Physicians to honor ‘Outstanding Leaders’ at 41st Annual AAPI Convention

- ADVERTISEMENT -

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, AAPI, is scheduled to recognize several Indian Americans who have been leading their fields of medicine and healthcare, at the July 6-9, 2023, 41st AAPI Convention being held in Philadelphia, PA, at the Marriott Downtown. The awards are scheduled to be presented at the Presidential Gala during the Convention.

They include the following individuals:

The Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Ranga Reddy, a veteran AAPI leader and past President of AAPI

Special Presidential Appreciation and Achievement Award – Dr. Prem Reddy, AAPI Patron in Chief

AAPI 2023 Most Distinguished Physician Award – Dr. Manmeet Ahluwalia

Most Distinguished Service Award – Dr. Udaya Shivangi

Most Distinguished YPS Award – Dr. Soumya Reddy Neravetla

Most Distinguished MSRF Award – Mehul Mehra

President of AAPI Dr. Ravi Kolli announced the names of awardees in a June 26, press release. He praised them and was joined by other executives of AAPI who showered accolades on the recipients.

An alumnus of Kurnool Medical College, Andhra Pradesh, with MBBS and M.S. (General Surgery) degrees, Dr. Ranga Reddy, an anesthesiologist, was trained at the State University of New York. Apart from the many positions he holds in the medical field, he has served in various positions in AAPI for more than 3 decades. He is also credited with streamlining the AAPI organizational structure and simplifying the election process and making it a one-member-one-vote process. He also created the Medical Students and Residents section, as well as initiated the AAPI Legislative Conference Day on Capitol Hill.

Dr. Manmeet Ahluwalia’s work has had a significant impact on science, innovations in patient care that have had a widespread impact, or health-related community service that has served humanity at large, the press release said.

A Maulana Medical College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, graduate, Dr. Ahluwalia went on to doing his residency at Fairview Hospital, Cleveland Health System, Cleveland, Ohio. He did a Hematology-Oncology fellowship at University of Toronto, Canada, followed by advanced training at Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. Currently, he is the Chief of Solid Tumor Medical Oncology, Chief Scientific Officer & Deputy Director at Miami Cancer Institute, and Professor of Translational Medicine at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida.

An internationally recognized authority in Neuro-Oncology, Dr. Ahluwalia has led practice-changing research for developing new therapies for patients with primary brain tumors and metastases, resulting in his 250 +peer-reviewed research publications. He designed and led the initial studies on combining immunotherapy/targeted therapy and radiosurgery in brain metastases. He co-led the first-in-man trial of Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) for primary brain tumors, which led to US FDA approval. He also designed and led the LASER trial exploring LITT for brain metastases and radiation necrosis.

Dr. Shivangi, a Patron Member of AAPI for over 30 years,  currently serves as the Chairperson of the AAPI Women’s Forum. An alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Karnataka, India (MBBS), she was a Resident Physician at Kuhn Memorial Hospital, Vicksburg, Mississippi, a Fellow of Sleep Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and a Staff Physician for Disability Determination Services. She was also the Founder-Director of Jackson Sleep Centers, Mississippi.

She has headed many committees in AAPI, and serves as Director of AAPI Charitable Foundation and worked through the COVID-19 era, organizing successful fundraisers supporting national AAPI initiatives, and community service projects, and also champion the specific causes of women physicians in AAPI and elsewhere in other organizations.

Dr. Neravetla, a young physician (within eight years of completing GME training) has distinguished herself in the workplace and has done outstanding service to organized medicine, according to the AAPI press release. Dr. Neravetla is a graduate of Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine in Rootstown, Ohio. She pursued her residency program in General Surgery at Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami, Miami, Florida, apart from other fellowships. She is currently the Director of Thoracic Oncology and Structural Heart with Springfield Heart Surgeons, LLC in Springfield, Ohio, and TAVR & Lung Nodule Clinic Director at Kettering Health in Dayton, Ohio. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Surgery at Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

As a patron member of AAPI, Dr. Neravetla has an impressive track record of years of serving the organization in different roles such as Chairperson of Committees of IT, Publications, Women’s Forum at the 2019 Global Health Summit, Co-Chair of Membership Committee and Member of the Nominating Committee. A current member of the Board of Trustees, she served as the President of the Young Physician Section of AAPI with significant ground-breaking contributions to the growth and expansion of the Chapter.

Dr. Mehul Mehra, an MD-MPH Student at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, graduated from the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences, Augusta, Georgia. He has a commendable track record in academic medicine, research, and clinical work. He was the STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Academy Founder, President, and Volunteer Advisor.

His scholarly activities involve research in diverse fields such as Epidemiology, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Neurosciences, and Cardiology.

During the Convention, Dr. Prem Reddy is being recognized with the Special Presidential Appreciation and Achievement Award for his Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Philanthropy.

Chairman, President & CEO of Prime Healthcare Services, Dr. Prem Reddy, is a physician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, founded Prime Healthcare Services with a mission to save hospitals, improve community healthcare and provide the very best care to patients.

He and his family have established several philanthropic organizations and donated millions of dollars for health care development projects, the AAPI press release said.

Two other physicians to be honored include –

Dr. Stephen Shaya, M.D. to be Honored with the AAPI Presidential Healthcare Leadership Award 2023 for Revolutionizing Healthcare Delivery, AAPI announced June 26.

Mary Shaya to Receive AAPI Presidential Humanitarian Award 2023 for Transforming Lives through Exceptional Leadership and Philanthropy.

Dr. Stephen Shaya was praised by AAPI leaders for his work as Managing Director of Akkad Holdings, where he is credited with having “revolutionized the healthcare experience” through his patient-centered approach.

Mary Shaya is being lauded for “her exceptional leadership, under whom J & B Medical has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving the most vulnerable members of the society, particularly veterans and seniors,” according to AAPI leaders.