AKMG BLOGS

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...

We are thrilled to share the successful inauguration of the new AKMG Canada leadership team with an initiative close to our hearts: a holiday toy drive to bring joy and support to children and families in need this holiday season. In a wonderful demonstration of our commitment to community service, AKMG Canada partnered with the renowned CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish Toy Drive. This collaboration marks a fantastic start for our newly appointed leadership, showcasing their dedication to making a tangible difference right from the outset. This inaugural event was spearheaded by our dynamic new executive team: President: Dr. Iqbal Vadakkayil Secretary: Dr. Sumesh Murali Treasurer: Dr. Ajoi Vincent Under their guidance, the AKMG Canada family rallied together with incredible enthusiasm and generosity. Thanks to the overwhelming support and kind contributions from our members and the community, we were able to collect a fantastic total of 80 toys! Each toy represents a spark of ho...

Good morning AKMG Family! We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. As we close out the year, the AKMG Georgia Chapter is excited to share major progress on our 5th Annual Holiday Food Drive campaign! Including cash and check donations, our 2025 Holiday Food Drive has raised an impressive $5,077.00 and is still growing!This generous amount will translate into 15,231 nutritious meals provided by the Atlanta Community Food Bank for our neighbors in need. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has donated thus far—your support makes a tangible difference in our community.We were also proud to have our current president, Dr. Elizabeth Mammen Prasad, kick off the 2025 giving season as our first donor! The need for food security remains high, and AKMG Georgia is committed to continuous support. Over the last four years, the AKMG Georgia Chapter has helped provide over 80,000 meals to the hungry and homeless in and around Atlanta. We are especially proud o...

📰 Exciting News: A New Chapter for Trivandrum Medical College! It is with immense enthusiasm and great hope that I share some truly spectacular news regarding the future growth of our beloved alma mater, Trivandrum Medical College (TMC). 🌟 Launching a Grand Initiative We are on the cusp of launching a grand initiative intended to propel TMC into its next phase of spectacular growth. The goal is ambitious: to explore a formal tie-up with the Mayo Clinic to revamp TMC as a world-class Centre of Excellence. We are committed to doing whatever it takes to reach that goal. 🤝 Global Preventive Oncology Summit & Distinguished Guests A pivotal event in this journey will be the Global Preventive Oncology (GPO) Summit being held in Thiruvananthapuram from January 16th to 18th. We are incredibly honored to welcome two distinguished guests from the global healthcare community for this summit: Dr. Prathibha Varkey, President of Mayo Health Systems, will be joining us. Dr. Varkey is a daug...

The AKMG NJ Chapter Launch was helt at the Mogul Restaurant in Edison. It was an evening that brought together accomplished medical professionals and enthusiastic IMG students in a setting that allowed them to connect, learn, and celebrate together. The highlight of the evening was the proclamation from New Jersey Senator Vin Gopal, which was read aloud by the President-elect of the NJ AKMG Chapter, Dr. Rekha Menon. This proclamation underscored the significance of AKMG's contributions to the medical field. The event was graced by the presence of Dr. Sindu Ponnarath, the President of AKMG National from California, Dr. Anjana Samadder, AAPI National President from Ohio,Dr. Hetal Gor from the Board of Trustees (BOT) of AAPI, Dr. Hemant Patel, Past President of AAPI,Dr. Celine Paulous, President of AKMG NY, along with members from the Pennsylvania chapter. One of the evening's highlights was Dr. Sarah Easaw's keynote speech about the advances in breast cancer diagnosi...

അവാർഡിനോടൊപ്പം ക്യാഷ് പ്രൈസായി തനിക്ക് ലഭിച്ച 5 ലക്ഷം രൂപ വൈദ്യശാസ്ത്ര ഗവേഷണ മേഖലയിൽ യുവ പ്രതിഭകളെ പ്രോത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിനായി പ്രൊഫ. സലിം യൂസഫ് സംഭാവന നൽകി. തുക വളരെ ചെറുതാണെന്നും പക്ഷേ ഈ പണം ഉപയോഗിച്ച് വലിയൊരു ഫണ്ട് കെട്ടിപ്പടുക്കാൻ സംസ്ഥാന സർക്കാരിന് സാധിക്കട്ടെ എന്നും അദ്ദേഹം ആശംസിച്ചു. https://prdlive.kerala.gov.in/news/317446

Dr. Venkit Iyer has been successful in publising four books published so far. 1. Decision making in clinical surgery. 2. Aging well and reaching beyond. 3.The Clinic. 4. Geriatrics Handbook. A 5th book is nearing completion. All the books are related to health care. Two of the books were released with in the last three years.The book with title “The Clinic” received a book award from Florida Authors and Publishers Association with Presidential medal.Dr. Iyer has also been an nvited lecturer by several organisations and associations with interviews on TV Asia and Rama On Health care news, and local news papers.He is also active in providing community services to Malayalee Association of Tampa, India cultural centre, Florida association of Physicians of Indian origin, and AKMG with awards and recognitions.

Today AAPI presented the Award for “ The most distinguished service to AAPI “ at the Annual Convention in San Antonio, TX.

Dr. Santhosh K.G Koshy MD, MBA was appointed as the new Chair of the Department of Medicine at WMED, Western Michigan University. Dr. Koshy is an interventional cardiologist, and is currently a professor in the JT and Margaret Talkington Department of Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine. He was the previous chair of the department.

