iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), has elected Bostonian Dr. Sajani Shah, MD as Chair of AAPI Board of Trustees.
Dr. Shah, a former president of the Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE), and a second-generation physician of Indian origin, will serve for 2020-21. She replaces Dr. Seema Arora, also a Bostonian and former IMANE president.
Dr. Shah assumed charge as the Chair of Board of Trustees, AAPI during the first ever Virtual Summit on July 12th. Along with her, Dr. Ami Baxi was sworn as the President of YPS and Dr. Kinjal Solanki as the AAPI MSRF President.
Dr. Shah is a surgeon from Boston, Massachusetts, who specializes in minimally invasive bariatric surgery. She earned her executive MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Currently, she is serving as the chief of minimally invasive bariatric/surgery and is the medical director of the weight and wellness, obesity treatment program in New England. She is an assistant professor of surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine. She has been serving as a member of the AAPI board of trustees since 2018.
Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, President of AAPI announced here. “I am so proud that this historic
milestone by AAPI has occurred during my Presidency.”
Dr. Seema Arora, outgoing BOT Chair, said, “I congratulate and wish the very best to three incoming Trustees – Dr. Jagdish Gupta, Dr. Raghu Lolabhattu and Dr. V. Ranga, the incoming President, Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda and the incoming BOT Chair, Dr. Sajani Shah and entire AAPI leadership & membership to take AAPI to further heights in the future.”
“An organization can only survive to its fullest potential when it is financially independent,” says Dr. Shah.
She promises to focus on academic excellence, without compromising AAPI’s financial well-being or the fact that AAPI is an organization of friends and families.”
She wants to “work with her board to help engage the younger generation of physicians to the organization and overall increase in AAPI membership.”
Dr. Ami Baxi, AAPI YPS President, is a board-certified psychiatrist, based in New York City. During Residency, she had served as Chief Resident in her final year, Dr. Baxi has advanced up the chain of
hospital administration at Lenox Hill Hospital, a prestigious Upper East Side hospital, part of the Northwell health system.
Dr. Baxi’s keen interest in the training and education of future doctors resulted in an appointment as the Director of Medical Student Education. She also most recently graduated from Northwell’s esteemed Physician Leadership Development Program.
In her new role, Dr. Baxi wants to “work towards increasing AAPI membership to sustain the future of the national organization while continuing to enhance value to the YPS constituents, and growing the
mentorship program so that members may benefit from each other’s experiences and accomplishments.”
“Working in close coordination with AAPI leadership, YPS will remain actively engaged with our contemporaries in India via the Global Health Summit to ensure AAPI’s presence on a global stage while also giving back to our motherland,” says the young physician endowed with a vision to serve India.
Dr. Kinjal Solanki, AAPI MSR President is an Infectious Disease Fellow in New Jersey.
“I am honored to take over the role as the president for the AAPI medical students, residents, and fellows. As a first-generation Indian-American and an international medical graduate, I truly believe my multicultural experiences have humbled me, cultivated my cultural awareness, and enabled me to relate to others on both personal and professional levels.”
Giving credit to her Indian heritage in shaping who she is today, Dr. Solanki says, “I am grateful
for the opportunity to give back to our Indian-American community through my involvement in AAPI these past four years. This upcoming year, I am excited to help develop AAPI as an organization, further
advance its mission, and continue to learn from and work alongside all of the AAPI members.”
My main goal for this year is to increase awareness and interest in AAPI via the easily accessible virtual platform. I look forward to a great and productive year ahead.”
Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, another woman leader of AAPI, who will become the president of AAPI in 2021 said, “We are so excited that all the three leaders’ Indian American women leaders, who are passionate about AAPI and its noble mission to be the voice of the over 100,000 Physicians of Indian Origin in the United States.”
