The young physicians sections of Indian Americans, YPS and MSRF, under the umbrella of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) jointly organized the popular 7th annual Winder Medical Conference at the MGM GRAND, Las Vegas, NV from Feb 14th to 17th, 2020.
The entire AAPI leadership, led by Dr. Suresh Reddy, President of AAPI, was present at the conference. Prominent among those who had attended the conference included Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, President-Elect of AAPI; Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, Vice President; Dr. Ravi Kolli, Secretary; Dr. Raj Bhayani, Treasurer of AAPI; and Dr. Amit Chakrabarty, Vice Chair of AAPI’s BOT, and Dr. Uma Jonnalagadda, who had graciously donated the T-shirts for the Obesity Walk.
Put together by Dr. Stella Gandhi, President of YPS; Dr. Ami Baxi, President-Elect of YPS; Dr. Soumya Neravetla, Vice President of YPS; Dr. Smila Kodali, Secretary of YPS; Dr. Jorawar Singh, Treasurer of YPS, Dr. Chethan Patel, Convention Chair of YPS, Dr. Pooja Kinkhabwala, President of MSRF; Dr. Kinjal Solanki, President-Elect of MSRF; and Ayesha Singh, MSRF VP, the conference was attended by hundreds of young Physicians of Indian Origin from across the nation.
The Medical Conference, an effective platform for networking, was packed with Continuing Medical Education (CMEs), Research Poster Symposium, Seminars/Workshops on Social Media, Healthcare Laws, Physician Wellness and Leadership Issues.
Arathi Shahani and Dr. Poonam Alaigh, Former Undersecretary of HHS, VA were the keynote speakers at the conference. Shahani, a former NPR correspondent, enthralled the audience with a reading from her book "Here We Are," which is about her upbringing as the daughter of undocumented immigrants who became legal, but then got mired in the convoluted justice system when her father mistakenly sold goods to a Cartel.
Dr. Poonam Alaigh spoke about the importance of being authentic. In her brief remarks, she encouraged young physicians of Indian Origin to “follow one's passion, even if it takes you on an unconventional track.” Her message to the delegates at the conference was: "Never doubt that a group of Thoughtful, Committed Citizens Can Change the World: Indeed, It's the Only Thing That Ever Has." The young physicians had an enriching experience on "Effectively Using Social Media to Enhance Your Career" by Aman Segal. “Aman Segal is a social media guru/producer who talked/walked us through the do's and don'ts of a good social media post and the impact of effective social media for physicians,” said Dr. Soumya Reddy Neravetla.
Dr. Amit Sachdev, a White House Fellow enlightened the delegates on Leadership Issues. The Academic Performance Panel was led by Dr. Aditi Singh, Dr. Oriaku Kas-Osaka, Dr. Jennifer Baynosa, and Alan Cheng. Health Care Q&A was led by Attorney Ashwin J. Ram.
Moderated by Dr. Stella Gandhi and Bruno Van Tuykom, Dr. Saya Nagori educated the delegates in the “Creating a Healthcare Startup” Panel. For the first time, delegates were able to get CME for the popular leadership panel run by Dr. Jay Bhatt and Dr. Atul Nakhasi. The newly elected BOT Chair of AAPI, Dr. Sajani Shah Kapasi addressed the delegates on the “Business of Medicine.” A CME seminar on Physician Wellness was led by Dr. Jay Bhatt, Dr. Vipan Nikore, and Dr. Pooja Kinkhabwhalla.
Continuing with the tradition of creating awareness on Obesity, Dr. Pooja Kinkhabwalla addressed participants on the importance of proper diet as AAPI leadership led the delegates on the AAPI Obesity Awareness Walk, wearing Yellow shirts and hats, spreading the message of HOPE.
YPS was formed with the objective of promoting, upholding and maintaining the highest standards of ethics in the practice of medicine and in medical education; AAPI – YPS provides a channel of networking, support and open communication among its members. MSRF is a national organization which promotes the professional, political and social goals of Indian American medical students and resident physicians today and in the future.
Dr. Suresh Reddy, while congratulating the young physicians for organizing a fabulous medical conference, invited all delegates to come and attend “the historic 38th Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) to be held from June 24th to 28th, 2020 at the famous Donald E Stephens Convention Center in Chicago.” For more information about AAPI and the upcoming convention, please visit www.aapiusa.org or www.aapiconvention.org
