AKMG BLOGS

Onam- a harvest festival in Kerala, India, that marks the Malayali New Year. It celebrates the yearly return of the righteous Asura king to visit his beloved people. Akmg Canada celebrated the occasion with great enthusiasm- traditional drumming, pookalam( flower arrangements), folk dances and the grand Onam Sadya( traditional dishes served on a banana leaf. The Legend of King Mahabali ....... The Golden Rule: King Mahabali ruled Kerala with peace, fairness, and love. His kingdom had no poverty, crime, or sadness. The Test of Generosity: The gods felt worried by his growing power. Lord Vishnu took the form of a poor dwarf named Vamana. The Three Steps: Vamana asked for land equal to three small steps. Mahabali agreed. Vamana then grew into a giant. He covered the earth with step one and the skies with step two...... The Final Gift: For the third step, Mahabali offered his own head. Vamana pushed him down to the underworld. The Blessing: Pleased by his deep devo...

We are pleased to share the scientific poster presentations showcased at the 47th AKMG Convention in New Jersey. Our presenters shared valuable clinical insights, research findings, and quality improvement initiatives across various disciplines. Presented Topics & Authors : Dr. Anna Carin Sunil: Title: Hidden in Plain Sight: Endometriosis Presenting as Bowel Obstruction. Dr.Hala Majeed: Title: Sar-’coy’-dosis: A Non-Caseating Drama. Dr.Akhtar Zamil Sirajudeen: Title: Mapping the Broken Clock: Quantifying Operational Delays and Their Independent Impact on Patient Satisfaction in a High-Volume Tertiary Emergency Department — A Quality Improvement Study from Kerala, India. Dr. Navya Mathew: Title: Real-World Impact of Mismatch Repair (MMR) Immunohistochemistry (IHC) in Solid Tumors: A Retrospective Analysis from a Tertiary Center in India. This academic track was organized under the leadership of Dr. Elizabeth Mammen-Prasad (AKMG Presiden...

We are pleased to announce the top performers from the poster presentation held during the AKMG Canada Annual Convention in August 2026, featuring work from IMGs, medical students, and undergraduates. Undergraduate Category Undergraduate presentations were evaluated using a grading system rather than standard scoring. Heather Ajoy (Toronto Metropolitan University) impressed the judges with her innovative research presentation, earning an A+ grade. Medical Student Category Ayush Nair was the sole participant in this category and was evaluated separately against standard benchmarks. His presentation was excellent, placing in the A+ segment. International Medical Graduates (IMGs) Highest Score: Dr. Rani Yogidas Second Place: Dr. Rohith Scariah Congratulations to all the participants for sharing their research with us this year.

SALIM YUSUF: The golden age of cardiology. I recently had the privilege of reviewing an inspiring book on Dr. Salim Yusuf, a distinguished member of AKMG, and the remarkable era that helped shape modern cardiology—the Golden Age of Cardiology. I am reproducing my Google review in its entirety for the benefit of cardiologists, physician-scientists, and physicians interested in the origins and evolution of evidence-based medicine in cardiovascular care. Dr. Yusuf’s career and contributions offer a fascinating perspective on how rigorous clinical research, large-scale trials, epidemiology, and critical appraisal of evidence transformed the practice of cardiology. Climbing Mountains - The Journey to Beat the World's Biggest Killer is an extraordinary biography of Dr. Salim Yusuf, arguably one of the most accomplished and influential cardiovascular researchers of the 21st century. Authored by James Mathew and Dennis Xavier, the book traces Yusuf’s remarkable journey from humbl...

Some of the highlights of 47 th AKMG Convention at Hyatt, Jersey city, NJ from August 6- 8th, 2026. A quick summary . We started the convention a Cruise on Majesty along the Hudson River celebrating 250 years of US Independence. It was nice to see the statue of Liberty up close for a photo op. It was 2 and half days of fun, connecting, networking, excellent 11 CME hours , literary forum, Womens forum on wellness, yoga, bolly wood dance workshop, arts and crafts, myil mystic fashion show to name a few of the activities . We were honored to have AMA president Dr.Bobby Mukumaala as a keynote speaker and his talk on the role of IMG s in US health care was timely in light of physician shortages to be felt by 2030. Dr.Chetan Shah president of NJ board of medical examiners and ENT specialists talked about why private practice matters , and mayor of Trivandrum , Kerala Adv V V Rajesh gave his felicitations. This list and pictures are by no means complete. It was truly my honor a...

