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IMANE News

  • Monday, April 22, 2013 8:11 AM | Deleted user
    Dedicated IMANE physicians take pride in serving locally, to offer free services at Health Expo
    Experts in various fields of medicine will be conducting free Health Screenings along with Dentists and Podiatrists at the upcoming Indian & South Asian Health Expo on April 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass.

    Thiagarajan Sheth
    “We will also have specialists at the ‘Ask the Doctor’ segment at the Expo,” said Dr. Subha Thiagarajan, chair of community service at the Indian Medical Association of New England. “A healthy lifestyle, preventative care, routine screenings and physical exams can improve health and prevent major health related cost for individuals and families.”

    Organized by IMANE and INDIA New England news, the day-long free Health Expo will bring the area’s major hospitals and health care providers together with the Asian Indian and South Asian communities in New England.

    “IMANE team has worked very hard to put together a day dedicated to health screenings at the Expo. We will have blood sugar checks, blood pressure measurements led by doctors from IMANE executive committee,” said IMANE President Dr. Manju Sheth. “Patients will be given general advice related to their health and will need to follow up with their own physicians.”

    Dental screenings will be led by Dr. Anita Gohel from Boston University Medical School from noon to 2:00 pm. Dr. Deepa Jhaveri, podiatrist, will be available for advice related to foot problems from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. A number of pediatricians led by Dr. Meera Subramaniam and Dr. Manorama Mathur will also be available during the day. Dr Sucheta Doshi will provide information related to TB screenings. An eye exam will be provided by Dr. Rahul Modi and there will also be a bone marrow as well.

    “While preventative care was targeted for the underserved, we are aware of the cost of neglecting routine screening in our ‘healthy adult’ population who are limited by time, work and social obligations,” said Thiagarajan. “We at IMANE have been inspired by our physicians who run Free Clinics and would like to offer routine screenings to all of our population in events like these.”

    Dr. Thiagarajan said that while traditional Indian practices have been the foundation of Indian diet and habits, Western medicine has offered cures to serious illnesses.

    “We are, however, at a juncture where our children and some of us are changing our habits and are losing the benefits or Eastern medicine and depending solely on Western medicine. Hence we are offering the best of both worlds by incorporating health screening, advice, and lectures in both traditional and western medicine at the Expo,” said Dr. Thiagarajan. “We are also incorporating the concept of Mind Body Medicine, which has been neglected with rise in depression and stress affecting physical health and loss of function in young adults and working class in our community. We are looking forward to serving you all.”

    The Health Expo is sponsored by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and supported by the following organizations: American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, Association of Pakistani Physicians of New England, Ekal Vidyalay, Gujrati Association of New England, the India Association of Greater Boston,  the India Association of New Hampshire,  the India Society of Worcester, the Indian American Forum for Political Education, Indian Americans of Lexington, Learnquest Academy, New England Hindi Manch, NetSap Boston, Saheli Boston, the United India Association and Vision Aid.

    Health Tips of the Week

    Here are some health tips from readers of the Health Expo event page on Facebook. Neither IMANE nor INE are responsible for these tips. Please consult your doctor.  

    Submitted by Dolly Takhtiani:
    Sindhi Spinach Sabzi: One bunch of spinach, 1 cup water, 1 diced onion, 2 tomatoes, half cup chana dal, half tsp. ginger, 3-4 cloves garlic,1 tsp. cumin seeds, 1 cup water, Red/green chilies, salt to taste. Wash and chop the spinach. Heat 2 tbs. of oil and fry the onion till golden brown. Add spinach and all the ingredients. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Final touch: mess the spinach roughly and serve with hot rice. 

  • Thursday, January 10, 2013 10:24 AM | Deleted user
    IMANE, INE to hold free Health Expo for South Asian community

     
    Gupta, left and Sheth, right
    The Indian Medical Association of New England and INDIA New England News will hold a Health Expo in April that will bring the area's major hospitals and health-care providers together with the Indian and South Asian community in New England to educate them about common diseases and their prevention.
        
    The Health Expo, which will also include workshops and seminars on health-related issues led by foremost physicians, will be held on April 27 at Newton Marriot Hotel in Newton, Mass. Both IMANE and INDIA New England News will also outreach and collaborate with major local community organizations to create awareness about the Health Expo, which will be one of the first major collaborations with community groups on such a large scale.

