Dr. Navin C Nanda Honored as the “Father of Echocardiography” at the American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin’s Annual Gala

Internationally renowned Cardiologist Dr.Navin C Nanda was honored with the Prestigious Honor of “Father of Echocardiography” during the annual Gala organized by American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin (AACIO) and the International Society of Cardiovascular Ultrasound ( ISCU)at the Gaylord Fine Indian Cuisine Restaurant in Chicago, IL on November 17, 2024,

AACIO is a reputable US Medical Organization representing thousands of Cardiologists of Indian Origin in the United States. The organization’s Gala coincides annually with the American Heart Association’s Annual Scientific Sessions. The well-organized 2024 meeting of the AACIO was attended by over a hundred Cardiologists and other Physician specialists from various parts of the USA and India.

Dr. Rakesh K Sharma, President of the AACIO welcomed the attendees and highlighted the organization’s numerous initiatives. The Founder president of AACIO, Dr. Navin C Nanda, introduced the distinguished attendees from the United States and India.

The guest speaker from India, Prof. Raman Puri (Lipid Association of India) spoke about increasing the Cardiovascular risk of Asian Indians by adopting Western LDL-C targets for the Indian diaspora. This was followed by a brief follow-up address by Dr. Vinod Jain from India. AACIO leadership presented three Young Investigator Awards in Cardiology, in addition to recognizing the dignitaries.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the Highest Honor for 2024 conferred to an iconic Physician of International fame for the significant global contributions in any field, to Dr. Navin C Nanda, being recognized as the  “Father of Echocardiography.”

Dr. Navin C. Nanda, MD, DSc (Med) (Honoris Causa), DSc (Hon), FACC, FAHA, FISCU(D), is a Senior Scientist and Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. He pioneered the development of echocardiography. Dr. Nanda was the “First” to discover the pulmonary valve by echocardiography, diagnose a bicuspid aortic valve, invent treadmill exercise echocardiography, introduce color Doppler in the USA, invent the techniques of transpharyngeal and transgastric ultrasound, and use echocardiography in cardiac pacing and electrophysiology.

These techniques have revolutionized the way cardiology is being practiced around the world today. For the first time ever, Dr. Nanda’s group clinically introduced real-time three-dimensional echocardiography, which is now extensively used for cardiac interventional procedures.

The Award ceremony was facilitated by Dr.Vemuri S Murthy, a well-known  Indo-US Resuscitation Expert and Liaison of AACIO-AHA, and Chairman of the Chicago Medical Society Board of Trustees, Dr. Radhika Chimata, current President of the Indian American Medical Association, Illinois, and distinguished Cardiologists such as  Dr.Gopal Lalmalani, the three-time Mayor of the Village of Oak Brook, Illinois, Dr.Samir Shah, a past President of the IAMA, IL and Dr.Hanumanth Reddy, a past President of the AACIO, among others.

The delicious dinner with Indian cuisine was followed by entertainment and Bollywood songs by Dr. Radhika Chimata and her group.