CHICAGO, IL (TIP): The 16th edition of the Global Healthcare Summit, one of the flagships India events of the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin, will be held in Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh, from January 6 to 8.

The theme of the summit will be “True and Total Health is the Wellbeing of Mind, Body, and Spirit” and it will focus on mental health, infant and maternal mortality as well as various other medical specialty updates, medical jeopardy, and research poster presentations by medical students, AAPI said in a press release. Nearly 400 physicians are expected to attend the event.

The event offers a unique opportunity for Indian American physicians and their counterparts from India to come together, it added. “AAPI has been engaged in harnessing the power of Indian diaspora to bring the most innovative, efficient, cost-effective healthcare solutions to India,” said Dr. Ravi Kolli, President of AAPI.

Other highlights of the summit will be “advocacy to dismantle the stigma of mental illness and suicide prevention,” he added.

“This conference will focus on bringing the highest caliber of internationally acclaimed faculty and will develop a very robust agenda in collaboration with leading experts from India,” Dr. V. Ranga, chair of AAPI’s board of trustees said. “The enhanced focus on conducting skills enhancement workshops, hands on experience with advanced techniques.”

There will also be continuing medical education sessions with U.S. academics that will offer opportunities for Indian “medical staff and healthcare professionals to advance leanings and provide the best possible care for the people of India.”

“The scientific program and workshops of [the summit] is developed by leading experts with contributions from the Scientific Advisory Board and the International Scientific Committee,” said Dr. Prasad Chalasani, chair of AAPI Global Health Summit-USA. “The workshops will be led by world-famous physicians on topics relevant to the needs of the time.”

“AAPI has plans to collaborate with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to initiate a very ambitious program to address mental health and wellness of all the students in the high schools in AP,” said Dr. Ravi Raju, chair of Global Health Summit-India.

Dr. Sampath Shivangi, AAPI Legislative Committee chair said, “We are collaborating with senior leaders from leading healthcare organizations including pharmaceuticals, device and medical equipment manufacturers and major medical teaching institutions, hospitals, and the Ministries of Health, External/Overseas Affairs and regulatory bodies to attend and coordinate with AAPI with an ultimate goal to providing accessible and affordable high-quality healthcare to all people of India.” Dr. Manoj Jain, chair of the Collaboration to Eliminate TB in India initiative, which is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Agency for International Development will lead comprehensive discussions on the project, with tangible goals achieved and the plan for the future.

CME sessions in psychiatry, ophthalmology, pediatrics, gastroenterology, neurology and oncology will be held, said the release.  “In our efforts to realize the core mission of AAPI, which is to share the best from leading experts from around the world, to collaborate on clinical challenges, the GHS in Visakhapatnam will have clinical tracks that are of vital to healthcare in India,” said CME Chair Dr. Sreeni Gangasani.

Dr. Lokesh Edara and Dr. Brahma Sharma, who are the co-chairs of International medical education, will conduct a panel discussion featuring prominent international medical education experts, including CEOs of ECFMG, WFMC, and National Medical Council officials.

Dr. B K Kishore, an academic expert, will lead discussions on research methodology and scientific writings.

A CEO forum focusing on equity, ethics and physician burnout issues and a women’s forum focusing empowerment, gender bias and leadership, will be held as part of the summit.

Walkathon on the beach will be held to challenge mental health stigma and promotion of healthy lifestyle changes and stress management of and several other initiatives also will be announced including effective treatment modalities on non-communicable medical diseases, reducing the infant and maternal mortality and HPV vaccination.

A research competition for Indian medical students and post- graduate students.

“With the changing trends and statistics in healthcare, both in India and the U.S., we are refocusing our mission and vision of [the summit], and AAPI would like to make a positive and meaningful impact on the healthcare in India,” Dr. Kolli said. “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, please join us at the GHS 2023.”

For more  information:  www.summit.aapiusa.org and www.GHS2023.com

(Based on AAPI Press release)