    "IMANE team is very excited to partner with INDIA New England News for this Health Expo," said Dr. Manju Sheth, president of IMANE. "Community service is a very important mission of IMANE as well as my primary focus as president of IMANE in 2013. We have already received commitments from some of New England's renowned doctors such as Dr. Sanjiv Chopra and Dr. Om Ganda to lead workshops and seminars at the Health Expo. Our experts will address some of the most important health issues that affect Indians and South Asian community like heart disease, diabetes and joint disorders. We will have something for everyone, and will also bring well-known speakers who will talk about Indian diet and even topics related to anti-aging and mind body medicine."

    Founded in 1978, the Indian Medical Association of New England is a dynamic organization for medical professionals of Indian origin in the New England area. Based in Waltham, Mass., IMANE organizes and supports numerous professional and social activities for the benefit of its members and the communities they serve.

    Dr. Sheth, who works at Beverly Hospital and specializes in internal medicine, is also involved with numerous professional organizations, charities and advocacy groups. 

    "I am very delighted about the upcoming Health Expo, which is a joint collaboration between IMANE and India New England News," said Dr. Apurv Gupta, chairman of the board of trustees of IMANE. "The Health Expo will provide informative seminars and workshops on health, free health screening and helpful health-related educational information. It's a first-of-a-kind event in this area, representing a bold undertaking by the two organizations. I hope that the community and our physicians will appreciate and support the event."
     
    "This will be a free event for all attendees. Both IMANE and INDIA New England News are looking forward to outreaching and involving numerous community organizations and leaders, local hospitals and health care providers to make this expo a great success," said Martin Desmarais, editor-in-chief of INDIA New England News.

  • Monday, October 01, 2012 5:00 PM | Deleted user
    Harvard's Chopra to headline IMANE annual meeting

    By Martin Desmarais
    Chopra
    (Photo by Rose Lincoln/
    Harvard University)
    Harvard Medical School Faculty Dean for Continuing Education and Professor of Medicine Dr. Sanjiv Chopra will be the feature guest speaker at the Indian Medical Association of New England’s 34th annual meeting on Nov. 17 at the Taj Boston. The annual meeting, “Leadership in Medicine,” will have a focus on leadership. Chopra, as well as being a specialist in continuing education, is also an author and a noted speaker on the topic of leadership. He will give a talk titled, “Leadership by Example: The Ten Key Principles of All Great Leaders.”

    In addition to hearing from Chopra, IMANE’s annual meeting will feature the passing of the guard from current president Dr. Sucheta Doshi to president-elect Dr. Manju Sheth, as well as the election of a new executive committee for 2013.

    Doshi
    Doshi is the medical director of occupational health and a women's health staff physician at the VA Boston Healthcare System. She is double board certified in family medicine and general preventive medicine/public health. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine she has an extensive background in global health, vaccination policy and infectious disease prevention. She is a long-standing member of the American Association of Physicians of India Origin and has been a member of the Indian Medical Association of New England since 2004. She served IMANE as president since the start of 2012. She was born, raised and currently resides in Brookline, Mass.

    Sheth
    Sheth works as a primary care physician at Beverly Hospital and is dedicatedly involved in many professional and community organizations. She is on the board of directors of the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence. She is co-chair of the Indian Women Physicians Forum. She is on the executive committee of the Massachusetts chapter of the Indian American Forum for Political 
    Education. She is closely involved with women’s support group Saheli. She is also on the diversity committee at Beverly Hospital and involved with the Massachusetts Medical Society.

    Founded in 1978, Indian Medical Association of New England is an organization for medical professionals of Indian origin in the New England area. IMANE organizes and supports numerous professional and social activities for the benefit of its members and the communities they serve.

    Chopra wrote a book on the topic of leadership with the same title as the lecture he will give at the IMANE event: “Leadership by Example: The Ten Key Principles of All Great Leaders.” He has received wide spread praise for his book. Chopra told India New England that, in addition to his medical education efforts, his newest passion is teaching leadership to young people.

    This new passion began two years ago when he started giving a talk at continuing medical education conferences on what he called “the 10 key principle of leadership.” The talk became very favorable and word got out about it and he was asked to do it more and more. Since the talk is not specific to the medical profession, he even started to get speaking engagements outside the CME arena. And everywhere he did the speech everyone always asked him, “Where is the book?” It happened so much that he finally decided to write the book, “Leadership by Example: The Ten Key Principles of all Great Leaders,” which was released in May.

    Chopra said he believes that everyone can lead and he hopes that the principles he examines in his book can help others do so. A lifelong educator, Chopra is naturally working with other academics on a way to bring the principles in his leadership book into a class curriculum that can be offered to college students. He also wants to examine leadership through academic research. He says his dream is to create a leadership institute at Harvard.

