BURLINGTON, MA—The Indian Medical Association of New England, the nation’s oldest organization of the physicians of Indian origin (known as IMANE), has elected a new committee and board of trustees. Dr. Sameer Kapasi will take over as the President of IMANE on Jan. 1. Dr. Ammani Dasari, a former IMANE President, has been chosen as President-Elect of 2017, meaning she will become IMANE president in 2018. Dr. Kapasi replaces outgoing IMANE President Dr. Sapna Aggarwal.
“As our new president, I feel that it is of utmost importance that IMANE maintains committed to its basic tenets of service to the Indian physician community, and our local community in general,” said new IMANE President Dr. Kapasi. “Additionally, as a younger physician, I also feel that it is extremely important to make the organization more accessible to our newer and growing generation of Indian American physicians and health care workers.”
The new IMANE committee includes nearly half a dozen former presidents of IMANE. The IMANE also made a history this year with Dr. Kapasi being installed as President of the organization. His father, Onaly, his mother, Chander, and wife Sajani—all three have served as president of IMANE in the past. Also, both senior Kapasis have joined the executive IMANE committee this year—Chander as treasurer of IMANE and Onaly as a Member-at-Large.
“Incoming President Dr. Sameer Kapasi is really fortunate to have his parents step in as treasurer and member at large, a privilege not everyone has,” said outgoing IMANE President Dr. Aggarwal. “It was an honor to be president of a great organization like IMANE. I feel truly blessed. Thanks to all the past presidents and a senior member, we were able to fill the slate. I wish the team all the best for year 2017.”
Dr. Aggarwal said that IMANE did not receive any nomination for many positions, and the ones IMANE received did not qualify per IMANE bylaws. Also, current executive committee members decided not to continue in 2017, added Dr. Aggarwal.
“For personal reasons, EC committee of 2016 decided individually not to continue in 2017,” Dr. Aggarwal said.
Dr. Manorama Mathur, a former IMANE President who joined the new committee as treasurer, said that she and other former IMANE presidents rejoined the committee because IMANE has been doing a great job and that they all want to support this organization.
“The positions were open. At this point, we don’t know why,” said Dr. Mathur, who also had previously served a chair of the Board of Trustees of IMANE. “So, we wanted to fill the positions and support IMANE to be a strong organization. I felt I had to be there to support this organization and keep the organization going and help as much as I can.”
IMANE held its annual general body meeting on Nov. 19 at the Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. The meeting, which elected new office-bearers, was followed by its annual gala and an entertainment program entitled “Shaam Mastani”, which was attended by over 150 guests. A number of senior members of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) attended the event. Key speakers of the evening included Chief Guest Amar Sawhney, Distinguished Guest Dr. Prem Shekhar, and AAPI President Dr. Ajay Lodha.
Newly-elected officers:
President: Dr. Sameer Kapasi
President-Elect: Dr. Ammani Dasari
Past President: Dr. Sapna Aggarwal
Secretary: Dr. Manorama Mathur
Treasurer: Dr. Chander Kapasi
Members at large:
Dr. Kunwar Singh
Dr. Gleason Robello
Dr. Geeta Trivedi
Dr. Sucheta Joshi
Dr. Onaly Kapasi
Chair of Nominating Committee: Dr. Ashok Shah
Board of Trustees
Dr. Pramod Shah
Dr. Rajender Trivedi
Dr. Vikas Desai
Dr. Deepak Takhtani
Dr. Ashok Joshi
President-Elect Dr. Dasari said that IMANE has a great mission and that is should be following that.
“IMANE should be concentrating on the social and medical aspects of our community and society,” said Dr. Dasari, who will become IMANE President in 2018. “IMANE should be bringing new young physicians and guiding them.”
Dr. Ammani Dasari, a former president of IMANE, has served as trustee of the New England Hindu Temple Inc. and the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. She worked for 40 years and retired few years ago, but has continued her dedication to community efforts with her work with various organizations such as NEHTI, AAPI and IMANE.
Dr. Kapasi is a faculty member for the North American Spine Society spinal injection workshops and is actively involved in training residents and spine rehabilitation fellows. He is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and was elected as a fellow of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Kapasi is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the International Spine Intervention Society, and the North American Spine Society, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Tuft University School of Medicine.
Dr. Kapasi attended Johns Hopkins University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with coursework in Film Studies. He then returned to Boston, where he earned an M.A. in Medical Sciences. Following graduate school, Dr. Kapasi worked with MDLinx, a small medical internet startup, as a content editor. He received his medical degree from the St. George’s University School of Medicine. Dr. Kapasi returned to Boston to complete a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at the Tufts Medical Center. He completed his training with a fellowship in Spine and Rehabilitation Medicine at the New England Baptist Hospital.
During the gala, IMANE also honored several of its members for services to IMANE and the community. Award recipients were:
Community Service Award: Dr. Victor F. Saldanha
Distinguished Physician Award: Dr. Manju Sheth
Raj and Prem Goyal Young Physician Achievement Award for Distinguished Service: Tej Shah and Sangita Murali
Ambassador Award: Dr. Anand Kanjolia
President’s Award: Dr. Umakanth Khatwa, Paresh Motiwala, Dr. Naveen Pandaraboyina, Dr. Devila Shah, and Pramod Shah.
The IMANE gala was capped by an Indian dinner catered by Gourmet India and a special entertainment program titled “Mastani Shaam” that featured Bollywood songs sung by prominent local singers Mohan Subramaniam, Sowmya, Nidhi and Hemant followed by dancing on the dance floor with local DJ Preetesh Shrivastava.
