Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE) celebrated its 30th Anniversary in high spirits at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on November 22, 2008. Besides the annual meeting, the event featured talks on a wide variety of topics, cocktail reception hosted by Jessica Guo and Parul Vaid at Merrill Lynch, fine music and dinner.

The dinner keynote speaker was Dr. Aaron Lazare, former dean and chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, who spoke about “The Power of Apology”, and the associated embarrassment, humiliation, empathy and sincerity. “Even though it is believed that an apology from the physician to the patient will lead of malpractice suits, recent evidence and research shows that apologies actually lead to a decrease in malpractice claims, said Lazare.

Dr. Manorama Mathur, in her final role as the outgoing president, talked about IAMNE’s emphasis on charity work, the ‘Observership’ program started by Dr. Apurva Gupta for immigrant doctors to help them secure a medical residency here, the numerous health fairs around New England, and the free health centers in Worcester and Waltham.

Dr. Nasir Khan, the new president of IMANE, outlined his vision for the coming year which includes increasing membership, attracting younger physicians, forming alliances with various associations and working with media to increase its visibility.

Last but not the least; the 2008 Community Service Award was awarded for the first time to a woman physician, a long time resident of the Boston area, Dr. Chander Kapasi. “Given the demands of a physician, wife and mother, it is very difficult for women to be involved in Community Service. I thank my parents and family, especially my husband for all his support and understanding over the years,” said Kapasi. The lucky winner of the raffle sponsored by Merrill Lynch was Sandeep Arora.

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