– that’s all you need to know
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News India Times
May 1, 2015
Community
By Bhargavi Kulkarni
.S. Surgeon General Dr.
Vivek Murthy and
Harvard professor Dr.
Atul Gawande are
among five Indian-
Americans listed in the 50 Most
Influential Physician Executives
and Leaders by Modern
Healthcare magazine. Murthy
and Gawande are joined by Dr.
Ram Raju, president and CEO of
the NewYork City Health and
Hospitals Corporation; Dr. Prem
Reddy, chairman, president and
CEO of Prime Healthcare
Services; and Dr. Tejal Gandhi,
president and CEO of the
National Patient Safety
Foundation.
The list honors physicians
working in the healthcare indus-
try who are deemed by their
peers and an expert panel to be
the most influential in terms of
demonstrating leadership and
impact. These physician leaders
are innovators, excel in commu-
nity services, and demonstrate
reputable executive authority.
Gawande, who is placed
fourth on the list, practices gen-
eral and endocrine surgery at
Brigham andWomen’s Hospital
in Boston. He is author of the
NewYork Times best-selling
books “Complications,” “Better,”
and “The Checklist Manifesto,”
which promoted the idea of
using checklists to prevent med-
ical errors. His most recent book,
“Being Mortal,” focuses on end-
of-life care issues. Gawande, 49,
is also executive director of
Ariadne Labs, a joint center for
health systems innovation.
Reddy founded Prime
Healthcare Services, a privately
held hospital chain based in
Ontario, California, in 2001.
Under his leadership, the com-
pany has grown from a single
hospital to 34 medical centers in
11 states. Reddy, 66, has also
donated hundreds of millions of
dollars to charity and has a
school of health sciences named
for him at Victory Valley College
inVictorville, California. He is
placed 14th on the list.
At number 16 is Murthy, 37,
who was confirmed in
December as the 19th U.S. sur-
geon general. In that role,
Murthy has vowed to focus on
personal health issues, including
smoking cessation and obesity.
He also oversees the U.S. Public
Health Service Commissioned
Corps, which consists of more
than 6,000 uniformed health
officers who serve around the
world.
The son of Indian immi-
grants, Murthy co-founded an
HIV/AIDS education charity that
does work in India and the U.S.
He also created a cloud-based
system called TrialNetworks,
focused on improving clinical
trials so new drugs could be
marketed sooner and more safe-
ly.
Listed at number 19, Raju, 62,
rejoined the NYCHHC last
spring. He previously held exec-
utive-level roles with the public
hospital system -including chief
medical officer and chief operat-
ing officer- and served on
restructuring and reform com-
mittees. But in 2011, Raju was
wooed fromHHC to become
CEO of the Cook County Health
& Hospitals System in Chicago,
where he led a restructuring
needed to help reverse large
budget deficits.
Gandhi, listed at the 29th
position, has focused her work
on the use of information sys-
tems to reduce medical mistakes
and the implementation of
patient-safety programs in
healthcare settings. As head of
the foundation since July 2013,
she has received accolades for
efforts to address the safety con-
cerns in outpatient settings.
Gandhi, 46, is a board-certified
internist and associate professor
of medicine at Harvard Medical
School.
U
Columbia, Yale Students Among 58 Truman Scholars
By Bhargavi Kulkarni
A
Columbia andYale
University student are
among 58 Truman
Scholars, chosen on the basis of
their academic success and
leadership accomplishments, as
well as their likelihood of
becoming public service leaders.
The winners, including
Harmann Singh of Columbia
University, andVivek
Vishwanath of Yale, were
announced April 15 by former
Secretary of State Madeleine K.
Albright, president of the Harry
S. Truman Scholarship
Foundation, and were chosen by
16 independent selection panels.
Each newTruman Scholar
receives up to $30,000 for gradu-
ate study, as well as priority
admission and supplemental
financial aid at some premier
graduate institutions, leadership
training, career and graduate
school counseling, and special
internship opportunities within
the federal government.