    A Harvard Medical School graduate, Chopra has remained at his alma mater for almost 30 years and. In addition to his work as dean and professor, he is also a senior consultant in hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He is editor-in-chief of the Hepatology Section of “UpToDate,” an electronic textbook that is subscribed to by an estimated 450,000 physicians worldwide. He serves as the course director of several CME course including seven annual “Current Clinical Issues in Primary Care” conferences, which each draw as many as 8,000 doctors. He has produced approximately 120 publications and published five books. 

    Prior to his book “Leadership by Example: The Ten Key Principles of all Great Leaders” he published “Dr. Chopra Says:  Medical Facts and Myths Everyone Should Know,” co-authored with Dr. Alan Lotvin, in January 2011 and also released an updated paperback version, “Live Better, Live Longer. The New Studies That Reveal What’s Really Good and Bad for Your Health,” in March of this year.

    He has received numerous awards, including an Excellence in Teaching Award from Harvard Medical School, the American Gastroenterological Association’s Distinguished Educator Award and a Master of the American College of Physicians distinction. He was also awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor earlier this year.

  • Sunday, July 01, 2012 5:05 PM | Deleted user
    Affordable Care Act panel examines contentious issue

    By Martin Desmarais
                   
     
    The Indian Medical Association of New England and the Greater Boston chapter of the South Asian Bar Association joined together to put on a successful panel discussion on July 18 at Tufts University about recent health care legislation and its impact. The panel, "Affordable Care Act and the Supreme Court: The Future of Healthcare Reform," featured area experts and included a lively Q&A session. Over 100 people attended the event.

    The discussion examined how the Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act will dramatically impact health care, law and politics for years to come. Panelists, which included representative from both health care and law, discussed the far-reaching consequences of the decision both locally and nationally.

    Dr. Sucheta Doshi, president of IMANE, said the goal of the event was to provide an opportunity for people to learn how the Indian legal and medical community is working together to promote awareness on a topic that impacts everyone.

    This was the first time that IMANE and SABA worked together to provide an educational panel for members and the community at large. "We had this idea that both of our organizations should do some collaborative work together. • We realized there are so many ways in which our organizations can collaborate," said Manisha Bhatt, president of the Greater Boston chapter of SABA.

    While the crowd at the panel was heavy on health-care professionals, Doshi and Bhatt agreed that both health-care professionals and legal professionals gained from the discussion.

    "The one nice thing about this panel is we had two excellent attorneys • to explain the legal ramifications of this act," said Doshi. "This law impacts how we practices • as a physicians that was one of the big things that I took away from it undefined how this act works from a legal standpoint.

    "I also took away from it what this act means for the future and how does it impact how we practice in the future," she added.

    "For me it was really interesting to learn about the issues that medical practitioners deal with on a daily basis," said Bhatt. "And it was really interesting how a lot of the focus was on the access to health care and how the act was going impact that."

    In covering some of the basic tenets of the Affordable Care Act, Doshi said it was very helpful to hear about aspects such as the elimination of annual and lifetime health-care coverage limits, the extension of children on parent's health care until the age of 26 and primary care physician boosts for Medicare payments. She felt it was very useful to move beyond the main headline that is dominant in the media about the whether the act is constitutional. "There hasn't been an explanation of everything else in the act," said Doshi.

    Bhatt said she was surprise to hear about the cost saving aspects of the act and equally surprised that this does not get as much attention. "It appears that there is an effort to reduce the costs," she added. "I don't think there is a lot of focus in the media on what this will cost individuals."

    Doshi said that the success of the panel clearly suggests that IMANE and SABA have more to gain from future collaboration. "We actually ran out of time. There were more questions than we had time to answer," she said. "It was a very interesting political dynamic between the two panelists on the health-care side and then the two attorneys."

    "This was a way for us as lawyers to really be able to bridge the gap explaining what the act means and also have a discussion about how it impacts real people," said Bhatt. "In order for lawyers to truly be effective advocates, regardless of who you advocate for, you really need to take a step in their shoes. • I do my best work when I truly understand what my clients needs are."

    "It really did bring together people from the medical side and the legal side, as well as the legal policy side," added Doshi. "This was a really good way to bring all the sides together."

