AAPI World Health Congress in July with focus on AI, will provide rich experience, networking opportunity, and fun

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Dr. Anjana Samadder, the 42^nd president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin (AAPI), and Dr. Sumul Raval, secretary of AAPI, spoke to ITV Gold Saturday, May 25, 2024, about the ambitious program with educational  and informational sessions that will be part of the 1^st Annual World Health Congress scheduled to be held July 18 to 22, 2024 at the Marriott Marquis in New York (aapiworldhealthcongress.org). Numerous cultural and entertainment activities as well as a variety of cuisines are part of the five day event.

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the prime focus of our World Health Congress, said Dr. Sammeder, speaking of the major innovation of AI use in healthcare. She said AAPI organizers were very excited about this segment. “We have physicians registered from England, Australia and India to come to this Congress,” Sammeder said. The theme of the Congress is “Beyond Boundaries: The Confluence of Medicine and Artificial Intelligence.”

The current trend is that of using AI in healthcare, Raval noted.n focus. “We have invited leaders in AI and CEOs of companies to tell us how AI is going to affect healthcare,” he said. In the CEO forum, the Congress will have CEOs from different pharmaceutical companies who will discuss how the pharmaceutical industry is going forward with AI, Raval added.

Sessions at the Congress will discuss how AI is primarily utilized to increase speed and accuracy in healthcare. It is already being used today in diagnosing patients, in transcribing medical documents, in drug discovery and development and in increasing administrative efficiency.

Complicated surgeries and procedures are being done with use of AI. Sessions will also discuss use of AI technologies including machine learning, natural language processing and rule based expert system.

Artificial Intelligence experts will hold informative sessions on how AI is positioned to improve patient outcomes, increase safety, reduce human error, and reduce costs associated with healthcare.

The National Library of Medicine (NCBI) says AI will begin to be used in clinical practice within 5 years and more extensively within the next 10 years. AAPI World Health Congress is all poised to get informed in time about the benefits of AI in healthcare and the potential challenges and disadvantages that may arise. Samadder and Raval dwelt on these subjects in the interview.

The event is set to offer opportunities for the participants to connect with influential leaders including past First Lady Michelle Obama, international actor Priyanka Chopraand India’s first woman Police Chief Kiran Bedi, at the Women’s Forum. It will also offer a transformative experience in public health, bridging, communities and as it explores AI’s role in these endeavors. On the website, aapiworldhealthcongress.org, the organizers promise, “Empowerment, leadership, and inspiration await you at the Women’s Forum… Joins us for engaging discussions, insightful presentations, and networking opportunities with esteemed women leaders from around the globe.”

On the Research and Education side, the Congress will have a Research Symposium where Residents and young physicians will present their research. AAPI will also present awards to them, Raval said.

Outlining AAPI’s important project of facilitating excellence in patient care, Raval spoke about how AAPI aims to move forward the project through teaching and research. Indian physicians have been in the US for three generations now, he pointed out, adding there were 200,000 physicians of Indian origin in the today. “My main goal is to get my fellow physicians involved from early onset so that we can help educate and promote research from the very beginning,” Raval said.

The Congress, thus, promises empowerment, leadership, inspiration and networking with esteemed leaders such as Donald Trump and Dr. Vivek Murthy, Samadder said.

Other highlights include keynote speeches on the Future of Health Care, cutting edge medical exhibits, and 24 Continuing Medical Education, CME, accredited workshops.

There will be entertainment features for children such as the Wiz and The Lion King, performances by singer Atul Purohit and a comedy show by Kapil Sharma, and a fashion show.

It is the first time that AAPI is organizing a World Health Congress. Sammeder said the idea behind this was to rebrand the annual convention to include physicians from South Asia from every walk of life. “Because at the end of the day, we all need to stand together to address healthcare issues,” she said.

Dr. Samadder, a practicing gastroenterologist in Columbus, Ohio, said she had joined AAPI during her residency days two decades ago in Philadelphia. “I was interested when I saw the community services and everything that this organization was offering to the community both in the U.S. and India,” she said, adding, “That is when I decided to get into the leadership role.”

Raval said, “We will have an event which will be full of fun-filled, research-filled and learning-filled activities.”  Outlining other features of the event, Raval said there was something for everyone, including the younger generation, the teenagers and children, making it a family event.

The Congress will include a section on young physicians with different activities.  He said a Singles Match section will also be part of the Congress. “A lot of our physicians have children who are at the age where they are ready to mingle and find a life partner, and we have also included those activities,” Raval said.

“We will have amazing food for all the many days — from Mogul catering from New Jersey, and many more activities throughout the five days,” Raval said.

Urging everyone to register, Raval asked them to partake and experience their Indian legacy, heritage and culture, along with research, education and entertainment.