Dr. Rajaram Bala is based in Texas.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has announced the creation of a brand-new endowment created specifically to encourage young Indian Americans in the field of medical research.
The endowment was created by Dr. Rajaram Bala, a plastic surgeon based in Texas who is a member of AAPI, the largest Indian-origin medical body in the entire US. The income from this endowment, which is being set up as a perpetual endowment, will be used for the Best Research Award presentation at this year’s AAPI convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Bala’s endowment is meant to foster renewed interest in medical research, which he believes is crucial for advancing human understanding of their greater medical field and enhancing the healthcare provided by doctors and other medical practitioners. Bala says that his donation is not charity, but is philanthropy, with the difference being that the former offers a temporary relief while the latter actually solves problems.
The exact amount of the endowment that Bala has given was not disclosed by AAPI, but organization President Jayesh Shah lauded Bala for setting it up and providing the initial funding to get it off the ground, saying “I believe in innovation and that the way you get innovation is you fund research.” Shah also called on other AAPI members, of which there are about 1,500, to create endowments of their own.
Originally from Tamil Nadu, Bala attended Stanley Medical College for his M.D. degree before completing his post-graduate studies in surgical medicine in India. After that, he immigrated to the US, where he completed his medical training at Westchester College in Valhalla, New York and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Currently, Bala is the Chief of Plastic Surgery at Christus Santa Rosa Medical Center, a leading cosmetic surgery facility in San Antonio, Texas. He has been employed there for 35 years. He will also be involved with the Best Research Award to be given out during the organization’s annual convention, which has already seen 42 entrants compete for the endowment.
The AAPI annual convention begins on Wednesday and goes throughSunday, Sunday, June 29. The main event will be walk-a-thon hosted by reigning Miss America Nina Davuluri, as well as an appearance by Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, the team that just won the NBA Finals.