AAPI initiates Summit on Opioid Crisis at 36th Annual Convention

Vanila M. Singh, Chief Medical Officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is Keynote speaker

Every day, more than 115 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. In 2015, more than 33,000 Americans died as a result of an opioid overdose. More than 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total "economic burden" of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement.

According to The New York Times, of the estimated 2.1 million Americans currently in the grip of opioid addiction, many are women of childbearing age. The young-adult population has been hardest hit, proportionately, with nearly 400,000 adults ages 18 to 25 suffering from addiction to prescription painkillers (the vast majority) or heroin.

“It is in this context, for the very first time ever, a summit on the Opioid Crisis in the United States has been planned as part of the upcoming AAPI’s 36th Annual National Convention & Scientific Assembly, to be held from July 4-8, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio,” said Dr. Gautam Samadder, President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. This initiative of AAPI is being put together by Convention team and headed by Dr. Nikesh Batra.

“The summit scheduled to be held on Friday July 6, 2018 9:00am - 12:00pm during the Convention is aimed at educating and creating awareness among the delegates at the convention on the growing opioid crisis, and how the physicians can play a vital role in preventing and containing the fast growing epidemic in the US,” Dr. Samadder added.

Vanila M. Singh, Chief Medical Officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be the keynote speaker. Singh serves as the primary medical advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health on the development and implementation of HHS-wide public health policy recommendations.

“The essence of AAPI is educational,” Dr. Naresh Parikh, President-Elect of AAPI, said. “That translates into numerous Continuing Medical Education and non-CME seminars by experts in their fields. The Summit on Opioid Crisis will provide a platform for AAPI members to discuss and deliberate on effective ways to combat this national crisis, that is claiming hundreds of thousands of lives, affecting millions of families across the nation.”

The convention includes CME and DME accredited courses as well as variety of panel discussions, presentations and a research competition. There are forums for AAPI Young Physicians Group (AAPI YPS) and for AAPI MSRF for medical students, residents and fellows. A nearly sold out Exhibitor Hall includes medical and pharmaceutical products, devices and equipment and medical and dental, practice-related services.”

The opioid crisis has become a public health crisis with devastating consequences including increases in opioid misuse and related overdoses, as well as the rising incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome due to opioid use and misuse during pregnancy. The increase in injection drug use has also contributed to the spread of infectious diseases including HIV and hepatitis C. As seen throughout the history of medicine, science can be an important part of the solution in resolving such a public health crisis.

Dr. Ashok Jain, Chair, AAPI BOT said, “For the first time ever, AAPI is planning a special session on Health Care Law, which will be introduced by Dr. Hemant Patel, where round table discussion will be held between prominent lawyers, federal agencies, medical board and health care practitioner. The topics will include educating physicians about health care laws and how to take adequate precautions. This will be beneficial to AAPI members dealing with legal challenges they face in their practice.”

Also, for the first time, AAPI offers Living Well: The Happiness Program for Health Care Professionals. A unique advanced Physician wellness program that is designed from the ground up by medical professionals, for medical professionals. It’s meant to provide people working in the healthcare field with an opportunity to learn simple practices and utilize them to enhance their physical, mental, spiritual, and social wellbeing.

Giving them a platform to celebrate their accomplishments, the annual convention to be attended by nearly 2,000 physicians of Indian origin, it will also provide a forum to renew their professional commitment through continuing medical educations activities. During the five-day event, attendees will engage with an impressive lineup of notable speakers and cutting edge medical and scientific information blended within a rich cultural backdrop of authentic Indian cuisine, fashion, yoga and entertainment from top Indian performers.
The convention also includes AAPI’s Got Talent, organized by the AAPI physicians, is a chance for all registered guests of the convention to participate and compete in a talent show. It provides a chance for all registered guests of the convention to participate and compete in a talent show. “Physicians are not just about books and work. Our stress, our emotions that we learn to conceal, our tendency to imbibe life’s lessons and take it all as it comes is often channeled into artistic outlets where we let it all flow,” said Dr. Samadder. “Our talent event tagline is true to its word – passion truly meets professionalism in this event!” he added.

AAPI Pageant, organized and supported by AAPI is more than just a title. It’s a movement for empowering women from all walks of life to achieve their dreams. This pageant promotes self-confidence, leadership, poise and public speaking skills as well as the strong presence of beautiful women in our community!” said Dr. John Johnson, Chair of the Convention Organizing Committee.

The 2018 AAPI Annual Convention & Scientific Assembly offers an exciting venue to interact with leading physicians, health professionals, academicians, and scientists of Indian origin. Physicians and healthcare professionals from across the country will convene and participate in the scholarly exchange of medical advances, to develop health policy agendas, and to encourage legislative priorities in the coming year. The AAPI convention will also offer 12 hours of CME credits. Scientific presentations, exhibits, and product theater presentations will highlight the newest advances in patient care, medical technology, and practice management issues across multiple medical specialties.
One in seven patient encounters in the United States is with a physician of Indian origin. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) is the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States, representing over 100,000 physicians of Indian Origin in the United States. Over 2,000 physicians, health professionals, academicians and scientists of Indian origin from across the globe will gather at the popular Convention Center, Columbus, OH from July 4-8, 2018. For more details, please visit: www.aapiusa.org