The 34th annual convention of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) will be held at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square in New York City from June 30 to July 4, 2016.
Expected to have a record attendance of more than 2,000 people including doctors, medical trainees and students, people from academia and research organizations, members of the media, and the public, this gathering “offers extensive academic presentations, recognition of achievements, professional networking, and evening social events,” AAPI president Dr. Seema Jain said in a news release.
This year’s event will feature Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a 59-year-old Indian author, mystic and yogi known simply as Sadhguru, who will address the convention attendees. He leads the Isha Foundation that provides yoga programs worldwide.
“Having Sadhguru at the convention with his unique ability to make the ancient yogic sciences relevant to contemporary minds, and to act as a bridge to the deeper dimensions of life, will make the convention and the delegates from across the nation, richer in so many ways. His approach does not ascribe to any belief system, but offers methods for self-transformation that are both proven and powerful.” said Dr. Rita Ahuja, chairperson of this year’s convention.
Named one of ‘India’s 100 most powerful people’ by the Indian Express in 2012, “Sadhguru is a yogi and mystic who works tirelessly towards the physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of all. His work has deeply touched the lives of millions worldwide through his transformational programs,” she pointed out.
Sadhguru has been quoted as saying “we need to create a culture of health in society, instead of investing in just healthcare. What we call feeling healthy, is not just the absence of disease, but having a sense of wholeness within us. If we feel like a complete being in our body, mind and spirit, that is when we are truly healthy.”
An author, poet, and internationally renowned speaker, Sadhguru is known for his wit and logic. He has been an influential voice at major forums including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, the UK House of Lords, and the popular Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) and others.
“Your success in this world essentially depends on how well you can harness the prowess of this body and this mind,” Sadhguru has said. To dedicate his life for the service of humanity, he established Isha Foundation, a non-profit organization supported by over three million volunteers worldwide.
It provides yoga programs and undertakes large-scale humanitarian projects for rural upliftment, education for the underprivileged, environmental restoration, as well as holistic and healthy living. The foundation’s activities are designed to create an inclusive culture and establish global harmony.
“I have no mission of my own. It is just that when you see a certain need around you, you do what you can do – that’s all. But I have a dream, that someday, walking on a street anywhere in the world, I would be able to meet lots of enlightened or realized beings. That would be the greatest blessing to happen to the world,” Sadhguru says.
This year’s AAPI convention is being organized by its New Jersey chapter. Among other offerings, it will provide six plenary sessions, a first-ever multi-segment CEO Forum, and a women’s leadership forum for the first time, 12 hours of continuing medical education (CME) to physicians, product theaters, and promotional opportunities to marketers.
Among those speaking at the convention will be well-known people, Nobel prize winners, U.S. presidential candidates, senators, congressmen, and governors, and celebrities from the Bollywood and Hollywood.
Representing the interests of the over 150,000 physicians of Indian origin (about 15 percent of the 1,030,000 total doctors in the United States in 2012, according to Statista), the 34-year-old AAPI is the largest ethnic organization of doctors, medical trainees and students in the country. Its annual convention provides a venue for medical education programs and exchange of ideas on health and other issues.
AAPI leaders and members also help develop the nation’s health policy agenda, working with the U.S, Congress. For sponsorship and promotional opportunities, and other information, go to: www.aapiconvention, www.aapiusa.org, and most importantly, http://isha.sadhguru.org
