“I am committed to your well-being and dedicated to advancing AAPI’s mission for a brighter future,” Dr. Anjana Samadder, the new President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) declared during her Presidential Inaugural address on July 8th, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA.
Dr. Anjana Samadder is a Gastroenterology Specialist in Columbus, OH. She is affiliated with Mount Carmel West and Mount Carmel East and is a winner of the Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award. Her husband, Dr. Gautam Samadder is a past President of AAPI.
Along with her, Dr. Satheesh Kathula was administered the oath of office as the President-Elect; Dr. Amit Chakrabarthy as the Vice President; Dr. Sumul Raval as the Secretary; Dr. Sreeni Gangasani as the Treasurer; and Dr. Lokesh Edara as the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
As the President of AAPI, Dr. Samadder says, “I bring a wealth of experience, a visionary perspective, and a deep commitment to serving our community.” According to Dr. Sammader, “The opportunity to make a significant impact and contribute to positive change on a larger scale is what motivates me to embrace a leadership role within AAPI.”
Sharing her vision for AAPI, Dr. Samadder said, “It is to foster improved access to healthcare, promote diversity and inclusion, and amplify the collective voice of our community. Members will always find me by their side. We will collectively always be available to our members’ needs and wellbeing.”
Describing herself as “a dedicated, resilient, passionate, and a determined person, who strives to make a positive impact,” Dr. Sammader said, “Growing up as a child, I always stood up against any injustice, wrongdoing and bullying. My father, a Barrister from the London School of Economics and Political Science always taught us to stand up for ourselves and brought us up with the teaching that women were stronger and better multitaskers, and they are capable of achieving greater heights.”
As a child, young Anjana “was filled with curiosity and an unwavering ambition to create change. My family has been a pillar of support, nurturing my dreams and encouraging me every step of the way.” Dr. Samadder’s inspiration for engaging in philanthropic activities stems from her deep-rooted desire to improve the lives of people in both India and the US. “Witnessing the resilience and strength of individuals facing challenges has been a driving force for me,” she said.
According to Dr. Samadder, “My journey with AAPI in the past 20 years taught me lots of lessons, skills and molded me to take more responsibility in the organization. I will bring to the organization the level of commitment, hard work, experience and skill set needed to accomplish the various goals for AAPI and its members.” Her vision for AAPI is “to help build an ethically strong, morally straight and fiscally responsible organization. It is also vitally important to bring much needed diversity to keep AAPI thriving.”
Over the years, Dr. Samadder has shown great leadership qualities which she proved during her tenure as local chapter President (Central Ohio), Regional Director (Ohio and Michigan) and as AAPI National Treasurer. She has also served diligently in different capacities within AAPI including being National Coordinator for AAPI Annual Convention, 2018 in Columbus. Dr. Smaddar served as the Chair, AAPI Women’s Forum and has organized first live conference of this year in Tampa, Florida (March 19 to 21,2021) with great success. Her vision for AAPI is “to help build an ethically strong, morally straight and fiscally responsible organization. It is also vitally important to bring much-needed diversity to keep AAPI thriving.”
Dr. Anjana Samadder was admitted with Covid for 65 days in the hospital. The coronavirus nearly killed her, but she now has a message to share. “They said you were not supposed to live,” said Dr. Samadder. But she does live. And she wants others to know they can too. “If you have a will, I’m telling you, you can make it. There’s always hope. Never give up. It’s just an ‘I will’ do it kind of a thing,” she said.
“My ordeal with covid -19 was hard, but it also made me strong, resilient and tenacious. My “Never give Up ” attitude kept me going, and now I am ready to hit the ground and work my heart out for our AAPI organization.”
Recalling her fight with the deadly Covid, Dr. Samadder said, “One of my proudest achievements is surviving my near-death experience. Life does not give anyone a second chance, but I did get one after contracting Covid-19 and Cardiac Arrest. This has given me a lot of strength to stand up against all odds.”
Dr. Samadder acknowledged that any time one wants to make any changes, one will face some oppositions. “I plan to address them through strategic planning, inclusive decision-making, and the collective efforts of our dedicated members. Discussions and reasoning and answering questions will help resolve any doubts that may be harbored.”
Realizing that there are challenges and divisions in AAPI, Dr. Sammader is determined to “unify and keep AAPI united through effective communication, fostering collaboration, and actively engaging with our members at all levels. I will strongly stand up against any act that will fragment our organization.”
Amidst loud chores from the audience, Dr. Samadder promised that she is committed to “carry on the existing good work that has been started by our prior AAPI leaders. In addition, I would like to address health care practice issues facing our members both in private practice and in academia. We are working out several other academic, social, and community programs which will help our organization grow. I want to get AAPI represented in US National Health Care Committee by organizing strong lobbying efforts. I will also address physician burnout and establish networking platform for young physicians. I will be open to suggestions from members in order to make our organization one of the strongest ethnic organizations in USA.”
Dr Anjana Samadder said, “AAPI has been at the forefront of Indian physicians’ struggle in procuring front-seat in the American medical fraternity. I assure you that I will continue to carry the torch forward. I will leave no stone unturned to take the AAPI to the glorious heights.” Dr Anjana added that “We, at AAPI, are a large extended family. I look forward to creasing the existing issues, besides bringing about reforms to further enhance the prestige that the AAPI
The Columbus AAPI Convention team has echoed her sentiments, It said, “We have personally known and worked closely with Dr. Anjana Samadder. She has great leadership qualities which she proved during her tenure as local chapter President (Central Ohio), Regional Director (Ohio and Michigan) and as AAPI National Treasurer. She has also served diligently in different capacities within AAPI including being National Coordinator for AAPI Annual Convention, 2018 in Columbus.
Describing her mission in life, Dr. Samadder said, “My life’s mission is to bring about lasting changes and enhance the well-being of individuals and communities. My goals are to stand up for all my beloved AAPI colleagues and to work for a place for AAPI in the National Health Care Committee. I will bring to the organization the level of commitment, hard work, experience and skill set needed to accomplish the various goals for AAPI and its members. I have made a commitment to our members, and I intend to use our platform to make AAPI reach newer heights.”
One in seven patient encounters in the United States is with a physician of Indian origin. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) is the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States, representing over 100,000 physicians of Indian Origin in the United States. For more information on AAPI and its many programs and activities, please visit: www.appiusa.org
