“Sharing of Knowledge and Best Practice is a Key Component of AAPI’s Global Healthcare Summit:” Dr. Ravi Kolli, President of AAPI

“Sharing of knowledge and best practice has been a key component of AAPI’s Global Healthcare Summit,” Dr. Ravi Kolli, President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), while describing the objectives of the recently concluded Global Healthcare Summit, said here.

Attended by nearly 500 delegates from the United States and India, the GHS 2023 was jointly organized by AAPI and the local organizing committee at Visakhapatnam from January 6th to 8th, 2023. This Global Health Care Summit, with participation from leading medical professionals, thought leaders, heads of several health industry sectors, and policy-makers has had a vibrant and most enriching series of educational seminars and workshops.

“The essence of AAPI is educational,” Dr. Kolli added. “That translates into numerous Continuing Medical Education (CME) and non-CME seminars by experts in their fields. The GHS 2023 with the theme of “True and Total Health is the Wellbeing of Mind, Body, and Spirit” has had several CME sessions that focused on Mental Health, Infant and Maternal Mortality as well as various other medical specialty updates, research, and Medical Jeopardy.”

CME sessions with academicians from the United States offered unique opportunities for local medical staff and healthcare professionals to advance their learnings and provide the best possible care for the people of India. The Summit had a research competition for medical students and postgraduate students from all over India. AAPI conferred Awards of excellence and lifetime achievements during the Summit.

A major theme of the GHS 2023 was Metal Health. The much-anticipated CME on Psychiatry coordinated by Dr. Rao Mowwa began with an excellent presentation on “State of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Training in India” by Dr. N. N. Raju on Friday, January 6th. The session on “Prevention of suicide through safety planning – a proactive approach” by Dr. Bush Kavuru, and on “Creativity and Insanity: Two Sides of Same Coin?” by Dr. Indla Ramasubbareddy educated the audience on ways to understand and appreciate mental health issues in individuals and offer support, which will help them live a productive and dignified life. Dr. Ravi Koll provided an overview of the need for gratitude and appreciate the blessings in life through an insightful session on “Science and Practice of Gratitude in Wellbeing.” Dr. Srinivas Gokarakonda and Dr. Vijay Maurya moderated the sessions.

The second part of the morning session was on Diabetes and Kidney Disease. The scientific presentation on Diabetes Management Update was given by Dr. G.R. Sridhar, while “Diabetic Nephropathy: Current Concepts in Diagnosis” was offered by Dr. Sharma Prabhakar. Dr. K. L. Gupta educated the audience on Lupus Nephritis. “CKD of Unknown Origin & Uddanam Nephropathy” was the theme addressed by Dr. T. Ravi Raju, while “New Insights into the Biology and Mechanism of Renal Fibrosis” was the topic addressed by Dr. Raghu Kalluri. The sessions were moderated by Dr. KAV Subrahmanyam, Dr. K. Dilip Kumar, and Dr. R. K. Sharma.

The first-ever “JAAPI Symposium on Development of Non-Communicable Diseases in India” was moderated by Dr. Suresh Karne. Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): A Global Health Challenge in the 21st Century was the theme addressed by Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, a former Chief Scientist at World Health Organization. Dr. Suzanne Tanya Nethan provided an overview on “Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors and Their Trends in India” while a presentation on “Intergenerational Transmission of NCDs in Developing Countries and in India” was given by Dr. Chittaranjan Yajnik. The Role of Infant Nutrition in the Development of Adult Onset of NCDs was addressed by Dr. Ramasubbareddy Dhanireddy.

The AAPI delegates were led to a Meditation Session by Mrs. Sheerisha on Saturday morning. Apollo Session of Cardiology on Saturday was led by Dr. Sreeni Gangasani,  AAPI’s CME Chair, and was moderated by Dr. D. K. Baruah, Dr. C. Ravi Venkatachelam, and Dr. Sujeeth Punnam.

N K Panigrahi opened the session with a brilliant talk on Heart Disease Epidemic, which was followed by an informative session on Heart Failure- What’s New for 2022, presented by Dr. Sreeni Gangasani. Dr. A. Sharath Reddy spoke on Interventional Cardiology Update, and Dr. Brahma Sharma educated the delegates on Current Concepts in Prediction and Prevention of Heart Attacks in South Asians. Structural Heart Disease was the theme of the presentation by Dr. Prasad Chalasani, while Update on Cardiac Surgery was presented by Dr. M. Gopichand.

The Biophore Session on Gastroenterology was moderated by Dr. G. Santarao and Dr. SNR Naveen. Dr. Nagendra Myneni updated the delegates on Hepatitis, while Lap GI Surgery Update was given by Dr. C. Palanivelu. Hepatocellular Carcinoma was the topic addressed by Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, and “An Integrative Medical Approach to Common Gastroenterological Conditions” was the theme discussed by Dr. Vijaya Voruganti.

