With a bunch of women, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has formed a strong leadership team during 2020-21. And the presence of Dr Anupama Gotimukula, a paediatric anesthesiologist from Texas’ San Antonio, Dr Kusum Punjabi, the chair of AAPI board of trustees; Dr Soumya Neravetla, president of the young physicians section (YPS) and Dr Ayesha Singh, president of the medical student/residents and fellows section (MSRF) has contributed to making the leadership team of AAPI strong.
“There has never been such a robust representation of women leaders in AAPI’s leadership roles,” said Dr Anupama Gotimukula in a statement.
Dr Gotimukula, who took over as the president of the influential American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, became the fourth woman in the history of the 40-year-old organisation to hold its top office. She is an active member of AAPI for more than a decade and has been practising since 2007.
“I am fortunate to be heading AAPI alongside this great group of devoted women leaders,” stated Dr Gotimukula during AAPI’s 40th-anniversary ceremony while taking over the office.
With the mission of enabling Indian American physicians to serve patients, AAPI serves one in every seven patients in the US. Some of its members have high profile jobs that could change health policies, arrange programmes and inventions, and shape the healthcare landscape in the US and across the globe.
Dr Kusum Punjabi, who is the youngest to hold the office of AAPI as the chair of the board of trustees alongside Gotimukula, was quoted as saying, “My goal as chair of the board is to develop long-lasting programmes within AAPI that promote professionalism, unity, mentorship and inclusivity. I want patients to know the value of the care they receive from our ethnic group and our mission of promoting the safest and best healthcare practices for our patients.”
Dr Neravetla, who is a cardiothoracic surgeon, actively involves in the welfare of physicians of Indian origin and the general public. She is a popular medical speaker who has initiated several talks to medical communities.
“Empowering Indian physicians and fostering career growth have been passions of mine,” Neravetla was quoted as stating.
Dr Neravetla aims to increase career networking and mentorship opportunities and physicians with tools to better navigate their careers with the given role.
Dr Ayesh Singh, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Louisville, joined AAPI in 2017 and became part of the leadership team with the position of secretary on the MSRF board in 2018. With the vision of connecting, inspiring and growing the community, Dr Singh hopes to further reach Indian-American students through mentorship programmes and hosting student-specific events.