Recipients must be U.S. citizens,
have outstanding leadership
potential and communication
skills, be academically excellent,
and be committed to careers in
government or the non-profit
sector, a Truman Foundation
press release said.
Scholars will assemble May
19 for a leadership development
program atWilliam Jewell
College in Liberty, Missouri, and
they will receive their awards in
a special ceremony at the
Truman Library in
Independence, Missouri, on
May 24.
Singh, who is studying math-
ematics and economics at
Columbia, has served as an
intern at TheWhite House, pub-
lished about minority empower-
ment in the Huffington Post and
Columbia Spectator, and was a
student editor for a book on
human rights violations in India
that sold over 4,500 copies
worldwide.
In collaboration with the
Department of Justice and
Harlem Children’s Village, Singh
created Project Identity, a men-
torship program that connects
Columbia students with youth in
Harlem.
He also serves on the board
for Columbia Sewa and
Columbia Orchestra, as an
Interfaith Fellow with the
Chaplain’s Office, and was a
Research Assistant in the
Department of Economics.
In his spare time, Singh is a
classical percussionist and has
performed in Lincoln Center
and as a soloist with the Buffalo
Philharmonic. As the only mem-
ber of his family born in the
United States, he hopes to
attend law school and leverage
his education to empower
underprivileged and marginal-
ized communities.
Vishwanath, a San Diego,
California native, is a junior
majoring in the History of
Medicine.
He is passionate about
reforming global primary care
and domestic health insurance
policies for undocumented
immigrants.
Currently, Vishwanath is
spending eight months in a rural
area of KwaZulu-Natal, South
Africa implementing a pilot
community health worker pro-
gram to expand HIV/TB health
services.While at Yale,
Vishwanath founded a develop-
ment consulting group, interned
at the Results for Development
Institute, worked for the HAVEN
Free Clinic, and conducted
research on antimalarial efficacy.
He hopes to pursue a Master’s in
Public Health/MD and ultimate-
ly work to improve primary care
affordability, access, and quality
in the U.S. and abroad.
The Foundation was estab-
lished by Congress in 1975 as the
federal memorial to our thirty-
third President.
The foundation awards schol-
arships for college students to
attend graduate school in prepa-
ration for careers in government
or elsewhere in public service.
5 Indian-Americans Among 50Most Influential Physician Executives, Leaders
Photo Credit:Tony Rinaldo
By a Staff Writer
I
sha Vyas, division head at
the Middlesex County
Cultural and Heritage
Commission, has been named
the Honorary Grand Marshal of
the New Jersey Festival. The
festival was to be held April 25
at the Eagleton Institute Lawn
of the Douglass Campus of
Rutgers University in New
Brunswick, New Jersey, as part
of the annual Rutgers Day
event.
In her position as division
head, Vyas is responsible for all
arts, history, and cultural pro-
grams. She has designed and
implemented significant proj-
ects for almost 15 years,
including partnerships with
institutions such as the
Smithsonian’s Anacostia
Museum,Washington, D.C.;
the National Museum of the
American Indian–George
Gustav Heye Center in New
York City; Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey; and
the Newark Museum, among
others.
Prior to the commission,
Vyas worked in the finance sec-
tor in NewYork City and has
several years of corporate man-
agement experience. Recipient
of many community service
awards, Vyas has served on the
boards of many organizations;
she most recently a member of
the New Jersey State and
Historical Records Board, treas-
urer of the Association of
County Cultural & Heritage
Agencies, member of
Advocates for New Jersey
History and a trustee of one of
the largest libraries in
Middlesex County.
Isha Vyas NamedHonorary GrandMarshal of NewJersey Folk Festival
Dr. Vivek Murthy
Dr. Ram Raju
Dr. Prem Reddy
Dr. Tejal Gandhi
Dr. Atul Gawande
