News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Community News India Times (August 22, 2026 - August 28, 2026) August 28, 2026 9 Indian American Physicians Hold Leadership Retreat In New York N ewYork City, August 15, 2026 —The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) convened its national leadership in midtown Manhattan at Utsav Restaurant on August 15, 2026. The retreat brought together AAPI’s senior leadership, distinguished speakers, and members from across the country for an afternoon dedicated to discus- sions on collaboration, strategic vision, and strengthen- ing organizational unity, a press release from AAPI said. Hosted by AAPI President Dr. Meher Medavaram, the retreat underscored AAPI’s commitment to advancing physician leadership, enhancing community engage- ment, and shaping the future of Indo-U.S. healthcare collaboration. In her address, Dr. Medavaram said, “As physicians, we are trained to diagnose, treat, and heal. But our responsi- bility—and our potential—extends far beyond the walls of our clinics and hospitals. Clinical excellence gives phy- sicians credibility. Leadership gives us the opportunity to transform that knowledge into broader impact.” Setting the tone for the Retreat as a way to encourage the young physicians of Indian origin to come forward and take on leadership roles, Dr. Medavaram said, “One of our greatest opportunities today is to develop the next generation of physician leaders—not only in medicine, but in every field where decisions affecting healthcare and our communities are made. We need young physi- cians to step forward in healthcare policy, advocacy, research, technology and artificial intelligence, entre- preneurship, public health, education, media, and civic leadership.” She called upon AAPI members and leaders to “open the doors, create mentorship opportunities, and give younger physicians a seat at the table. We should encour- age them to serve on hospital boards, professional or- ganizations, government advisory committees, research institutions, and community organizations.” Pointing to the younger physicians, Dr. Medavaram said, “Do not wait until you feel completely ready. Step forward. Speak up. Get involved. Leadership is developed through experience, mentorship, and the courage to accept responsibility. Because when we develop young physicians as leaders beyond medicine, we are not just building the future of our profession—we are building the future of healthcare and our communities.” The retreat included speeches from renowned Indian American physicians, viz., Dr. Samin K. Sharma, Direc- tor of Interventional Cardiology at Mount Sinai, who spoke on innovation, clinical excellence, and the evolv- ing landscape of cardiovascular care; Dr. Anil Sharma, Interventional Pain Physician, who offered perspectives on multidisciplinary care and the importance of leader- ship in shaping patient-centered practice models; and Dr. Padmini Murthy, Global Health leader and Professor Emeritus of Public Health, who emphasized the impor- tance of physician advocacy that enhances effective public health policies, global engagement, and the need for uplifting humanity. “Healthcare leadership today requires not only clinical expertise but a commitment to global responsibility,” she noted, underscoring AAPI’s longstanding role in interna- tional health initiatives. The retreat was chaired by Dr. Sunita Polelalle, with AAPI Past President Dr. Dayan Naik serving as Co-Chair. The afternoon was spent discussing organizational priorities, upcoming initiatives, and the association’s expanding national footprint. The retreat also highlighted AAPI’s partnerships, including support fromMount Sinai and Ameriprise, By a StaffWriter Some of the leaders of AAPI meeting at a retreat in New York City at Utsav Restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, where Dr. Samin Sharma of Mount Sinai was also recognized PHOTO:AAPI CFO Of Boston-Area Spinal Device Company Sentenced To Four Months in Prison for Kickback Scheme B OSTON – The Chief Financial Officer of SpineFrontier, Inc., a spinal implant company, formerly based in Malden, Mass., has been sentenced for a kickback scheme to bribe sur- geons to use company products in exchange for sham consulting fees. Aditya Humad, 41, of Cambridge, Mass., was sen- tenced on Aug. 6, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to four months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $9,500 fine. In May 2026, Humad pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute. Humad was charged in September 2021 along with Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, SpineFrontier’s Founder, President and CEO. Humad conspired to pay and direct the payment of over $540,000 in bribes to surgeons in the form of sham consulting fees for work they did not perform. Humad conspired to bribe surgeons to use SpineFrontier’s prod- ucts, and in turn, SpineFrontier received millions of dol- lars in revenue from surgeries the surgeons performed. Humad conspired with SpineFrontier to enter into contracts with surgeons, agreeing to pay the surgeons between $250 and $1,000 per hour for purported consult- ing for SpineFrontier. In reality, however, Humad directed SpineFrontier to pay the surgeons for using SpineFron- tier’s products. Although the surgeon-consulting program was purportedly directed at gathering technical feedback about SpineFrontier’s products, Humad used the bribes they paid pursuant to that program to induce surgeons to use SpineFrontier’s products in surgeries that were paid for by federal health care programs such as Medi- care, Medicaid and the Veterans Health Administration. Additionally, the surgeons frequently spent only a small fraction of their reported time, if any, performing actual consulting. Humad previously agreed to pay a fine pursuant to a civil settlement agreement, including a fixed amount totaling more than $150,000 (including interest) and potential additional contingency payments based upon his annual income. In May 2025, Chin pleaded guilty to making false state- ments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He was subsequently sentenced in August 2025 by Judge Talwani to one year of supervised release with the first six months to be served in home confinement. Chin was also ordered to pay a fine of $9,500 in addition to $40,000 he personally agreed to pay as part of a related civil settle- ment and $855,000 that his wholly-owned company agreed to pay as part of the same settlement. In related criminal prosecutions, in August 2020, sur- geon Jason Montone, D.O, 50, of Lawson, Miss., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and obstruction. Medical device distributor John Bal- zer, 48, of Lenexa, Kan., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and one count of wit- ness tampering. Montone and Balzer are scheduled to be sentenced in September 2026. In related civil enforcement, in March 2020, five doc- tors agreed to pay civil settlements to resolve allegations of accepting sham consulting fees in violation of the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute: Dr. F. Paul DeGenova agreed to pay $486,985; Dr. Michael Murray agreed to pay $330,668; Dr. Joseph Shehadi agreed to pay $323,419; Dr. Agha Khan agreed to pay $310,843; and Dr. John Atwater agreed to pay $105,149. In April 2020, Dr. John Carlson agreed to pay $1.75 million dollars to resolve the same allegations. Extracts from DOJ Press Release REPRESENTATIONAL PHOTO.