    Panelists include:

    Jay Bhatt, DO, MPH, MPA: a senior fellow at NEHI, a Commonwealth Fund Minority Health Policy Fellow (Harvard Medical School/Harvard Kennedy School), as well as chair-elect of the American College of Physicians Council of Associates. Bhatt is a former president of American Medical Student Association and Zuckerman Fellow at the Kennedy School. He is interested in innovation in community health delivery and will provide the clinician's perspective on federal policy changes on the panel.  

    Renee Landers, Esq.: a professor of Health Law and Administrative Law at Suffolk University Law School. Most recently, Landers co-authored an article on the Affordable Care Act in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled: "Perspective, Supreme Court Review of the Health Care Reform Law." Landers has spoken in various media outlets with respect to the Affordable Care Act, most notably CNN and NECN. Landers is the first woman attorney of color to serve as president of the Boston Bar Association.

    Amy Lischko, PhD: an associate professor of public health at Tufts University School of Medicine and fellow at the Pioneer Institute. Lischko is a former commissioner of the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy and former director of Health Policy under Governor Mitt Romney. He has published numerous journal articles on Massachusetts health-care reform and health policy more broadly. 

    Regina Rockefeller, Esq.: a partner at Nixon Peabody's Health Services Group. Rockefeller has been selected as a "Hero of the Field," a health care attorney whose clients consistently sing her praises, by the Massachusetts Medical Law Report's 4th Annual Rx for Excellence Awards. She has published numerous health law articles on topics of importance to health-care providers. She served as the only lawyer on the Massachusetts Medical Society Task Force on Hospital Conversions and Mergers. Rockefeller represents and advises hospitals, physicians, group medical practices, accountable care organizations, captive insurers, faculty medical practice plans, continuing care retirement communities and other health care providers. She also advises health-care providers on cost-effective compliance with HIPAA, HITECH and state data breach laws and defends health-care professionals before state licensing boards.

  • Saturday, June 02, 2012 5:09 PM | Deleted user

    South Asian P.U.P Comedy

    June 2, 2012:  Nick’s Comedy Stop

    Headlined by Paul Varghese and Paul Singh
    Written and Produced by Usha Govindarajulu

    South Asian P.U.P Comedy, a charity fundraiser, was held at Nick’s Comedy stop in the heart of downtown Boston’s theatre district on June 2, 2012 with approximately 65 people in attendance. The show was hosted by two top-notch Indian standup comedians who have opened for Russell Peters: Paul Varghese and Paul Singh, along with Usha Govindarajulu, the skit writer. The two-hour long program consisted of stand-up pieces by Paul V and Paul S separately as well as comedic skits and interludes written by Usha. Each Paul has extensive experience in standup comedy. 

    The show first opened with introductions by Usha and Indian Medical Association of New England President, Dr. Sucheta Doshi, for the IMANE charitable fundriaser. a skit where Usha made fun of a medical school program based in India, immediately followed by a comic stand-up piece by Paul Singh. After this, there were two dynamic short skits about a college tuition woes and a skit about credit cards. Finally, the program concluded with a hilarious standup piece by Paul Varghese. The audience gave accolades for the production. 

    Naina Pathak said, “We enjoyed the skits and Paul Varghese’s standup piece. The venue was also nice and show was well set up.” Sucheta noted, “This was a wonderful opportunity for IMANE to support rising South Asian talent while raising money for our free health clinics and charity health and education fairs in the community which ensure free basic health care to all who need it."

    The strength of the show was carried by the headliner, Paul Varghese and the opening act by Paul Singh as well as the interwoven skits to break up the tempo between the two standup pieces.  Paul V has had extensive experience.  He has performed at the HBO Comedy Festival, the Montreal and Toronto's Just For Laughs Festivals and the TBS Comedy Festival. His TV credits include Telemundo 2's Loco Comedy Jam, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Live At Gotham and he has been seen on Showtime's Russell Peters Presents. Paul S does comedy as a side gig. He had won the “Desi Comedy Idol” in NY in 2009, and he is starring in a newly released Bollywood film, ‘9-Eleven’.

    This was the sixth production by Usha. She got her start as a writer, but has been involved with theater work and dance productions on/off since college.  She became more involved with theater after producing the play, Bend It Like Auntie, which she had written, in October 2005.  In 2006, she directed and wrote skits for a theatrical event, NetSAP Comedy Mela, held at the Comedy Connection.  She was an assistant producer for the highly successful play, Indian Ink in collaboration with Small World Big Sky Productions. She was producer for Rape, Regret, and Retribution in conjuction with SETU in 2008. Her last production was just last October of 2011, Two Guys and Some Girl: South Asian Comedy with Paul Varghese and Rajiv Satyal.

