AAPI – MSRF Organizes MSRF & PreMed Medical Scholars Summit
Los Angeles/ Feb 03, 2025
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh
“The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, AAPI – MSRF organized a highly
successful annual MSRF & Premed Medical Scholars Summit at the Rutgers University, New
Brunswick, NJ from January 25-26, 2025,” Dr. Satheesh Kathula, President of AAPI, announced
here today.
Organized by a team of young Medical Students and Residents of Indian origin, the Medical
Scholars Summit was planned and organized by an MSRF Executive Board, led by Priya Uppal,
President of MSRF; Priyanka Kolli, President-Elect; Sohi Mistry, Vice President; Priyal Shah,
Treasurer; and Drishti Patel, Secretary of MSRF.
The MSRF & PreMed Medical Scholars Summit was led by an Executive Board comprising of
Manan Pancholy, President; Rohan Chopra, Vice President; Prerak Shah, Secretary; Arjun
Gangasani, Treasurer.
The AAPI – MSRF is a national organization representing medical, dental, and podiatry students
and resident physicians of Indian origin in North America, founded with the objective of
providing a channel of networking, support, and open communication among its members.
According to Dr. Priya A. Uppal, AAPI MSRF President 2024-2025, “We had over 100
attendees at the two-day event, with highlights that included our residency and fellowship panel -
where attendees had the opportunity to ask questions directly of these program directors from a
variety of surgical and non-surgical specialties, our medical school admissions Q&A from the
Dean of Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and an MCAT advice lecture from
a 520+ scorer.”
This year, the event had High School attendees encouraging young scholars to start their pre-
medical journeys early. The research symposium, consisting of oral and poster presentations and
arts and humanities, was excellent. There was cutting-edge research and parent AAPI judges
who provided informative and insightful feedback to propel our students' research forward.“The 2-day-long Summit was packed with academic sessions that were interactive, with
participants having an opportunity to actively engage in discussions and enhance their
knowledge on a wide range of topics relevant to Medical Students and Residents, who seek
guidance on ways to pursue their careers most effectively,” said Dr. Sunil Kaza, Chair of APPI
BOT.
Scientific Research Symposium Oral Presentations, Mentorship and Networking Lunch;
Residency Program Directors’ Panel, Medical School Admissions Panel, Fellowship Program
Directors’ Panel; MCAT Success: Tips and Tricks were some of the exciting topics that were
appreciated by the participants at the Summit.
On January 25, the Summit began with a session on Leadership in Medicine by Mihir Gupta,
MD, while the session on Public Health Practice in Medicine was presented by Jaya Satagopan,
PhD. Novel Technologies in Orthopedic Surgery was presented by Selene Parekh, MD, MBA.
Functional Medicine was jointly presented by Subbarao Bollepalli, MD, & Chanakya Bavishi,
DO.
Niraj Kothari, MD presented his insightful session on Pioneering Advanced Practices in
Medicine, while Deepen Modi offered insights on Financial Wellness. Samir Pancholy, MD led a
session on Service Project Pursuing Graduate Medical Education. Global Medicine and India:
Lessons, Opportunities, and Challenges for the Next Generation of Physicians was presented by
Dr. Kumar Belani, MD.
As the President-Elect of AAPI, the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States, Dr.
Amit Chakrabarty said, “I strongly believe that acquiring new knowledge is crucial for
professionals, especially for the physicians in a changing healthcare environment. This Medical
Scholars Summit provided insights on pursuing a career and how best to utilize the resources
and, help out next generation of Physicians of Indian origin achieve their goals.” The Honorable Judges Panel at the Medical Summit consisted of: Dr. Satheesh Kathula,
Hematology-Oncology; Dr. Sunil Kaza, Interventional Cardiology; Dr. Raj Bhayani,
Otolaryngology; Dr. Arunabh Talwar; Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine; Dr. Sumul Raval,
Neuro-oncology; Dr. Zeeshan Mansuri, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; and, Dr. Kinjal
Solanki, Infectious Disease.
Dr. Meher Medavaran, Vice President of AAPI said, “Since its inception in 1982, AAPI has been
at the forefront, representing a conglomeration of practicing of Indian origin physicians in the
United States, seeking to be the united voice for the physicians of Indian origin. We serve every
7th patient in the US. We are proud of our achievements and our contributions to the healthcare
industry and the millions of people we serve.”
Dr. Raj Bhayani, Secretary of AAPI pointed out that, “In addition to several programs in the
United States and in India, AAPI has been in the forefront, advocating for the interests of the
medical fraternity and organizing regular CME programs, health & wellness events, and
financial workshops for its members and outreach, public health education, and advocacy
activities for the community both locally and internationally.”
According to Dr. Shirish Patel, Treasurer of AAPI, “AAPI is strong representing over 120,000
Indian American physicians, 130 local Chapters, who make up of 10% of total physicians in the
US and nearly 50% of International Medical Graduates, rooted in every corner of the nation.
AAPI’s mission has evolved in the past 45 years, adapting to the changing needs of our times.” Dr. Uppal, while summarizing the annual event for young physicians, said, “Our summit is
genuinely one of a kind, bringing together South Asian high schoolers, undergraduates, medical
students, residents, fellows, and attendings. It offered a unique networking opportunities where
our trainees get to connect with and learn from colleagues across different specialties and stages
of their careers. We would like to extend a huge thank you to parent AAPI for their
encouragement and support. We look forward to welcoming you at our next summit.”
Dr. Kathula, who has been an educator and mentor for medical students, said “My priority has
been to engage the second-generation physicians and foster mentorship to ensure AAPI's
continued relevance and vitality.” Towards this end, AAPI is in the process of appointing a
committee of accomplished academicians to help mentor young physicians from India and the
United States, who are aspiring to get into residencies. Dr. Kathula said, “We will continue the
noble mission and strengthen our efforts to make AAPI reach greater heights.” For more details about AAPI, please visit: www.appiusa.org

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