LODI, CA (TIP): The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) North California Chapter organized a National Retreat for Physicians in the West Coast from March 8-9, 2025. The highly successful event was attended by over 130 Physicians from the West Coast. The Retreat also saw the participation of AAPI national leaders from across the country. The weekend event at the Wine & Roses Hotel, Lodi, CA was organized with the objective of engaging the West Coast members of AAPI, in addition to raising funds for the national AAPI.

The Retreat offered an exceptional mix of continuing medical education (CME), networking opportunities, delicious food, a winery tour, a grand gala, and vibrant entertainment.

Dr. Sreekar Reddy, Consul General of San Francisco, was an honored guest at the event.

Geetesh Iyer, an Indian raga creative director, singer-songwriter, and a Grammy Award nominee, based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, provided entertainment with his excellent rendition of Bollywood songs.

Participants at the Retreat celebrated Women’s Day with the Pink/Red Theme, honoring the achievements and accomplishments of women.

A standout feature of the retreat was the “Hearts of AAPI,” where numerous Doctors participated in creating heart-themed artwork on canvas, a concept initiated by Dr. Jignesh Patel, an Interventional Cardiologist.

The presence of national leadership added special importance to the event. Prominent among those who had attended the event were: Dr, Satheesh Kathula, President; Dr. Sunil Kaza, BOT Chair; Dr. Raj Bhayani, Secretary; Dr. Hetal Gor, BOT Member; and, Regional Directors Dr. Ram Singh and Dr Srini Gokarakonda; Past President, Dr Sudhakar Jonnalagadda; and, Past BOT Chair, Dr Seema Arora.

Dr. Kathula expressed his “gratitude and appreciation to each of them and their dedicated team for ensuring the event went very smoothly. Special thanks to the Indian Association of San Joaquin County for their participation.”

The CME sessions were led by eminent leaders in Medicine, offering insights into modern technology and health in 2015. Dr. Aparijita Singh, Director of GA Cancer Prevention Program and Professor at UCSF, provided an insightful session on Future of Colorectal Cancer Prevention Through Vaccines in Lynch Syndrome, “We are Beginning to Understand Sleep” was the topic discussed by Dr. Deepak, Shrivastava, Professor of Pulmonology at the critical care and sleep at University of California, Davis, Dr Nitish Badhwar, Director of Electro Physiology Fellowship and Professor at Stanford University, provided an insightful talk on the Role of Smart Devices in Clinical Cardiology.

Dr Anil Khosla, a Radiologist at Stockton, gave a presentation on AI in Medicine — Friend or Foe: A Radiologist’s Perspective. Dr. Anjali Gulati, an Invasive Cardiologist from San Jose, offered a presentation on Optimizing CAD Risk with a Special Focus on Women’s Health and South Asians.

“Suicide Prevention, Understanding the Science and Learning How To Help” was the topic discussed by Dr. Bhavin Parikh from the Psychiatry Department at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento. Genetic Mutations and Family History in Breast And Ovarian Cancers: What’s Next? was the topic addressed by Dr. Sangeeta Aggarwal, Hematology and Oncology at San Jose. “Breast Cancer 2025: Novel Approaches” was an insightful talk by Dr. Jincy Clement, Hematology and Oncology at Turlock.

The event was meticulously planned and organized by Dr. Sujeeth Punnam, Convenor; Dr Anjali Gulati, Co-Convenor; AAPI Northen California Chapter Team led by Dr Shashwathi Kale, President; Dr Amara Balakrishnan, BOT Chair; Dr Pankaj Vij, CME Chair; Dr Meenakshi Jain, Member Planning Committee; and Dr. Deepa Rathi.

Recalling how the entire event came about, Dr. Sujeeth Punnam, convenor of the event, said, “What started as an experiment with expected attendance of 40 Doctors in a quiet and beautiful boutique hotel Wine & Roses in even quieter town of Lodi, CA, grew to about 130 Doctors. We were able to share pure joy and world-class educational lectures with the audience glued to the seats and yearning for more, even though the surroundings and the weather being beautiful.”

Since its inception in 1982, AAPI has been at the forefront, representing a conglomeration of more than 125,000 practicing physicians in the United States, seeking to be the united voice for the physicians of Indian origin. For more details about AAPI, please visit: www.aapiusa.org
(Based on a press release issued by Ajay Ghosh)