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