Vol. 31 No. 52 December 30, 2013 A Weekly Space Coast Business Magazine
BIMDA Medical Expo and CME Conference at Hilton Melbourne
By Ken Datzman
Dr. Ravi Shankar is the 2014 president of
the Brevard Indo–American Medical
Association, which was named the 2012
'Organization of the Year’ by ‘Florida Today’s’
annual Volunteer Recognition Program.
Dr. Shankar, a radiation oncologist, is president
of Cancer Care Centers of Brevard. BIMDA will
host its 12th annual Medical Expo & CME
Conference April 26 at the Hilton Melbourne Rialto.
Dr. Murali Krishna, secretary; Dr. Subhash Rege, treasurer; and dentist Dr. Mohammed Mujeeb, joint secretary. “We have a great team in place for 2014,” said Dr. Shankar. Its member’s spouses have also played an important role in BIMDA’s long–running success as an organization. "They deserve a lot of acknowledgement for the work they do, especially at our events, such as the annual BIMDA Medical Expo & CME Conference,” Dr. Shankar said. “They play a big role organizing the volunteers and making sure everything is taken care of in order to make the Expo a well–rounded function and a great success in the community. There are so many people and groups that are key to BIMDA’s success.” Dr. Shankar says BIMDA has the "ability to make things better in the medical community by getting area physicians, dentists, and allied-health professionals on board with the organization. And, obviously, we do have great support from the hospital systems in the county — Health First, Parrish Medical Center, and Wuesthoff Health System.”
Pharmaceutical companies and related businesses have supported BIMDA’s mission, as have specialty groups in the area run by physicians.
Dr. Shankar said that BIMDA is also rallying support from the Brevard County Medical Society, a professional and scientific organization of medical and osteopathic physicians. It is the local affiliate of the Florida Medical Association.
“We’re reaching out to organizations as we evolve, and we are definitely evolving at a pretty good pace,” he said. A radiation oncologist, Dr. Shankar is president of Cancer Care Centers of Brevard, headquartered in Melbourne with offices in select markets around the county.
When Dr. Shankar moved to Brevard County from Tampa in 2006, where he was with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, the first local organization he joined was BIMDA. “I’d heard about the good things they were doing and I wanted to be a part of that.” Now he is leading BIMDA, an organization that has flourished each year with its changing volunteer leadership and committee members. “Because of the accomplishments of the previous BIMDA presidents and their teams, I am able to make a smooth transition as the 2014 president,” said Dr. Shankar.
“Glad Kurian and Dr. Mahesh Soni, as well as the past BIMDA president Dr. Rao Kopuri, have helped me a lot in learning about the running of this organization. It’s a big undertaking. You have to be devoted to the mission.” BIMDA was founded by Dr. Soni, a practicing pediatrician who has been part of the Brevard medical community since 1985, and Kurian, a financial advisor and senior investment management consultant locally with Morgan Stanley.
Their organization started informally with the gathering of physicians in the area who talked about challenges in their fields. “BIMDA has come a long way since the days of those informal meetings,” said Dr. Soni, in a recent “BBN” interview about how the organization evolved in the early years. Kurian, an MBA graduate of the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, serves as BIMDA’s honorary executive director. He has been widely recognized by publications and associations for raising the visibility of BIMDA around the state.
BIMDA has more than 160 members and is looking to reach the 200 mark. Membership is $1,000 per physician, or $1,500 for two physicians in one family, said Dr. Shankar. “That’s where our operating budget comes from.” For more details about membership, visit www.BIMDA.com or call 952–0853.
BIMDA is an affiliate of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. The AAPI represents more than 40,000 physicians and roughly 15,000 medical students, residents, and fellows of Indian origin in America. Based in Oak Brook, Ill., with its legislative office in Washington, D.C., the AAPI is a forum to enable Indian–American physicians to excel in patient care, teaching, and research, and to pursue their professional and community affairs.
While BIMDA is comprised of many people of Indian origin, it’s open to all physicians, dentists, and allied health professionals in the region, said Dr. Shankar. “We want to stress that point in the community as we grow.” As president of BIMDA, Dr. Shankar has been working behind the scenes planning for the 12th annual Medical Expo & CME Conference, a full–day event put on by BIMDA. It will be held on Saturday, April 26, at the Hilton Melbourne Rialto.