The session on LVPEI Blindness Prevention was moderated by Dr. C. V. Gopala Raju and Dr. P Viswamithra. Dr. Gullapalli N. Rao gave an overview of Global Blindness Statistics & Vision 2020 Outcomes, while Global Glaucoma Blindness – Magnitude & Management was the topic addressed by Dr. Sriram Sonty. Blindness in South East Asia – Prevention Strategies was the focus of the address by Dr. Rohit Khanna, while Childhood Blindness was the theme by Dr. V. K. Raju. Dr. Harsha Bhattacharjee shared insights from a case study on Blindness Relief Program in Northeast India.

NATCO Pharma Oncology Session on Sunday, January 8th was chaired by Dr. Satheesh Kathula, Vice President of AAPI, and moderated by Dr. Muralikrishna Voonna and Dr. Sushil Jain. “A focus on newer treatment modalities in Radiation Oncology” was the topic addressed by Dr. Umesh Mahantshetty, while Dr. T. Subramanyeswar Rao spoke about “What’s new in surgical oncology?” An Update on Systemic Therapies for Cancer was provided by Dr. Raghunadharao Digumarti. “Evolving Biology and New Therapies – Strategies to Control Cancer” was the topic addressed by Dr. Raghu Kalluri. An insightful session on Pharmaco economics of cancer drugs – can we afford it?” was presented by Dr. Satheesh Kathula. “India’s unique value proposition towards Medical Tourism” was addressed by Mr. Shaaz Mehmood.

The session on Infant Mortality: Current Trends was led by Dr. Raja Nandyal and Dr. Sashi Kuppala. The session on Neurology had Dr. Suresh A. Reddy as the lead speaker, who spoke on “Stroke and Interventions,” while Acute stroke and post-stroke management in India was the topic addressed by Dr. K. Venkateswarlu. Head Injury Management was the topic discussed by Dr. Krishan Kumar, and Challenges and Opportunities in providing Epilepsy care in India was the topic addressed by Dr. Malla Bhaskara Rao. Neonatal Resuscitation sessions were led by Dr. Raja Nandyal and Dr. Sumitra Reddy. Education on Neuro Emergency – ENLS was provided by Dr. Leena Gupta.

Prem Reddy Foundation Medical Jeopardy was brilliantly coordinated by Dr. Harsha Thirunagari, Dr. A. P. Naveen Kumar, and Dr. P Venu Gopal, while the Advisor was Dr. Leena Gupta. Poster Presentations provided an opportunity for aspiring young physician students to showcase their research and knowledge in addressing healthcare needs across the nation. The contest was judged by Dr. A. Bhagyalakshmi, Dr. A. Mythili, Dr. Sharma Prabhakar, and Dr. Raghu Kalluri.

The much-anticipated Women’s Leadership Forum featured extraordinarily successful Women Leaders representing a diversity of professions, involving public, private and government organizations.

Dr. Smt. Tamilisai Soundararajan Honorable Governor of Telangana & Lt. Governor of Puducherry delivered the keynote address at the Women’s Forum, chaired by Dr. Udaya Shivangi and Dr. T. Radha, while Dr. Uma Jonnalagadda is the Advisor and Dr. B. Devi Madhavi is serving as the Co-Chair. According to Dr. Shivangi, “The eminent speakers at the Women’s Form deliberated on ways to: Advancing Women’s Health Through Awareness and Action.” Shri. MVV Satyanarayana, Member of Parliament, representing Visakhapatnam was the Guest of Honor at the Women’s Forum, while Dr. Udaya Shivangi, Dr. T. Radha, Dr. Uma Jonnalagadda, Dr. B. Devi Madhavi, and Dr. Ramani moderated the session.

The Summit featured a CEO Forum, where a galaxy of CEOs from around the world from hospitals, teaching institutions and major healthcare sectors, including pharmaceutical, medical devices and technology, shared their expertise and explored potential opportunities for collaboration. Shri. Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, Honorable Governor of Andhra Pradesh will be the keynote speaker at the CEO Forum 2023 with the theme, focusing on “True and Total Health is the well-being of the Mind, Body, and Spirit for holistic person-centered care.” Dr. Ravi Kolli, AAPI President led the discussions, while Prof. MD Nalapat served as the Co-chair along with Prof. Joseph M. Chalil, MD, Co-chair & AAPI Chief Strategy Officer. “We envision a great future for our country with the direct result of complex interactions at this forum with your assistance, guidance, and experience,” Dr. Chalil said.

Medical Education & Research was led by Dr. Lokesh Eadara, Dr. P.V. Sudhakar, and Dr. G. Butchiraju. Community Outreach Program – HPV Vaccination at the Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital, Visakhapatnam was coordinated by Dr. Syed Ahmed, Dr. Murali Krishna Voona, Dr. Meher Bala Medavaram, Secretary of AAPI.

The 16th annual Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) organized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) came to a close with a call and commitment to give back to India, our motherland, helping healthcare accessible, efficient and equitable for all at Hotel Novotel on the seashore in Visakhapatnam on January 8th, 2023.

“In our quest to fulfill the mission of AAPI, we are proud to share best practices and experiences from leading experts in the world and develop actionable plans and projects that enable access to affordable and quality healthcare for all people. To help accomplish this mission, we are excited to be here in Visakhapatnam and lead the GHS 2023,” Dr. Kolli said. For more information, please visit: www.aapiusa.org