Leading philanthropist, community leader, US-India activist Dr. Sampat Shivangi (Oct. 27, 1940-Feb. 10, 2025)

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On February 10, 2025, at 2:10 pm, one of the leading lights of the Indian American community was snuffed out with the passing away of Dr. Sampat Shivangi of Jackson, Mississippi, after a brief hospital stay.

His death comes a little more than a month after inaugurating a state-of-the-art cancer treatment hospital in Belagavi, Karnataka, January 3, which Dr. Shivangi called “a dream come true,” thanking the Karnataka State Government for believing in his vision and providing support to make it a reality. “Together, let us bring hope and healing to countless lives,” he said.

The much needed 300-bed cancer treatment hospital was inaugurated by no less than India’s President Droupadi Murmu.

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The Shivangi Foundation supports many charitable institutions which serve the underprivileged in India including primary and middle schools, community halls, and healthcare facilities. The Foundation which lives after him, aims to provide equal opportunities in quality education to all, raise mental health awareness, promote healthcare equity, support tribal communities, empower women and promote sports.

In addition, Dr. Shivangi helped establish a Hindu temple in Jackson, Mississippi which has become a cultural and social community center.

“Dr. Shivangi was my close family friend, a great philanthropist, and we worked together in the Indian American Forum for Political Education, to strengthen the US-India relationship and push for the bilateral civil nuclear agreement. He will be greatly missed, not just by me, but by the whole Indian American community, and society in general,” said Padma Shri recipient and chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media Dr. Sudhir Parikh of New Jersey.

As a community leader and activist, Dr. Shivangi advocated for Green Card reforms in the US, especially for physicians, engineers, teachers, nurses, and medical professionals.

The first Indian American to serve on the Board of the Mississippi State Department of Mental Health and a leading advocate for mental health, Dr. Shivangi also served on the National Board of Directors for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Born in Athani, Karnataka, Dr. Shivangi studied medicine at Karnataka Medical College, Hubli Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. He migrated to the US in 1976.

Dr. Shivangi served as Advisor to the US Secretary of health and Human Services from 2005 to 2008, during the George W. Bush administration; He was the founding president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in Mississippi, and was a former president and chair of the India Association of Mississippi.

Dr. Shivangi attended several National Republican Conventions as a Delegate. He was recognized as Person of the Year by the Indian American Republican Committee.

He has received many awards in recognition of his contributions, including the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, The US Congressional Recognition Award, and the Ellis Medal of Honor Award.He joined the Executive Advisory Board of the Washington, D.C.-based think tank International Leaders Summit.

The state of Mississippi honored Dr. Shivangi by naming a lane after him in one of the premier medical facilities at Boswell Regional Medical Center.

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