  • Friday, June 01, 2012 8:24 PM | Deleted user

    United India Association of New England (UIANE) jointly sponsored with Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE) their first collaborative Health and Wellness fair at the Westin Waltham Hotel on Sunday 6/3/12 from 10-4pm. It was a full house attended by over 100 people. The event was very successful & well complimented event! The event drew members from different organizations including UIANE, IMANE, Golden Club and Aavkar organizations.

    The event was organized by the UIANE and IMANE  team and cochaired by  Dr. Sapna Agarwal and Dr. Gayatri Vohra. The room was filled with people sitting around oval linen covered tables and all the Audio Visual equipment was provided by Mr. Girish Mehta from Indian Circle for Caring USA, Inc. (ICC). The mouth watering appetizers comprised of samosas were served with some warm masala tea which was great start to a rainy day outside.

    The program began with an overview by the services provided by Indian Circle of Caring followed by brief presentations throughout the day from various speakers including Dr.Sadru Kabani, Dr.Ram Chuttani, Joan Hill, Gita Patel, Dr.Lata Mundkar, Jay Gupta, Dr. Pratibha Shah, Dr. Anubha Sacheti, and Dr. Salil Midha. The speakers were introduced by the cochairs Dr. Sapna Agarwal, Dr. Gayatri Vohra and the Vice President of UIANE, Dr. Seema Arora.

    Dr. Sucheta Joshi, President of IMANE stated that IMANE is the oldest organization for medical professionals of Indian origin in the New England area and thanked all those who attended the event.

    Dr. Neela Gandhi, President of UIANE welcomed everyone and thanked all the attendees and speakers for taking the time to  support the event.She said this was the first time UIANE had organized a health fair and also the first event that they had collaborated with IMANE. She thanked the committee of IMANE and UIANE for the great team work to make the event such a success. She mentioned that the event was possible with the support of financial sponsorship from NOVO Nordisk, Aptalis Pharma, Velscope, Astra Zeneca, and Vitamin Shoppe.The other sponsors included Whole Foods who supplied samples of smoothies and salads, Indian Circle of Caring, Jay Yogacaps, Bhavna’s Wellness Group, Free Massages by Debra Baker, Sondarya Spa and Colgate.

    There was a delicious Indian Vegetarian lunch catered by Bollywood Grill served during the lunch break.There were several raffle drawings with prizes that included a Sonicare Electric Toothbrush and Britesmile Tooth Whitening donated by Dr. Neela Gandhi, Chemical Peel and Microdermabrasion sponsored by Dr. Anil Kumar of Center of Lasers and Cosmetics, Gift Baskets by Vitamin Shoppe, Bhavna’s Wellness Group, and Whole Foods, Happy Healthy Teeth book donated by Dr. Anubha Sacheti, Vegetarian cookbook Blending Science with Spices donated by Gita Patel, and DVD on Yoga Rejuvenation by Jay Yogacaps. Goodie bags comprising of free toothbrush,toothpaste ,floss and patient education material were distributed at the event and was donated by Colgate.

    The committee had raised some money at the end of the event and had pledged to donate to the research in the various medical specialties and will split the amount  and donate to Boston Cardiac Foundation, Massachusetts Dental Society Foundation, American Association of Diabetes Educators(AADE) Education and Research Foundation and Jay Yogacaps,a non-profit dedicated to sharing free yoga with underserved populations like cancer survivors, seniors and people with mental illnesses.

    UIANE is a non-profit organization that helps promote cultural events in the New England area, please visit their web-site for more information www.unitedindia.net.

  • Thursday, May 10, 2012 4:52 PM | Deleted user


    Medical association head talks presidential election, health-care reform
    The IndUS Business Journal spoke to Dr. Sucheta Doshi, who is currently the medical director of occupational health and a women's health staff physician at the VA Boston Healthcare System. She is double board certified in family medicine and general preventive medicine/public health. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine she has an extensive background in global health, vaccination policy and infectious disease prevention. She is a long-standing member of the American Association of Physicians of India Origin and has been a member of the Indian Medical Association of New England since 2004. She became president of IMANE in January 2012. She was born, raised and currently resides in Brookline, Mass.

    Tell IndUS Business Journal readers about your role as president of the Indian Medical Association of New England and any plans for your tenure. What have you identified as one of the main challenges facing IMANE and how do you intend to address this as the association’s leader?

