The Gala 2025, while celebrating the top healthcare leaders worldwide at the Global Healthcare Leaders Foundation, was an exclusive gathering of influential healthcare executives, AI Innovators, and Global Health Policymakers.  

Dr. Kathula was chosen for the award along with several healthcare leaders for his contributions to the country, particularly in the healthcare field, and his dedication to his patients and the broader community.

The Award was presented to Dr. Kathula by Anya Ohavi Neizler, Co-Founder, Co-Executive Director, and Richie Hosein, Co-Founder, President of the Board, the Global Healthcare Leaders Foundation (GHLF), a mission-driven nonprofit founded by Harvard University alumni, dedicated to addressing healthcare’s most pressing challenges through innovation and collaboration.

Dr. Satheesh Kathula is a renowned hematologist and oncologist based in Dayton, Ohio, currently serving as the President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI). Dr. Kathula, in his response after receiving the award, said, “I am truly humbled to receive this Lifetime Achievement in Global Healthcare Leadership alongside several other remarkable individuals. This inspires not only me, but the people who are serving the community and society at large.”

Dr. Kathula strongly believes that acquiring new knowledge is crucial for professionals, especially physicians, in a changing healthcare environment. Recently, Dr. Kathula acquired a certificate from Stanford University in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. An alumnus of the Global Healthcare Leaders Program at Harvard University, Dr. Kathula has been instrumental in promoting global health initiatives.

Dr. Kathula recently launched a transformative campaign titled “Stop 3 and Start 3,” focused on cancer prevention through lifestyle changes and vaccination. Under his leadership, AAPI has also partnered with the Global Association of Indian Medical Students (GAIMS) to combat cervical cancer through comprehensive efforts in education, screening, and immunization.

Dr. Kathula dedicated his career to treating patients and actively supporting various nonprofit organizations and those advocating for healthcare policies that are equitable and help us provide the best care to patients. Dr. Kathula has served AAPI in various capacities. He was the Regional Director, a member of the Board of Trustees. He was elected overwhelmingly by AAPI members as the national Treasurer, Secretary, and Vice President of AAPI, and has served as the President-Elect of AAPI during the year 2023-34, before assuming charge as the President of AAPI in July 2024.

Under his leadership, AAPI has launched a program called “Million Miles of Gratitude” to honor veterans by promoting physical activity. Participants can log their walking or running miles, with each mile serving as a tribute to the veterans. The goal is to collectively reach a million miles in the coming year. In May this year, he led a highly successful AAPI Legislative Day on Capitol Hill, where AAPI sought to collectively shape the best health care for the people of the US, with the physician at the helm, caring for the medically underserved.

Dr. Kathula, who graduated from Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India, in 1992, is a clinical professor of medicine at Wright State University-Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Kathula is a Diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. He has authored several papers and articles in medical journals and is in the process of writing a book, describing his journey as an immigrant physician. “For the past 22 years, I’ve been proudly serving as a Hematologist and Oncologist in the Dayton community, considering it my home.”

Dr. Kathula was the President and founding member of the Association of Indian Physicians from Ohio, President of the Miami Valley Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, as well as the President of the ATMGUSA (Association of Telugu Medical Graduates in USA). In addition, he has worked with the Ohio State Medical Association on various issues. He has been actively involved in community service locally, nationally, and internationally for the last two decades. He was awarded ‘Man of the Year – 2018’ by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Among many others, Dr. Kathula has initiated a bone marrow drive, as the donor pool among South Asians is very limited, Dr. Kathula said. “So, we are trying to recruit potential donors for the stem cell or bone marrow transplant donations. Because people are getting affected by lymphomas and leukemias, and they need transplants. Since they do not get the matched donors in this country, we are trying to increase that pool.”

Not satisfied with his personal and professional achievements, Dr. Kathula has been active in the Indian community. Since taking office as AAPI President in July 2024, he has led three major global healthcare conferences in India and has chaired the Oncology Tracks at several international health summits organized by AAPI.

Dr Kathula’s love for his motherland has manifested in him setting up humanitarian and medical projects in India. The most important of them is establishing a state-of-the-art pharmacy college in Warangal in Telangana, where he grew up. Named the Pathfinder Institute of Pharmacy and Educational Research (PIPER), the non-profit with Dr Kathula as the Chairman provides quality education and has already graduated over 1,000 students who are now working in different parts of India and abroad. He conducted several medical camps close to his native place and donated a defibrillator, water purification plant, and library to his native place.

GHLF is committed to advancing value-based healthcare globally. Founded by alumni of Harvard Medical School’s Global Health Care Leaders Program, GHLF excels in transforming patient outcomes, healthcare innovation, and empathy. GHLF acts as a catalyst for change, uniting leading healthcare professionals to drive compassion and excellence. Through collaboration, we pioneer transformative solutions that elevate standards and revolutionize patient care.

Among the many awards, Dr. Kathua was most recently, on May 3^rd, 2025, honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indo-American Press Club in the Poconos in PA. In 2024, he was bestowed with the Inspiration Award by the Raising Awareness of Youth with Autism Foundation. In October 2024, Dr. Kathrula received the Daniel Blumenthal Award on behalf of AAPI from the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) in recognition of her efforts to promote health equity.