Dr. Madhavan V. Pillai, past president of AKMG, was appointed as a consultant at the World Health Organization (WHO). This is an important recognition for many years of service and excellence in the field of oncology and health care. Dr. Pillai is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology and is a Clinical Professor of Oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical college of Thomas Jefferson University. He is the President & CEO of the International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR-USA) and a senior Advisor to the Global Virus Network (GVN).''

Dear AKMG Family, As we welcome onam and celebrate with our friends and family, we have yet another reason for joy. Our dear friend and AKMG life member Dr. George M. Abraham was elected to the coveted post of President of the American College of Physicians. Our news release can be read below. Congratulations to a truly deserving physician leader and academic. What a stellar career. AKMG is proud of Dr. Abraham's laurels. Dr. George Abraham elected President of ACP Dr. George M. Abraham was elected the President of the American College of Physicians (ACP) for the term of 2021-22. ACP is the largest medical specialty society in the world with 163,000 members. He is the first physician of Indian origin to secure this coveted position. Dr. Abraham is also the Chair of the Board of Registration in Medicine (BORIM), the first Indian to hold that position in Massachusetts. Dr. Abraham has previously served ACP in many capacities including Governor of the Massachusetts chapter and...

Sharing details of the discussion: Ideas to Increase the awareness of AKMG’s mission and values: 1. AKMG Merchandize: ongoing acess online for purchase, via AKMG Blogpost (Dr Teresa and Dr Nisha). 2. Periodically updated diary that summarizes the history of AKMG legacy (Dr MV Pillai). (Regular digital updates and interim print versions?) 3. Membership benefits – Collaborate with sponsors and other organizations for providing AKMG members long term discounts and deals (Dr Nisha) 4. Developing a committee for mentoring and developing entrepreneurs and executives among AKMG members (Dr Teresa and Dr MV Pillai). 5. Creating a platform for encouraging innovation in the healthcare field (Dr Teresa). 6. Creating a Membership directory with photographs (Dr Elizabeth Mammen Prasad) 7. Creating a section on the AKMG website or through other means: highlight member’s talents and achievement outside the world of medicine (creative writing, photography etc) (Dr Elizabeth Mammen Prasad) Chari...

AKMG past president Dr.M.V.Pillai serves as a senior advisor to the recently launched Institute of Advanced Virology located at the Bio 360 Life Sciences Park, Thonnakkal, Trivandrum. Dr.Shyamasundaran Kottilil from Maryland serves as a member of the research council of the Institute of Advanced Virology. Here is a glimpse of a recent publication from the institute. https://kscste.kerala.gov.in/2019/05/25/institute-of-advanced-virology-iav/

https://www.facebook.com/HSNSudbury/posts/3995500167173133 Here is a summary of Dr.Kumar's profile from his hospital's social media page. Pediatrician Vijay Kumar was honoured earlier this week for his long-standing service as a clinical director for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) here in Sudbury. Dr. Kumar has been a CF director for 35 years, and was described by Miriam McDonald, a colleague from Pharmacy as an “unrelenting warrior” for CF patients, as she acknowledged Dr. Kumar’s great capacity for “hope and love.” He was presented with a plaque by the CF Canada in honour of his career-long commitment to the cause. This week, Dr. Vijay Kumar is stepping down as Clinical Director for CF Canada at HSN and handing over the reins to his son Dr. Gautam Kumar.Dr. Vijay Kumar said there is no single memory that stands out during his time as a CF director, but there are so many memorable moments: “When parents come to me almost in tears and tell me how thankful they are for CF Canada and the...

Dr. Elizabeth Mammen-Prasad was elected as the President of Medical Staff at the East Orange General Hospital for 2020-2021. She is an infectious disease specialist working in New Jersey. She is also the elected Chairperson of the World Malayali Council, All Women NJ Province for years 2020-2022. This is a social group involved in community activities of the Malayalee diaspora and local community. The forum promotes seminars on health, science,as well as cultural,music and arts programs and provides mentorship and leadership program for future young leaders.

Dr. Shabbir Amanullah won the Outstanding Contributions in Geriatric Psychiatry Award- Awarded by the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry.This is a very prestigious national level award. He is also the President of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry and Chief Of Psychiatry - Woodstock General Hospital,Canada.

Dr.V.Krishnan Nair

Dr.Rajiv Poduval, Chief Executive Officer of Global Nephrology Solutions is proud to annouce a strategic growth investment from Audax Private Equity ("Audax") to help expand the innovative, physician-led model shaping the future of renal care. Dr.Poduval also serves as the President of Southwest Kidney Institute (SKI). Disclaimer: This is not a complete list of all achievers of AKMG. We apologize if we missed any of our high achievers.

Dr.Chitra Jacob graduated from Trivandrum Medical College and attained MRCPCH from the UK. She moved to Canada 10 years back and switched her career to health administration and continued as a faculty of Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada. In 2020, she attained FISQua, Fellow of the International Society for Quality in health care (ISQua). ISQua is the accrediting body for Accreditation Canada and has members across the globe. Her focus is to build quality improvement capacity in medical students and faculty.

Dr. Ambika Ashraf was recognized as a Fellow of National Lipid Association in 2020. She is currently the  Division director of UAB Pediatric Endocrinology and Medical Director of  Children's of Alabama Pediatric Endocrinology Clinics. She is also the     R alph Frohsin Endowed Chair in Pediatric Endocrinology (2019).