    I am currently the youngest president of IMANE, as well as the first second-generation president, born and brought up in the United States.  It is a tremendous honor and I hope to lead the organization forward this year by strengthening our alliances with other medical organizations, including the Massachusetts Medical Society and reinforcing IMANE’s presence in academia, research and collaborative ventures that form the future of medicine in the United States.  We have already held our first big successful event of the year, our 2012 Spring Education meeting on “Health Care Quality Improvement,” which featured speakers such as Dr. Stancel Riley, executive director of the Board of Registration in Medicine, and Dr. Ronald Dunlap, vice president of MMS. The audience was very engaged throughout the program and there has been demand for more continuing medical education programs along a similar theme of health care quality and practice improvement in this era of health care reform. IMANE has always embraced community service to the underserved as part of its mission, as exemplified by the ongoing charity clinics in Waltham and Shrewsbury. I hope to build on this mission through the development of key taskforces to address important public health needs in the Indian Community; we have already formed one such taskforce with the Indian Circle of Caring and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to address awareness, prevention and treatment of tuberculosis within the immigrant Indian community.  We will continue to also have many health and wellness fairs in the community, including our annual India Day health fair with the Indian Association of Greater Boston.

    The challenge facing IMANE is that as an organization, it is at a crossroads.  Founded in 1978, it is the oldest Indian medical organization in the United States, pre-dating the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. We have many senior physician members and founders who faced different issues than those being faced by the younger generation of physicians today.  While the senior physicians were new immigrants from India who faced visa hurdles and struggled to find residency positions in the United States but are now quite well established and choose to socialize more within the Indian community, many of the younger physicians today were raised in the United States, face a different challenge of building a practice in today’s health care reform environment, and are well integrated in the community with a diverse ethnic viewpoint. While building ties with the Indian community was very important for the immigrant generation, building ties with the greater medical community is important for the younger generation. I owe a great deal to the past presidents of IMANE, many of whom have been my mentors throughout my medical education. I think this mentoring relationship is key to bridging the generational divide and encouraging the younger generation to become more active within the organization. Currently all medical organizations face a challenge with dwindling membership and revenue. If IMANE is to survive into the future, academic and professional accomplishments need to be at the forefront to minimize disenchantment by the younger generation of physicians. The IMANE membership is composed of many talented physicians in academia, research, and health-care administration and policy arenas. This talent needs to be harnessed and networking between the generations should be encouraged. I hope to accomplish this through mentorship programs for young physicians and increasing programming this year that promotes IMANE's mission to contribute to the education of medical professionals to advance the profession through physician advocacy and representation within all medical arenas.  

    How important are professional groups such as IMANE and what impact can your group have in the medical sector, on its own or in conjunction with the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin?

    Professional groups such as IMANE are incredibly important to help represent the profession in the greater community and advocate on their member's behalf. Physicians today have to deal with a growing number of changes to the way they practice medicine. However, those in practice do not always receive appropriate education or training on basic principles of quality improvement and risk management. With the advent of Accountable Care Organizations, changes in licensing requirements and ever increasing quality improvement measures to monitor patient safety, IMANE cannot refrain from participating in these changes and acting as a lead advocate on behalf of our members within the medical community.  We can do this by providing essential education to our members as well as by strengthening our own alliance with Massachusetts Medical Society. With AAPI, we can also build alliances with organizations such as the American Medical Association. As an organization representing one of the largest groups of physicians in Massachusetts and the United States, IMANE can have a great impact educating Indian physicians on these changes and representing their voice through physician advocacy as health care policy is debated at the State House as well as on Capitol Hill, in conjunction with AAPI.

    In the middle of a presidential election, health care and health-related issues always rise to prominence. In your view, what is the most important health-related issue that the presidential candidates should address? Do you feel that any of the candidates have been more effective, so far, at addressing this particular issue or health-related issues in general?

    I definitely believe in universal health care and the right for everyone to have their basic health needs covered. I think population health and prevention is one of the most important health-related issues that needs to be addressed during this election. When you look at the leading health indicators in all industrialized countries, the United States falls well below other countries on almost all of them. We need to create a culture of wellness where basic prevention education and screening occurs for all people in this country, specifically diet and exercise for healthy weight maintenance and prevention of chronic disease, immunizations against prevalent vaccine preventable diseases, preventive cancer screenings and education regarding healthy living habits. We have many national taskforces that are established to look at these issues but not many are composed of providers who actually practice direct patient care on a daily basis – this is the one place where I feel the candidates have failed.  While President Obama's initiatives, especially the Affordable Care Act, do take population health into consideration and his policies have included public health programs more than others in the past, the benefits of public health and prevention in its entirety should be considered, not just the services that are “proven” by health policy expert opinion versus that of those on the front-lines delivering the care.   This is why the recent guideline changes in cervical cancer and breast cancer screening which would limit the screening depending on age are so controversial, for example. We need to look at what can create an overall “healthier population” first. If everyone is able to access a doctor but all preventive needs are not going to be covered or paid for depending on someone's insurance, gender, ethnicity or age, then we're missing the boat on equitable health care delivery. We treat the individual rather than the population at present in the United States. A population health approach is literally the secret for transforming health care in the United States today. 