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PUNE: The Pravin Masalewale Trust will bestow the ‘Suhana Kamal Lifetime Achievement Award’ to Arnavaz Damania, a distinguished Social Worker, and former national hockey player. Vishal Chordia, Trustee of Pravin Masalewale Trust, made this announcement at a press conference held today at Patrakar Sangh. Vandana Chavan, Chairperson of the Suhana Kamal Award Committee and former Member of Parliament, and Prithviraj Ghorpade were present on the occasion.

Speaking about the various award lineup for this year, Vishal Chordia said, “In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award, this year’s ‘Suhana Kamal Service Award’ will be presented to Sister Lucy Kurien, founder of Maher Ashram, the ‘Suhana Kamal Entrepreneurship Award’ will be conferred upon Komal Wagaskar of Artemis Tech Pvt. Ltd while Snehal and Devanand Londhe of Payod Industries from Sangli will be decorated with the ‘Suhana Kamal Couple Entrepreneurship Award’.

Detailing out the award function, Vandana Chavhan said, “The award ceremony will take place on Thursday, 29th August 2024 at 5:00 pm at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Hall on Ghole Road. The awards will be presented at the hands of Padma Bhushan Dr S. B. Mujumdar. Natrang movie fame renowned actress Sonali Kulkarni will also be present at the occasion.”

Speaking about the awards, Vishal Chordia stated, “The preparation of spices, pickles, papads, and other products under the Pravin Masalewale brand was started over six decades ago by the late Hukumchand (Bhau) Chordia and the late Kamalbai Chordia (Bai). Owing to their consistent commitment to quality and customer service, Pravin products quickly gained prominence. The tireless efforts and integrity of Bhau and Bai, along with the contributions of subsequent generations of the Chordia family, have shaped and transformed the business over time. They have significantly contributed to the growth and success of brands such as Suhana, Ambari, Pravina, and Sarvam. The inspiration behind the awards we are presenting today comes from their legacy.

During their times of enthusiasm and struggle, Bhau and Bai Chordia were consistently encouraged and praised by many individuals and organizations for their progress in the business. This encouragement inspired them to continue their enterprise with even greater vigor and grit. Following this concept, my father, Rajkumar Chordia, initiated the ‘Udyog Janani Kamal Award’ in 2000 to honor women who have made extraordinary contributions to the business sector. After the hiatus due to COVID, the award has been reinstated and restructured as the ‘Suhana Kamal Award.’ The next generation of the Chordia family is carrying forward this legacy with competence, excelling in both business and social work,” added Vishal Chordia.

To ensure the awards are impartial, the Trust has established an organizing and selection committee comprising former MP Vandana Chavan as the chair the committee, senior social activist Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar, Justice Shalini Phansalkar Joshi, former Police Commissioner Meeran Chadha Borwankar, senior journalist Vijaya Patil, educationist Swati Mujumdar, entrepreneur Sulajja Firodia Motwani, and veteran actress Nishigandha Wad.

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The quality of education offered by a place can make it an industrial hub.  Therefore, industrial organizations and industry chambers should take the initiative of building good quality educational institutions said Dr Sridhar Shukla, Co-founder of GS Lab and Co-founder and President of K Point Technologies, while accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Software Exporters Association of Pune (SEAP)

The second edition of SEAP Star Awards was held at Hotel Westin, Koregaon Park, Pune recently to mark its silver jubilee year. Dr. Shukla was honored with a Puneri Pagadi and insignia at the hands of Dada Deshpande- Co-founder of Persistent Systems, Pune in the presence of Vinita Gera-SEAP President, Shivraj Sable-SEAP Vice President, Vidyadhar Purandare-SEAP Secretary, former SEAP President Prashant KS, Ramprasad S, Nitin Deshpande, Swapnil Deshpande, Parag Barve, Vrishali Kulkarni, and Ashutosh Parasnis amongst other dignitaries.

Dr Shukla said, “Today in terms of GDP, Pune is the fifth largest city in the country. Pune district has 7 thousand 300 schools; however, for Pune to progress further as an industrial hub, it needs to create a new identity as the district with the best schools.”

“Our country has more than 25 crore students and nearly 15 lakh schools. Out of this, 10 lakh schools are Government schools while 4 lakh schools are private. 85% of these schools are in rural areas and 15% are in urban areas and the need to cater to this is quality teaching. There are more than 1 crore teachers, and the number is fast rising however, there is a lack of focus on teaching as a profession and this needs to change to be able to address the shifting trend of parents preferring Private CBSE ICSC or International Board English medium schools over government schools. Children spend maximum time with their teachers, and as the building blocks of our society there is a need to increase the focus on teaching as a profession”.

Concluding his speech Dr Shukla said, “In any organisation, when like-minded people come together with a common goal, success can be achieved quickly.”

Dada Deshpande elaborated on the various factors that helped establish Persistent Systems and SEAP

SEAP Star Awards were also presented to Harbinger Group for ‘Best DEIB Practices’, Clairvoyant India and Evolent Health International for ‘Making a Difference in People Practices’, Cytel Statistical Software and Services Pvt. Ltd. for ‘Best Technology and Innovations Practices’ in Large Business category while Rubiscape won it in the Emerging Business category. Privacera was honored in the ‘Biggest Leap in AI’ category.
 Abhijit Atre, Member of the Executive Committee of SEAP presented the vote of thanks.

On occasion, seen from left- Dada Deshpande, Dr Sridhar Shukla and Vinita Gera

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