BIMDA conducts two such events a year. The other one is in November, BIMDA’s annual Medical Conference. This year, the keynote topic for the Medical Conference was “The UCF College of Medicine — Our Health, Our Community, Our Future!” The program included Dr. Deborah German, vice president of medical affairs, dean, UCF College of Medicine. “It was another successful Medical Conference for BIMDA, very informative,” said Dr. Shankar.
BIMDA’s flagship program is the annual Medical Expo & CME Conference hosted each April. The event includes continuing medical education seminars, featured speakers, exhibits, and is capped off with a private banquet in the evening.
“At the Expo, there are sessions covering every branch of medicine and dentistry. Attendees have the opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and improvements being made in the field of medicine and dentistry,” said Dr. Shankar.
The continuing medical education units for physicians and allied health professionals are offered free of charge at the Expo. “We bring in speakers and specialists in the various areas of medicine. We are hoping to disseminate knowledge to all the physicians in Brevard County, who probably have very busy practices and are not able to attend meetings on a timely, regular basis.” Sixty–two boards require continuing medical education for license reregistration. Some states also mandate CME content, such as end–of–life palliative care.
The CME sessions start in the morning, said Dr. Shankar. “We would love for physicians and allied–health professionals to attend these meetings, because this type of knowledge is very tough to get in such a short period of time.” Five or six specialists will be making presentations. “It’s a wonderful program and format, with fresh information and the discussion of cutting–edge trends in the industry.”
The medical lectures and scientific exhibits of the program run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There will be lectures on electronic medical records, health–information technology, and other key instruction for the health–care community.
“Health care is undergoing a lot of changes right now — health–law changes, changes in the practice of medicine, and changes in information technology, for example. And I think that BIMDA has been doing a great job scheduling speakers from the various health–care sectors.” Drastic changes are also taking place in the demographic structure of the United States. An estimated 22 percent of the population will be over the age of 65 by 2030, and the fastest–growing cohort of this group will be people over 75.
The aging of the population — coupled with more people purchasing health insurance — will present significant health challenges and the need to ensure that the medical infrastructure can support the needs of the sick and chronically ill patients who are likely to seek medical care as a result of the Affordable Care Act. The fact that consumers have access to e–health applications has important implications for both patients and providers. “Health infomatics is going to be huge going forward in the field of medicine,” said Dr. Shankar. “And this will be one of the topics addressed at the Expo.” He continued, “We could never offer the CME units without the active support of the hospitals in the area, the pharmaceutical industry, allied medical groups, and specialty groups run by the various physicians. All of them play a big role in bringing this event to fruition.”
Today, we are witnessing unprecedented development and diffusion of technology into all aspects of everyday life, especially in the field of health care. It influences the delivery of services, in–home monitoring, and interactive communication between patient and physician. In addition to the BIMDA conferences, the organization is also known for its charitable work in the community and beyond. “We do offer every year a certain amount of sponsorship money that is collected for charities in need. We have helped a wide range of organizations, from the Boys and Girls Club, to the Brevard Schools Foundation.”
This year, BIMDA’s efforts will be directed to Florida Tech’s Scott Center for Autism Treatment, said Dr. Shankar. The Scott Center specializes in working with children with autism and other related disorders by implementing procedures based on the science of applied behavior analysis. “The Scott Center is making a big impact in them community,” he said. Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during a child’s first three years of life. However, half of all autism cases are not detected until a child is school–age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. The Autism Society of America estimates that autism may affect up to 4 million Americans in the next 10 years.
BIMDA’s charitable work has reached far beyond Brevard County. A number of BIMDA members have been involved in the work of international missions, including Dr. Soni, Dr. Kanti Bhalani, Dr. Silas Charles and Dr. Mukesk Aggarwal, a longtime area ophthalmologist. In 1997, Dr. Aggarwal, a past president of BIMDA, started a small clinic in northern India that became a 150–bed hospital staffed with six physicians and about 100 health–care professionals. “We’re very proud of our members’ charitable work locally and internationally. We do have a far reach,” said Dr. Shankar.