    What would you say if one of the presidential candidates asked you specifically what could be done to improve health-care in the United States?

    There has been constant discussion during this election about the cost of health care. While we need to decrease costs and increase efficiency, unfortunately, the amount of documentation that a physician needs to complete for each individual patient is extraordinary. With universal health care both in Massachusetts and nationally, there will be an increase in the number of patients that is seen by any individual physician. With increasing paperwork, there is less time spent on each patient which drastically impacts quality of care. One major improvement would be to help reduce paperwork by streamlining documentation requirements for the everyday physician in practice to increase the amount of time that can be spent on direct patient care, thereby delivering quality health care to the most important person in this equation, the patient.  

    What fuels your passion for medicine and dedication to the field, both through professional efforts and with IMANE?

    My passion has always been public health, specifically in developing countries; I went into medicine to be able to provide the best health care and humanitarian assistance to the underserved populations across the world. I am fortunate that I was able to accomplish this through my work with the Centers for Disease Control where as one of their disease detectives, I was able to work on the global polio eradication initiative in Uttar Pradesh in Northern India which was then the hotbed for all polio activity in India, a country that incidentally just celebrated one year of being polio free this January. Global health has always been my passion, specifically in the arena of infectious disease prevention and to have been able to participate in the movement to eradicate the next human disease after smallpox, especially one that impacted India so greatly, is what fuels my dedication for constant improvement in the field of medicine through research, teaching, patient care and administrative medicine. I saw that opportunity for organizational improvement with IMANE and the challenges it faces today. I feel that IMANE has a huge scope to provide quality improvement initiatives, through community outreach on important health topics affecting the Indian community such as tuberculosis and diabetes, through physician advocacy, mentorship for young physicians, and educational activities. 

    How would you respond if a child or teenager asked you why they should become a doctor when they grow up?

    Being a doctor is one of the most rewarding professions that one can belong to; you have the flexibility to address the needs of the community through various sectors. You can find a cure through research for a deadly disease affecting millions, you can inspire a young medical student through teaching to become an accomplished healer, you can touch an individual’s heart through direct patient care, or you can impact populations by developing national or international health policy. The possibilities are endless but the personal satisfaction 

  • Monday, May 07, 2012 8:20 PM | Deleted user

    The Indian Medical Association of New England held a first-ever joint meeting with the Massachusetts Medical Society on May 7 in Waltham, Mass.

    According to IMANE, the meeting and collaboration, which was the idea of association President Dr. Arun Chaudhary, was well attended.

    The meeting started with a morning welcome speech by Chaudhary. This was followed by a mock cross examination with attorneys John Faggiano, Christy Hepburn and Anne Kerney. 

    After a breakfast, there was a talk on the changing times in the world of medicine by Lynda Young, president-elect of the Mass Medical Society.

    Lunch, provided by Tamarind Bay, was accompanied by a talk by attorney James Bello of Morrison Mahoney Group, who emphasized the importance of accurate documentation.
     
    The final speech was Dr. Stancel M. Riley, executive director of the Mass Medical Board, who talked about all the changes and new requirements for license renewal in Massachusetts. Especially noteworthy was his discussion of the appropriate use of opiods and end of life care requirement for licenses renewal. 

    Dr. Sapna Aggarwal, a member of the IMANE executive committee, said the meeting provided a great platform for learning about upcoming changes in the health care which physicians need to be aware of.

    Dr. Manju Sheth, IMANE secretary, said that it was very satisfying to get so many compliments from some very happy physicians who attended the meeting. She said that the association will now seriously consider doing similar risk management lectures as a regular feature of the group’s education events.
  • Tuesday, July 06, 2010 5:06 PM | Deleted user
    Young Physician's Society - Pratham Gettogether

    The Young Physician's Society of the Indian Medical Association of New England is making great strides in following in the footsteps of their mentor senior physicians.  As the oldest Indian Medical Association in the country, founded in 1978, IMANE has a strong history of charitable work including free clinics, fundraisers and support for charitable organizations.  The younger generation is to be commended for their recent very successful fundraiser event held to support Pratham, one of the largest non profit organizations in India, dedicated to the education of underprivileged children between three and fourteen years old.
     
