Successful 12th Annual Conference of Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin

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Leading experts and delegates from 53 countries took part in the recent 12^th Annual Conference of physicians of Indian origin, GAPIO (Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin).

The GAPIO Conference took place virtually Feb. 26-27, and fielded well-known speakers from United States, Canada, Australia, United Arab Emirates and India who covered different aspects during the sessions on Cardiac Sciences, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Neurology, Nephrology, Omicron (COVID-19)- Global Perspective, Interventional Radiology, Transplant, Orthopedics & Rheumatology, Integrative Medicine, Oncology, Paediatrics, Leadership Mantras, Capacity Building in Healthcare in India, Patient safety and Quality/Accreditation and Role of Allied Healthcare Professionals in Healthcare.

India’s Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh Mandaviya, was the Chief Guest during the awards function which was held on Feb. 26. The awards were presented to young clinicians and presided over by Minister Mandaviya. (See list below)

Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, founder and president of GAPIO, and chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group was the Guest of Honor.

A non-profit organization, GAPIO is a leading association for the Indian medical diaspora and the annual conference has become an important event in the medical calendar for physicians and other medical personnel around the globe.

Dr. Reddy noted how COVID-19 had again shown the potential of Indian-origin physicians during a global health crisis. He also informed the gathering that during the pandemic, GAPIO held 23 sessions dealing with the pandemic during which “valuable lessons” were learned from leaders around the world facing the challenge of the coronavirus.

“The need for innovation and cross-systemic learning is more important than ever before.  Apart from the COVID-19 pandemic, India and the world at large are facing an epidemic of non-communicable diseases – NCDs like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. We seek involvement of everyone to overcome this biggest challenge to mankind posed by COVID-19 and NCDs,” Dr. Reddy said.

“The Indian diaspora has a wealth of talent. Experts based in more than 50 countries can contribute to enhancing the healthcare delivery in India as no matter where they work, they want to give back to their motherland. We hope to evolve a consensus on the contemporary health challenges through this conference,” said Dr. Anupam Sibal, president of GAPIO and Group Medical Director at Apollo Hospitals, Senior Consultant Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist.

Highlighting the Congress’ relevance for Indian healthcare, Dr. Nandakumar Jairam, vice president of GAPIO said, “Research and innovation can improve the delivery of quality healthcare in India to the last mile. As the country braces to overcome its myriad health challenges, this conference will help identify methodologies most suitable to skill and scale the healthcare workforce in the country.”

Dr. Sudhir Parikh, secretary general of GAPIO and Chairman and Publisher of Parikh World Wide Media and ITV Gold 24×7 TV Channel in USA, said “Global health challenges need global solutions, and we believe through GAPIO we will evolve constructive and tangible ways of ensuring that healthcare becomes more accessible to all citizens.”

GAPIO was founded in 2011 by Padma Vibhushan recipient Dr. Prathap C Reddy, along with Dr. Sanku Rao, past-president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, and Ramesh Mehta, president of  the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, BAPIO, UK. The goal of the organization is to bring together 1.4 million physicians of Indian origin in the world on one professional platform.

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GAPIO Excellence Awards Presented At 12 Global Conference

During the two-day 12^th Global Conference held on a digital platform Feb. 26 and 27, 2022, the Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) presented the annual GAPIO awards for 2021 to doctors who have made noteworthy contributions to improving healthcare.

The award winners in the Distinguished Category are:

• GAPIO Lifetime Achievement Award – Jatin P Shah, Former Chairman, Head and Neck Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
• Prathap C Reddy Philanthropy Award – Dr. Srinivas Gosla Reddy, Plastic Surgeon, GSR Institute of Craniofacial Plastic Surgery, Hyderabad and Director, Hyderabad Cleft Society.
• Dr I A Modi Award – Dr. Mahesh Kumar Goenka, Director & Head, Institute of Gastrosciences, Apollo Hospitals, Kolkata, President, Indian Society of Gastroenterology, 2022 -2023
• GAPIO Surgical Excellence Award – Dr. A A Shetty, Emeritus Professor, Orthopaedics, Trauma and Regenerative Medicine Cell therapy, Christ Church University, UK
• GAPIO Excellence in Diagnostics – Dr. Arvind Lal, Chairman, Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd, New Delhi, Managing Trustee, ALVL Foundation
• GAPIO Excellence in Radiology/ Radiation Therapy Awards – Harsh Mahajan,  Founder & Chief Radiologist, Mahajan Imaging, Chairman, Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET-CT, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.

Each winner receives Rs. 100,000, a citation and a trophy.

GAPIO Special Appreciation Award – Dr. J. S. Tuteja, Pediatrician and Adolescent Health specialist, Indore, for his path breaking work in delivering Pediatric and Adolescent care.

The award winners in Young Category are:

• Dr I A Modi Award – Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Assistant Professor, Nephrology, AIIMS, Patna.
• GAPIO Surgical Excellence Award – Dr. Vishal Kumar, Associate Professor, Orthopedics, PGI, Chandigarh
• GAPIO Excellence in Diagnostics – Dr. Swapnil Rane, Associate Professor, Tata Memorial Centre Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Mumbai.
• GAPIO Excellence in Radiology/ Radiation Therapy Awards – Dr. Binit Sureka, Associate Professor, Interventional Radiology, AIIMS, Jodhpur.

Each winner receives Rs. 50,000, a citation and a trophy.

Mansukh Mandaviya, India’s Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Chemical and Fertilizers of India Government of India, was the Chief Guest and Dr. Prathap C Reddy, founder President of GAPIO and Chairman Apollo Hospitals Group was the Guest of Honor.

Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Founder President of GAPIO and Chairman Apollo Hospitals Group said, “The exemplary work by the awardees is an inspiration for others to emulate. The spirit of  the physicians of Indian origin to excel in India and overseas is what we hope to recognize. There are countless examples of path breaking work across the globe that would make every Indian proud”.

Dr. Anupam Sibal, President of GAPIO and Group Medical Director, Apollo Hospitals Group and Senior Consultant Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist said, “The awardees through their immense contribution in clinical care, academics, research in different medical and surgical specialities exemplify the highest standards that Indian physicians have become synonyms with.”

Remarking on the young physicians category, Dr. Nandakumar Jairam, Vice President GAPIO said, “The awardees in the Young category represent the aspirations of the Young Indian Physician who is willing to take on challenges to improve delivery of care, while excelling in academics and research.”

 Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Secretary General of GAPIO and Chairman and Publisher of Parikh World Wide Media and ITV Gold 24×7 TV Channel in USA said, “With a presence in 53 countries, GAPIO serves to establish collaborations, bringing 1.4 million physicians of Indian origin on one platform. In the coming year our activities will be enhanced to build a stronger well connected physician community.”