Ravi Bhooplapur raises $194,750 through Rotary for housing for flood victims in Kerala
NEW YORK (TIP): Long Island based eminent Rotarian & Philanthropist Ravishankar Bhooplapur has managed to raise $194,750 for funding to provide 25 low cost housing in the Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala, India for the people affected by the floods there last year. In the second phase of this initiative, another 25 houses will be provided for.
The Rotary Foundation has confirmed through a letter dated July 15 to Rotary District 3211 (located in Kerala) and District 7255 (Long Island and parts of NYC) about the approval of the Rotary Global Grant of $94,750 to match the $100,000 raised locally. Bhooplapur is thankful of the role of Dr Thomas Mathew (President of AKMG – Association of Kerala Medical Graduates) and Mr Biju Chacko (ECHO charity) for the Kerala flood relief fundraiser held last year at Cotillion in Jericho, New York.
Bhooplapur, past Rotary District Governor, informed proudly: “This is one of the biggest grants in recent years I got approved and raised full funds for.”
He is known for his penchant to rise to the occasion and take leadership roles to help when disasters strike like the Gujarat Earthquake and Tsunami in south India in the past.
Commented Kamlesh Mehta, also a past Rotary District Governor, “It is an excellent humanitarian service arranged by Ravi as he took the lead in securing such a big Rotary Grant. Everyone on Long Island should take inspiration from him.”
Ravi Bhooplapur, President of Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba since 2008,
has been a very active member of Rotary International and has donated generously to Rotary and raised funds for its various projects. The Rotary Foundation has honored him with its highest award “Service Above Self”for his commitment to humanitarian work worldwide.
He is a board member of numerous charities, hospitals and businesses. He is the founder of the “Gift of Life India” that has been instrumental in saving over 6,000 children’s lives to date by providing free heart surgery to children under the age of 15.
He is also a recipient of the“Ellis Island Medal of Honor”.
ARUBA / NEW YORK (TIP): Xavier University School of Medicine and President Ravishankar Bhooplapur are excited to announce that the University has received full accreditation from the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions or CAAM-HP. This is the highest possible accreditation that is offered by CAAM-HP. The standards used are based on the Liaison Committee of Medical Education (LCME)which accredits US medical schools. CAAM-HP is recognized by the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA), which is a part of the US Department of Education,as having standards comparable to those used to accredit US Medical Schools. This accreditation makesXavier fully compliant with the Educational Committee for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)rule that starting in 2023ECFMG applicants must graduate from a medical school that is accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and its Programme for Recognition of Accrediting Agencies. Xavier School of Medicine now holds full accreditation from (CAAM-HP), and a provisional accreditation from the Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine (ACCM). Both of these accrediting bodies are recognized by ECFMG and the WFME. Xavier graduates will also be eligible for residencies in the state of California starting January 1st, 2020. The state of California has passed legislation that the state now follows the regulations of the ECFMG 2023 rule.
President Bhooplapur and the committed board of trustees are proud to have achieved accreditations of these standards and are working hard to continue providing an excellent education for the school’s students. The University currently holds a 94% first time pass rate on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)Step1 exam. This exam is the first of 3 exams you need to take in order to receive your MD degree.
Along with the school’s recent full accreditation from CAAM-HP, Xavier has entered into a collaboration agreement with The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute (BS/BI). The institute is a non-profit translational research organization. BS/BI already has 32 companies at the center and a number of these companies have had their research and discoveries approved by the US FDA and have reached $1 billion valuations. This will provide the students a unique opportunity to network and conduct research with scientists in the commercial and academic field. This collaboration agreement will give Xavier students a competitive advantage amongst their peers and give them the ability to participate in high level research electives.
Xavier University School of Medicine was founded in 2004 and is charted by the government of Aruba. The school is a not for profit medical school with the goal of “Cultivating Great Minds for Primary Care Medicine”.The campus is located in the largest city in Aruba, Oranjestad. The island of Aruba is located in the southern waters of the Caribbean and is below the hurricane belt. The average temperature on the island is 82°F/28°C. Travel to the island is very accessible because there are direct flights to and from North America offered on a daily basis. Aruba is one of only 2 islands in the Caribbean to have pre-clearance for US bound flights. This allows passengers to avoid having to go through customs once they have landed back in the US as they have already been checked before boarding.
The school has a diverse student population from 27 different nationalities, and under the current leadership has expanded to open pre-med campuses in Ghana, Jordan, and India. In addition to this Xavier has also worked hard to develop new post-graduate courses covering a number of fields including, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Physiology and Radiology.
Xavier University School of Medicine is proud to announce the recent full accreditation it has received from CAAM-HP.
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If you would like to learn more information about this recent accreditation announcement, please call Andrew Sheldon at 516-333-2224 or email asheldon@xusom.com.
QUEENS, NY(TIP): On Saturday, June 16th, 2018, Xavier University School of Medicine held its eleventh Graduation Ceremony. This year’s festivities took place at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
52 graduates took the stage to receive their coveted hoods and well-earned diplomas. These students have spent tireless hours in their studies, and it was wonderful to see them finally graduate. Graduates Christophe Jerjian, Salutatorian, and Roopak Sekhon, Valedictorian, had the honor of addressing their fellow graduates during the ceremony. Christophe spoke about responsibility, and its new definition now that they are MDs. Roopak talked about trust and respect, and emphasized the importance of respect for colleagues in the medical field, including those who do not have an MD after their names. These two students were honored with plaques to commemorate their successes.
