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O’Connor Society Award Recipient

I’m honored to be recognized as an O’Connor Society Award recipient by St. Joseph’s Foundation of San Joaquin, CA, for my continued support and commitment to philanthropy. This recognition is a reflection of my belief in giving back to the community and contributing to causes that make a lasting difference. “Your dedication to philanthropy is truly making a lasting impact on our community.”— Óscar Segura, Philanthropy Manager, St. Joseph’s Foundation of San Joaquin A heartfelt thank you to the Foundation and the incredible team at Dignity Health® for this recognition. Hi Dr. Punnam,  We were honored to recognize you as an O’Connor Society Award recipient for your incredible generosity and commitment to St. Joseph’s Foundation of San Joaquin, CA. Your dedication to philanthropy is truly making a lasting impact on our community. Since you weren’t able to attend the event, I would love to schedule a time to personally present your award to you. Please let me know a date and time that works best for you, and I’d be happy to coordinate. Thank you again for your support and generosity. I look forward to celebrating this well-deserved recognition with you soon! Best regards, Óscar Segura Philanthropy ManagerSt. Joseph’s Foundation of San Joaquin Dignity HealthⓇ A member of CommonSpirit  1800 North California Street Stockton, CA 95204

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AAPI Spring Governing Body Meeting

I had the privilege of attending the AAPI (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) Spring Governing Body Meeting held on March 29th, 2025 in the vibrant city of Nashville, Tennessee. This meeting was an important milestone as we came together to make key decisions that shape the future of the organization. One of the major highlights of the session was the successful amendment of the AAPI Bylaws, ensuring that our governance framework evolves in line with the changing needs of our members and the broader community. In addition, we reviewed and approved the operational budget, laying a solid foundation for AAPI’s strategic initiatives in the year ahead. Transparent financial planning continues to be a cornerstone of our organization’s sustainability and impact. The day concluded with a vibrant and well-attended Fundraising Gala, where we celebrated our shared mission and raised support for future programs. It was heartening to witness the generosity and commitment of our members and supporters.

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AAPI Organizes National Retreat for 130 Physicians in The West Coast

Had the pleasure of hosting American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) West Coast Retreat in association with AAPI President Dr Sateesh Kathula and my Co-Convener Dr Anjali Gulati. What started as a smallexperiment in a quiet/beautiful boutique hotel Wine & Roses in even quieter town of Lodi, CA, grew to about 130 Doctors coming from all over US. We were able to share pure joy and world-class educational lectures with the audience glued to the seats and yearning for more, even though the ambience and the weather being beautiful. The Retreat offered an exceptional mix of continuing medical education (CME) by eminent speakers, networking opportunities, delicious food, a winery tour, a grand gala, and a vibrant entertainment.Dr. Sreekar Reddy, Consul General of India, San Francisco, was an Honored Guest at the event. Participants at the Retreat celebrated Women’s Day with the Pink/Red Theme, honoring the achievements and accomplishments of women. A standout feature of the retreat was the “Hearts of AAPI,” where numerous Doctors participated in creating heart-themed artwork on canvas, concept by Dr. Jignesh Patel The presence of national leadership added special importance to the event. Prominent among those who had attended the event were: Dr, Satheesh Kathula, President; Dr. Sunil Kaza, BOT Chair; Dr. Raj Bhayani, Secretary; Dr. Hetal Gor, BOT Member; and, Regional Directors Dr. Ram Singh and Dr Srini Gokarakonda; Past President, Dr Sudhakar Jonnalagadda; and, Past BOT Chair, Dr Seema Arora. AAPI Bay Area Chapter President, Dr Shashwathi Kale, BOT Chair Dr Amara Balakrishnan, EC members Dr Deepa Rathi, Dr Rinku Srivastava, Dr Meenakshi Jain and CME Chair, Dr Pankaj Vij. Geetesh Iyer, an Indian Raga creative director, singer-songwriter, and a Grammy Award nominee, based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, provided entertainment with his excellent rendition of Indian songs.  News Links: https://theunn.com/aapi-organizesnational-retreatfor-physicianshttps://theindianeye.com/2025/03/15/aapi-organizes-national-retreat-for-physicians-in-the-west-coast    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

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Sep 2020 Project Lead, OGKTMA House Staff PPE Project

Proud of OGKTMA for raising $60,000 towards House Staff Personal Protective Equipment in our Osmania, Gandhi and Kakatiya Medical Colleges, Telangana. Case Fatality Rate in India for COVID 19 has been <2% so far. But the same in Healthcare Personnel has been >12% unfortunately, due to the high viral load they get exposed to in COVID wards. Keeping that in view, we from Telangana Medical Alumni of US (OGKTMA) donated best in class N95 masks (U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certified) that filters at least 95% of airborne particles. Enough for 4-6 weeks for all the > 2400 Post Graduates and interns working in Osmania and Kakatiya Medical Colleges. They were distributed to house staff by concerned Principal’s Dr Shashikala & Dr Sandhya respectively! Also distributed to Gandhi Medical College house staff.

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May 2020 Aneesh Punnam

Happy to see my son Aneesh stepping up to the challenge! He made 200 of these face mask straps to make it easier for the nurses to wear the face mask throughout the day in this COVID crisis. He used a 3D printer to make these Face Mask Straps. Donated it to the Chief Medical Officer, St Joseph Medical Center Dr Scott Neeley to be distributed to them.

