AAPI honors co-founder Dr. Navin C. Shah with Lifetime Achievement Award

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has awarded its Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Navin C. Shah, a co-founder of the organization. The honor recognizes his decades of leadership and advocacy, including his role in ending discrimination against foreign medical graduates in the United States.

Dr. Shah, a urologist based in Maryland, grew up in Pune and graduated from BJ Medical College. He helped establish AAPI in 1982 after appealing to Indian medical associations across the country. The organization was formed with two main goals: fighting discrimination against foreign medical graduates and improving healthcare in India.

As AAPI's second president, Shah built a coalition of physicians from more than 100 countries to push for equal treatment. The campaign led to federal legislation in 1992, signed by President George H.W. Bush, that established greater equality for foreign medical graduates.

Shah said AAPI also expanded its mission in India through medical education programs, physician training, and hospital support. He expressed gratitude for the award and reflected on the organization's beginnings, noting that he contacted 12 association leaders to form the national body.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is among AAPI's highest honors, recognizing members who have demonstrated exceptional vision and long-standing contributions to the organization.