chicago. I appreciate your presence here in spite of the fears of the Covid Pandemic,” Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, President, AAPi said addressing the delegates who had come from around the nation on Saturday, September 26, 2020 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, in Chicago.
Dr. Suresh Reddy, the Chief Organizer of the Convention, said. “A special feature of the Convention has been honoring the hundreds of Volunteers who have dedicated their time, energy and efforts in the past one year for the success the many initiatives under my leadership. All the volunteers have raised the bar of AAPI and we salute your generosity and admire your sacrifices.”
Chief Guest at the Convention, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President, in his virtual address, said: “I congratulate the leadership of AAPI and the members for your great contributions to India, your motherland and the United States, your adopted land.” Referring to the Convention, he said, “This is not just an event but a showcase of a critical health mission that will empower us greatly to tide over the crippling effects of this
He observed “I am also glad to know that AAPI’s mission for India is to play an important role in making quality healthcare accessible and affordable to all people of India. It is indeed a laudable objective as both accessibility and affordability are the need of the hour, especially in a vast developing country like India with a huge population of middle class and lower middle class,” Shri Naidu said.
India is now facing a huge challenge in the form of rising Antibiotic Resistance. The Vice President of India “urged the AAPI fraternity to share with their Indian counterparts and Indian Medical Association, the invaluable experiences gained by our doctors working abroad, which will help in devising an effective strategy to combat Antibiotic resistance. “I would also urge Indian doctors working abroad to build collaborations in Research and Development to address various health issues, including combating tropical diseases like Tuberculosis and Malaria. Such collaborations will provide a boost to India’s quest to effectively and quickly eradicate these diseases,” India’s Vice President told AAPI leaders.
A dedicated pool of Physicians led by Dr. MeherMedavaram, Convention Chair, worked hard to make the convention a memorable experience for all. “With Corona Virus impacting every aspect of life around the world, posing several challenges in carrying out with numerous plans and programs for AAPI in 2020, Dr. Suresh Reddy, the 36th President of AAPI, has been right on task and has devoted the past one year leading AAPI to stability and greater heights. The deadly pandemic, COVID-19 that has been instrumental in the lockdown of almost all major programs and activities around the world, could not lockdown the creative minds of AAPI leaders,” she said.
A Coffee Table Book, chronicling the history of AAPI was released. “This coffee table book is dedicated to all the “First Ladies” who have sacrificed innumerable hours of their family time for the sake of AAPI,” Dr. Suresh Reddy said. “My sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of the leaders of AAPI, and in particular to Dr. Ranga Reddy for being the “Shrusti-Kartha” of this book.
In her farewell message, Dr. Seema Arora, Immediate Past COT Chair, said, “I am honored and humbled to have served our dignified organization working harmoniously together with the Executive Committee throughout this term.
“Taking the lockdown and the social distancing as a challenge, the organizing committee of the AAPI Mini Convention has put together a unique Convention with Physical Distancing; Universal Masking; and Total Outdoor Setting,” said Dr. Sajani Shah, Chairwoman of AAPI Board of Trustees, other main Guests at the Mini Convention included, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Indian Consul General,Chicago Amit Kumar and Dr. Srinath Reddy, President of Public Health Foundation of India.
Describing Indian American Physicians as the “Best of America,” Raja Krishnamoorthi praised them for their dedication and skills. CG Amit Kumar acknowledged with gratitude the contributions of Indian American Physicians, especially during the pandemic. He referred to AAPI members writing over 1,000 prescriptions to the stranded visitors and students from India during the Covid pandemic.
Physician Wellness: Stress and Burnout was the topic addressed by Dr. Lucky Jain, Professor and Chair at Emory University School of Medicine and Dr. Rohit Kumar Vasa, an Attending Neonatologist at Ann and Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, 
A CME on “A Global Health Topic: Learning for India’s Health System” featured Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India and was moderated by Dr. Navin C. Nanda, Professor of Medicine & Cardiovascular Disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and, Dr. T.S. Ravi Kumar, President, AIIMS, Mangalagiri, AP, India
The session on Surgical Management of Intracerebral Hemorrhage was led by Dr. Joseph C. Serrone, Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery and Radiology at Loyola University Medical and, Dr. Suresh Reddy, Associate Professor of Radiology at Loyola University.
“The AAPI Mini Convention offered an exciting venue to interact with leading physicians, health professionals, academicians, and scientists of Indian origin,” saidDr. Anupama Gotimukula, President-Elect of AAPI. In his Message, calling for Unity, Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda said that despite differences in languages, religions, regional backgrounds “ we work together for what AAPI stands for. We may have differences of opinions; differences of approaches to various issues, our political and cultural affinities are unique. We acknowledge and accord that each of us will work together for the common good of the people we are called to serve and to realize the vision and mission of AAPI.