Dignitaries
Xavier had the pleasure of welcoming back an alumnus to address the graduates: Dr. A. Aboud. Dr. Aboud is currently at Michigan State University Hospital in a Family Medicine residency. Dr. Aboud gave the students advice about their futures, and how to be successful during residency. Some of his tips included goal setting, the importance of organization, and how to acknowledge one’s strengths and weaknesses and learn from mistakes. Xavier encourages alumni to continue their involvement with the University, and it was wonderful to welcome back Dr. Aboud for this special event.
Trustees
Aside from students, Xavier was honored to have many dignitaries present for the event, including Chairman Edwin Casey, Chancellor Dr. J.G. Bhat, President Ravishankar Bhooplapur, Trustee Dr. Obi Nwasokwa, Trustee Dr. Anthony Shallash, Trustee Mr. Frank Croes, Trustee Dr. Ravindra Kota, Advisor Dr. Dayan Naik, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Arun Dubey, Associate Provost Dr. Burton Herz, Clinical Deans Dr. Joseph Balsamo and Dr. Ahmad Abazid, Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Richard Pestell, Clinical Chairs, Dr. Paul Liu, Dr. Parvez Mir, and Dr. Sanjivan Patel, Vice Chair of Internal Medicine Dr. Ramesh Naik, and Professor Neelam Dwivedi. Xavier also had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Harry Jacobson as the Keynote Speaker.
Dr. Jacobson earned his MD from the University of Illinois, and went on to complete a residency at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. He now serves as the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of TriStar Health Partners. In his address to the graduates, he touched on a number of topics, including health care in America, and the opportunities that are now available to students with their MDs. It is not just that they are doctors, they can now conduct research, enter into academics, and become entrepreneurs. Xavier thanks Dr. Jacobson for attending.
Members of the Board of Trustees also spoke to the students and gave their advice for the future. Chancellor Dr. J.G. Bhat talked about the changing medical field, and how students now need to study societal concerns in medicine, whereas in the past it was purely about diagnosis. Chairman Mr. Edwin Casey defined success and love, and stated the importance of sharing success with others. Finally, President Ravishankar Bhooplapur talked about the growing technology available to these new graduates, but how they must always remember to be empathetic towards their patients. Technology may change over time, but empathy and connecting with patients never will.
Graduates with dignitaries
Graduation is always a wonderful opportunity to recognize students and their successes, and congratulate them and their loved ones for all of their hard work. Xavier cannot wait to see where these students go in the future and have them among our prestigious alumni.
Xavier University School of Medicine 2018 Graduates:
34 students presented White Coat and administered the Medical Student Pledge of Professional Conduct
ARUBA (TIP): Xavier University School of Medicine held its 42nd White Coat Ceremony on Friday, January 19th, 2018. 34 students were presented with their White Coats and they took the Medical Student Pledge of Professional Conduct.
President Ravishankar Bhooplapur addressed the audience of students, their family members, faculty, and staff at this momentous occasion. He welcomed the first lady Prime Minister of Aruba, Honorable Mrs. Evelyn Wever-Croes, and congratulated her on her election and in taking over the beautiful, happy island.
Ravi Bhooplapur addresses: President Ravishankar Bhooplapur addresses the audience at the White Coat Ceremony.
In his address, President Ravishankar Bhooplapur commended the students on choosing the right medical school and for entering this most noble profession. He emphasized the importance of their studies, and assured commitment from the most qualified faculty to provide them with a superb education. He also brought to everyone’s attention Xavier’s success of a 90% first time USMLE passing rate, and a 70% residency rate. President Bhooplapur thanked Xavier’s faculty and staff, as well as the government of Aruba, for welcoming them with open hearts. He believes Aruba is the best island in the Caribbean, and a wonderful tourist destination. President Bhooplapur stated that Xavier is a “feather in the cap” of Aruba, in that is has a special place on the island. Finally, he thanked the Chair, Board of Trustees, and trustee Mr. Frank Croes for his continued guidance in Aruba.
PM addresses: The first female Prime Minister of Aruba, Honorable Mrs. Evelyn Wever-Croes, addresses the audience at the White Coat Ceremony.
Following the President’s address, Prime Minister, Honorable Mrs. Evelyn Wever-Croes, spoke. She explained how she wanted to attend medical school after high school, but her only option at the time was to go to Costa Rica to study. While she said the country was beautiful and her studies went well, she missed home. Ultimately, she came back to Aruba, where her father decided she would study law. Mrs. Wever-Croes was excited when Xavier first came to the happy island of Aruba, as her dreams of a medical school on the island had come true. She assured continued support for Xavier, and appreciated that the school awarded an Aruban student a scholarship. She concluded by congratulating the students on receiving their White Coats.
Xavier is fortunate and thankful that the Honorable Mrs. Evelyn Wever-Croes was in attendance at such a special event.
President Ravishankar Bhooplapur presents Prime Minister, Honorable Mrs. Evelyn Wever-Croes with a gift.
Xavier University School of Medicine has received accreditation from two accrediting bodies: CAAM-HP (Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions), and ACCM (Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine). We offer special scholarships for Aruban students. We have provincial loans for Canadian students, as well as loan programs for U.S. citizens and green card holders.
(Press Release)
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