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May 10 2021 Chair ATA Health Committee

Unprecedented Crisis, Uncharted territories and Unimaginable Humanitarian efforts-  For the first time, funds were not an issue. The bottle neck was the supply of medical equipment. What seems to be a simple task of buying and shipping turned out to be arduous due to the various logistical issues to surmount. AAPI was able ship 1000 lifesaving concentrators out of which we procured 50 for ATA with kind cooperation of concerned presidents Dr Sudhakar and Mr Bhuvanesh. ATA volunteers in Hyderabad swung into action and distributed them quickly to MGM Hospital, Warangal, district hospitals and rural hospitals at Mulugu, Karimnagar, Banswada, Jadcherla, Mahabubnagar, Achampet, Nagar Kurnool, Narayanpet, Wanaparthy and at Yagna foundation in Vikarabad.

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June 2021, Chair, AAPI Covid Relief

Quite grueling spell of activity! Donors all over the US reposed immense faith in American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) to help Indian healthcare system during the second wave of Covid. With its vast network of foot soldiers, AAPI is able to deliver the most needed medical equipment to the diverse regions of India in the crucial acute phase of second covid wave in India. Our main theme was helping out non-profit and government entities which are doing great service and could do better if provided more help. Ultimately the most deprived and underprivileged should get the much-needed medical help as we grappled with the pandemic! We have already delivered about 2000 oxygen concentrators for primary healthcare centers and isolation centers. American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) Donated 100 Ventilators and 100 High Flow Nasal Canula Machines to 45 Hospitals all over India as part of the Covid Pandemic Relief Efforts! State City Name Ventilators High Flow Nasal Canula Machines Andhra Pradesh Madanapalle Dist-Chittoor Mary Lott Lyles Hospital 1 2 Andhra Pradesh Kakinada Government General Hospital 3 4 Andhra Pradesh Kurnool General Hospital 3 4 Andhra Pradesh Kuchipudi Sanjeevini hospital 1 2 Andhra Pradesh Tirupathi SVRR Government General Hospital 2 2 Andhra Pradesh Guntur Guntur General Hospital 3 2 Assam Guwahati Marwari Hospital 2   Bihar Patna Mahavir Arogya Sansthan 2   Bihar Aurangabad Sadar Hospital 2   Chhattisgarh Rajnandagaon Christian Fellowship Hospital 1 2 Gujarat Ahmedabad Civil Hospital 3 4 Gujarat Nadiad Dharam Sinh Memorial Hospital 1 1 Himachal Pradesh Shimla Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital   2 Himachal Pradesh Tanda Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College 1 2 Himachal Pradesh Hamirpur Dr Radhakrishnan Medical College 1 2 Himachal Pradesh Nahan Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar Medical College 1 2 Himachal Pradesh Mandi Lal Bahadur Government Medical College 1 2 Himachal Pradesh Chamb Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College 1 2 Karnataka Bangalore SDA Medical Center 1 2 Karnataka Chikmagalur District Hospital 3   Karnataka Bangalore Victoria Hospital 3 4 Kerala Perinthalmanna EMS Memorial Charitable Trust 1 4 Kerala Thrissur Amala Cancer Hospital Society 1 2 Madhya Pradesh Padhar, Dist: Betul Padhar Hospital 1 4 Maharashtra Pune BJ Government Medical College/Sasson Hospital 2   Maharashtra Latur Sai Foundation 2   Maharashtra Mumbai Holy Spirit Hospital 1 2 Maharashtra Aurangabad Nimai Hospitals 2 2 Mizoram Falkawn Zoram Medical College 4   Orissa Jharsuguda District Headquarter Hospital 2   Rajasthan Mount Abu RMM Global Trauma Hospital 2 2 Sikkim Gangtok New STNM Hospital 2   Tamil Nadu Thanjavur Thanjavur Medical College Hospital 2   Tamil Nadu Coimbatore Coimbatore Medical College Hospital 2   Tamilnadu Vellore Christian Medical College and Hospital 4 6 Telangana Medak Government Hospital 1 1 Telangana Hyderabad Yagna Foundation Hospital, Vikarabad 2   Telangana Bibinagar AIIMS 1 2 Telangana Hyderabad Nijam’s Institute of Medical Sciences 3 4 Uttar Pradesh Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU, BHU Hospital, Varanasi 4 4 Uttar Pradesh Kanpur Kanpur Civil Hospital 8 8 Uttar Pradesh Lucknow King George Hospital 10 10 West Bengal Kolkata Ramkrishna Mission Seva Prathistan 2 4 West Bengal Joka, Kolkata Bharat Sevashram Sangha Hospital 2 4 West Bengal Belur Sramabiji Hospital 2  

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June 6 2021, Project Lead, OGKTMA for Covid Relief Work

Unveiling of OGKTMA Concentrators by Honorable Governor of Telangana and President Tamilisai Soundararajan, Indian Red Cross Society, Telangana State Branch at Raj Bhavan on the eve of Telangana formation day. From 25 minute onwards in the video byte! https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=947678389404347&id=362293827176369 Could’nt have asked for a better partner than Red Cross Telangana Unit for this humanitarian effort of supplying oxygen concentrators to Red Cross Oxygen Banks Other like-minded Non-profit organizations catering to Primary Health Centers in Warangal, Mahboobnagar, Nagarkurnool, Karimnagar, Nalgonda etc in Rural Telangana and other charitable organizations like Helping Hand Foundation Agarwal Foundation JCI, Secunderabad Dignity Drive Foundation Robinhood Foundation Sevodagam Foundation,  Hyderabad and Dr KV Reddy Lions Hospital, Bodhan, Nizamabad Distribution of 196 Oxygen Concentrators donated by Osmania Gandhi Kakatiya and Telangana Medical Alumni Association of America to the beneficiaries held at Indian Red Cross Society, Telangana State Branch Headquarters, Hyderabad. Another 200 were distributed to teaching hospitals like Osmania, Nizams, Kakatiya and primary health centers through organizations.

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