American Association of Physician of Indian Origin-Central Ohio ( AAPICO) celebrated its 10th annual charity event at Hyatt Regency in Columbus Ohio on September 19th, 2015. The event was attended by more than 300 participants from across the state. This year charity event was dedicated to raise funds to promote Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research and awareness.
Dr Seema Jain, President of AAPI, a chief guest, noted that there are more than 110,000 doctors and medical students of Indian origin in the US. The number of medical students is estimated at 38,000. In some universities, more than 30 percent of the students are of Indian origin.
“In several states, one in four patients, consult a doctor of Indian origin. Nationally it is one in seven. It means that the Indian physicians play a major role in the healthcare in the US and their absence would disrupt the health sector,” Dr. Jain said. “AAPI continues to play a major role in in the health care in this country. We played a crucial role in securing the approval of Dr. Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General.”
Dr. Gautam Samadder, AAPI’s Vice President, said, through his active participation and leadership at the national level, he wants to “amplify participation among young physicians and medical students, strengthen AAPI’s financial security through profitable corporate sponsorships and facilitate collegial cooperation between local and state chapters, as this will increase AAPI’s global stature and eminence, which will ultimately make healthcare more efficient and effective in USA and India.”
On a national level AAPI has risen to become the premier ethnic medical association in the United States, representing well over 70,000 practicing physicians, residents, fellows and medical students. The mission of our organization is to serve as a forum to facilitate and enable Indian American physicians to excel in patient care, teaching and research, and to pursue their aspiration in professional and community affairs. In addition to the support of our 17 healthcare clinics in India and 25 clinics here in the United States, AAPI is also recognized as a strong voice in the healthcare legislation and policy arena.
After the gala, participants proceeded to the major fund raising concert of Sunidhi Chauhan, one of the most decorated artist in Bollywood performed for the first time in Ohio on September 19th at Ohio theater in Columbus. Capacity crowd from all over Ohio came to listen to their favorite artist. Sunidhi performance was mind blowing. The crowd within half hour left their seats and took the floor to dance with the tunes of her songs.
She even gave one of her young admirer a chance to sing few lines dedicated to her. Both young and old spectators were mesmerized with her songs and stage performance. The show had to be extended an extra hour to meet up with crowd expectations.
At the end of the show a private meet and greet session was arranged for the sponsors and Sunidhi was gracious enough to have a photographs with all of them. The concert left a long lasting impression on everyone at the Auditorium, while contributing to the noble cause of AAPI and its initiative to create awareness on breast cancer.