    On Thursday May 20th, YPS-IMANE, Pratham members and their guests enjoyed an evening of cocktails, mingling, a fine dinner and entertainment at  the Zagat best rated restaurant Tamarind Bay in Brookline. The event was organized by Sameer Kapasi, the YPS chair and Sucheta Doshi, secretary of IMANE.  They worked closely with Pratham board members Aditi Sahani and Vikas Sekhri to ensure the event went smoothly.  All enjoyed the great entertainment act featuring Brownstar Revolution.
     
    The restaurant was packed full with a young, well dressed, vibrating crowd as well as members of IMANE. The current president of IMANE Dr. Geeta Trivedi was joined by past presidents Drs. Nasir Khan, Manorama Mathur and Chander Kapasi and members of the executive committee to support the event.  They all congratulated the young physicians for holding this fundraiser for a noble cause in spite of their busy schedules and family responsibilities. Dr. Geeta Trivedi also announced a special deal on IMANE membership.

    Sameer Kapasi, YPS chair, is also on the IT Committee of AAPI and patron member of AAPI Charitable Foundation. Sucheta Doshi is on the Preventive Health Committee of AAPI. They combined their social and professional network for this great cause of raising money for the needy. They also successfully campaigned for making new members for IMANE and AAPI. Kudos to all of them!

  • Friday, October 12, 2007 12:34 PM | Deleted user

    Weekly facility reaches out to underserved in community


    SHREWSBURY, Mass. undefined Inside the India Center in Shrewsbury, Mass., on Oct. 12, two Sunday school classrooms looked like doctor’s offices. The glass windows on the doors were covered, an examination table was unfolded, and wooden tongue depressors were on top of a desk normally used by teachers.

    The Indian Medical Association of New England and the India Society of Worcester have teamed up to open the Free Stop Health Facility at the society’s India Center. The facility opened for the first time on Oct. 12, and it will be open every Wednesday night from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. The facility will provide medical help to the uninsured and the underserved of the community, and it is open to everyone, Indians and non-Indians alike. Patients will not be charged for a doctor’s services. According to Dr. Sahdev Passey, the past president of IMANE and the medical director of the health facility, Free Stop Health Facility is meant to help people who cannot pay for the “skyrocketing” costs of health care. He said they will help those who need non-emergency medical attention. “It is something to give back to the community,” he said. Passey, who was also the president of the India Society of Worcester from 1990 to 1994, said IMANE began planning this community service project in 2003. This year, the society offered their India Center for the health facility. “These doctors are part of our community,” said Meera Gupta, the ISW president said. “They are giving their valuable time for the community.” Along with physicians like Passey, who is a pediatrician from a private practice in Worcester, doctors who specialize in other medical areas like hypertension, diabetes, and obstetrics and gynecology will also be available. Passey, who will be there every Wednesday, said his group will advertise which specialist will be at the facility beforehand. Passey said that he plans to have about three doctors at the health facility every week.

    According to IMANE, the health facility will also provide information on health issues and a person’s diet. However, Dr. Purnima Sangal, who is the president of the association and a gynecologist at the Lowell General Hospital and the Saints Memorial Medical Center in Lowell, Mass., said that no narcotics will be given out at the health facility. She said that she does not want people coming to their facility who have no ailments and simply want a refill of their prescription. Gupta said volunteers will work at the health facility to assist doctors. She said that all volunteers will sign forms to keep a patient's medical records private. One of those volunteers on opening night was Ragini Seth, the vice president of ISW, who said she plans on being there to help every Wednesday night. Seth said that she thought the health facility was a noble operation. “Whenever you can volunteer, you do,” she said. Although this health facility is open to everyone, Passey said that he felt a facility for Indians to go to for their health needs was not available in the community, and was needed. “This piece was missing,” he said. “Hopefully, we will fulfill some pieces of it.” However, Passey said that in the two weeks since the health facility has been open, no one has come in yet. He said that he will give it two to three more months to see if anyone comes in, but he is optimistic that people will start coming in soon.

    The Indian Medical Association of New England was founded in 1978 and has about 350 members. It is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. ISW was founded in 1963, and has about 380 members. The society’s India Center was built a year ago. Free Stop Health Facility will be open every Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at India Center, 152 West Main St., Shrewsbury, Mass.

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