Swasthya at AKMG On the afternoon of Saturday, August 8, nearly 40 physicians and their families gathered in a quiet room at the American Association of Kerala Medical Graduates convention in Jersey City. For one hour, the invitation was simple: slow down, breathe, and listen to what the body may have been trying to say. We called the workshop Swasthya , a Sanskrit word often understood as being established in oneself. Its subtitle, A Journey Through Breath, Presence, and Reconnection, became both our intention and our guide. The session brought together Dr. Shaija Kutty, pediatric gastroenterologist at Johns Hopkins and Director of the GIFT Program; Dr. Bansari Gujar, a rheumatologist practicing integrative rheumatology in Maryland; and Dr. Neena Thomas-Eapen, Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Kentucky. We were joined by Dr. Priya Duggal, a naturopathic doctor and Compassionate Inquiry practitioner trained in the approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté. ...

As we came to the conclusion of this wonderful 47th AKMG Convention, my heart is filled with gratitude. What we have experienced over these past few days did not happen because of one person. It happened because of an extraordinary AKMG family that came together with commitment, friendship, generosity, and teamwork. As Convention Chair, it is my privilege to recognize the many people who worked behind the scenes to make this convention possible. First, I would like to thank Dr. Iyer and the entire Souvenir Committee for their tremendous effort in putting together our beautiful convention souvenir. A special thank-you also to everyone who contributed articles, messages, advertisements, and memories to make it so meaningful. To Dr. Neena Kumar, Smitha Haridas, and the entire Entertainment Committee, along with Dr.Nasim Shajahan, Judith and Dr.Manju Nayar as Emcees,and Dr. Thompson Chemplavil leading Anthakshari,thank you for bringing energy, excitement, music, and celebration to ou...

I just finished Arundhati Roy’s "Mother Mary Comes To Me", and what a remarkable book it is! I have always admired her writing - loved both The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, but this may be her finest work, and it is not even fiction. Her real life seems more compelling and dramatic than anything she could have invented, although her fiction has clearly been shaped by many of these experiences. The book is a testament to the extraordinary power of human language. At a time when we are increasingly anxious about artificial intelligence taking over language and creative expression, it is refreshing to encounter writing of such emotional depth and originality. In my case, I listened to the audiobook on Audible, narrated by author herself, which made the experience even more intimate and powerful. The book contains countless unforgettable lines. Two have stayed with me. She describes her deeply complicated relationship with her mother, a woman s...

Thank you Dr.Elizabeth Mammen Prasad, Dr.Joseph Prasad, Dr.Rekha Menon, Dr.Liza Protasis and Dr.Bikram Kabir for making the AKMG New Jersey convention a memorable one after all the heart aches of planning and getting it off the ground. I want to thank all the writers, with a propensity to express themselves a big thank you for making the literary forum a big success. Thank you to the audience for the wonderful feedback that we at the literary forum received. Truly a place where medicine and minds meet, a place where art and science meet. Thank you Dr Venkat Iyer who is one of the founders of AKMG for your valuable input. His book on Lifestyle medicine is an eyeopener. This important topic was never taught to us during our residency or fellowship. So thank you for your book. Dr. Thomas Payapilli spoke from his book about Healthy Habits for lifelong wellness and explained how he came off the BP medicines with time restricted eating and many other habits. Dr. Charl...

Dear AKMG Family, What a wonderful few days in New Jersey by the Hudson! A huge THANK YOU and congratulations to the entire AKMG 2026 New Jersey team for putting together such a memorable convention. The warmth, camaraderie, entertainment, academic programs, food, and above all, the spirit of friendship and togetherness made it truly special. To our New Jersey team — THANK YOU for giving us a wonderful AKMG 2026 and for setting the bar high! And as we say goodbye to New Jersey, the journey now continues to... AKMG 2027 – NIAGARA! We hope to carry that same energy, friendship and enthusiasm forward as we welcome the entire AKMG family to Niagara in 2027! New Jersey → Niagara! We were delighted by the tremendous enthusiasm for AKMG 2027 Niagara during the convention! Our special Early Bird registration of just $599 was originally available only during AKMG 2026. However, BY POPULAR DEMAND, WE ARE EXTENDING THE $599 EARLY BIRD RATE THROUGH THIS FRIDAY!...

Hello AKMG family, I have to make a very special mention. Last night, after I got home from the convention, literally exhausted, I got a message from Dr. M.P. Ravindra Nathan, who was unable to attend the convention due to health reasons and had just been discharged from the hospital, was following us through chats on how our convention was going, he was genuinely happy to see the immages and videos and it lifted his spirits. He really wished he could have been there.He already supported our convention tremendously by donating in several ways without even asking. But last night he sent an additional $1000 to cover the costs of convention. I was deeply moved and literally in tears for the love and affection he showed us through this selfless act of support for the AKMG NJ convention. We really missed Dr. Nathan at our convention, as he was to be honored as a past president of AKMG and co chair of the souvenir committee. I am literally lost for words because of his g...