WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF) Annual Conference 2018

November 17th, 2018Franklin Institute for Science and Technology, Philadelphia

222 N 20th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Franklin Institute for Science & TechnologyPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

9:30 am - 4:30 pm, Saturday, November 17, 2018

9:30 am: Registration and Networking

10:30 am: Inaugural Plenary Session

Ambassador Pradeep Kapur, Chairperson of the Roundtable, University of Maryland Vikas Khurana, Chairperson of the Gala Rajat Gupta, Chairman, WHEELS Global Foundation Harsha Rajasimha, Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI) Paul Davies, Drexel University, Executive Director, Strategic Communications Special Address by Professor Vijay Kumar, Dean of Engineering at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Roboticist and UPS Foundation Professor in the School of Engineering & Applied Science Special Address on “Gender as the Driver for Social Impact” by Ejaz Ghani, Lead Economist, World Bank

Introduction of Inaugural Keynote Speaker by Anil Bhandari, Chairman of Wheels Global Foundation (WGF) Advisory Board

Inaugural Keynote Address by Secretary Jayanti S Ravi, IAS, Principal Secretary & Commissioner of Health, Government of Gujarat, India Session I: Rare and Orphan Diseases - Challenges in India and other Developing Countries: Building on the USA Experience

11:35 am: Introduction of Speaker, Avni B. Santani, PhD, by Stephen C. Groft, Former Director of NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) “The Role of Genomic Technologies in the Diagnosis of Rare Genetic Diseases” Avni B. Santani, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Scientific Director, Molecular Genetics Lab, Director in the Division of Genomic Diagnostics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

11:55 am: “Public Health Policy Covering Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases in India – Recent Progress and the Road Ahead” Dileep Mavalankar, Director, Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF) Annual SummitLeveraging Technology for Enhancing Social Impact

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12:15 pm: Break (to pick up lunch boxes)

12:45 pm: Remarks on Goals of WHEELS Program and Introduction of Keynote Speaker by Suresh Shenoy, President, WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF)

Luncheon Keynote by Abraham Abuchowski, CEO, Prolong Pharmaceutical “The Case of Sickle Cell Disease and Overcoming the Clinical Trials Challenge”

1:05 pm: “Balancing Priorities of Patients with Rare Diseases in India” Harsha Rajasimha, Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI)

1:20 pm: Closing Remarks of Session I by Vikas Khurana, WHEELS Global Foundation

1:25 pm: End of Session I

Session II: Challenges and Best Practices for Scaling Up Philanthropy in Healthcare

1:30 pm: Moderator: Ron Mehta, Executive Director, WIN Foundation

Principal Discussants:

• Dileep Mavalankar, Director, Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Gandhinagar Gujarat, India • Rahul Jindal, Professor, Department of Surgery and Division of Global Health at Uniformed Services University & Walter Reed National Military Medical Center • Thakor Patel, Chairman, Sevak Project • Farid Khan, Senior Advisor- South Asia, IEEE Smart Village - Empowering Off-Grid Communities • Chirag Patel, Founder Chairman, Amneal Pharma

2:45 pm: End of Session II

Session III: Leveraging Technology to Address Challenges Facing Women

2:50 pm: Remarks by Secretary Jayanti S Ravi, IAS, Principal Secretary & Commissioner of Health, Government of Gujarat, India3:00 pm: Moderator: Ritu Khurana, Rheumatology, Crozer- Keystone Health System

Principal Discussants:

• Devesh Kapur, Starr Foundation South Asia Studies Professor and Asia Programs Director at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University • Amita Sehgal, Department of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania • Padmini Balagopal, Registered Dietitian, a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a Board- Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) • Harsha Mukherjee, serial social entrepreneur with expertise in conceptualizing and implementing Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CSR) strategies for private and public sector companies • Sheela Murthy, President and CEO, Murthy Law Firm

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4:10 pm: End of Session III

4:15 pm: Valedictory Remarks: Sumit Goswami, Counsellor (Defence Technology/Science & Technology), Embassy of India, Washington DC

4:20 pm: Closing Remarks and Wrap-up: Rajat Gupta, Chairman, WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF) and Ambassador Pradeep Kapur, University of Maryland

4:30 pm: Conclusion of Session

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Abraham Abuchowski

Dr. Abraham Abuchowski, PH.D. is the developer of the current gold standard technology for protein drug delivery called PEGylation. He was named a Scholar of the Leukemia Society of America for his work in childhood leukemia. He founded Enzon, Inc., New Paradigm Consulting, Inc., and Prolong Pharmaceuticals Inc. Oncaspar, a product he developed, has become the mainstay drug for the treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He is an

internationally recognized authority in drug delivery and has published numerous scientific papers on therapeutic products as well numerous book chapters. In 1991, the National Organization for Rare Disorders awarded him with their Corporate Leadership Award for outstanding commitment to orphan drug development and making enzyme replacement therapy a reality. He is famous as a researcher, university professor, founder of thriving biopharmaceutical businesses, and received numerous awards.

Padmini Balagopal

Dr. Padmini Balagopal is a Clinical Nutritionist, a Board-Certified Diabetes Educator and a Board-Certified International Lactation Consultant and has been practicing in the US for the past 43 years. Realizing the dire need for good work at the grassroots level, she has also been devoting her time and efforts in the fields of clinical nutrition, diabetes and breastfeeding in India also. At the conference, she will be presenting a brief view of the problems that are prevalent in the rural as well as urban areas in the four states where she has worked.

Anil Bhandari

Mr. Anil Bhandari is Chairman of Wheels Global Foundation (WGF) Advisory Board and Senior Vice President of a leading NY Wall Street firm. Prior to joining the Wall Street firm, Mr. Bhandari was with Morgan Stanley for fifteen years as Senior Vice President and member of Chairman and Director Councils. Earlier he was with Bear Stearns for over 16 years and appointed Senior Managing Director in 1999.

Mr. Bhandari graduated from Agra University, India with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1964 and received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1969. Mr. Bhandari received a Master of Industrial Engineering in 1971 and an MBA in 1973, both from Ohio State University. In 1997. Mr. Bhandari received The 1997 IITK Distinguished Alumnus Award. Mr. Bhandari has been a speaker at Euro Money and Institutional Investor global conferences. He has chaired the 2011 Pan IIT NY Global Conference. Mr. Bhandari served on the Board, Advisory Committee and as Treasurer of American India Foundation, a 501 C(3) charity founded by President William Jefferson Clinton. He is currently chair of the WHEELS advisory Board (a 501 C3 charity) and involved with numerous other charities. Mr. Bhandari is currently the Emeritus Member of the Pan IIT USA board.

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Ejaz Ghani

Dr. Ejaz Ghani is Lead Economist at The World Bank. He has worked on Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Corporate Strategy, and Independent Evaluation Unit. He has written on economic growth, macro policies, poverty, employment, entrepreneurship, urbanization, gender, trade, decentralization, and agriculture. He has been a consultant at ILO, UNCTAD, and UNICEF. He has edited several books including Reshaping Tomorrow--Is South Asia Ready for the Big Leap; The Poor Half Billion in South

Asia, The Service Revolution in South Asia; Accelerating Growth and Job Creation in South Asia, Promoting Economic Cooperation in South Asia; and Growth and Regional Integration. He taught economics at St. Anne’s College (Oxford University) and Shri Ram College of Commerce (Delhi University). He is an Inlaks scholar.

Sumit Goswani

Sumit Goswami is Counsellor (Defence Technology) in the Embassy of India, Washington D.C. He is a scientist with the Defence Research and Development Organization, India. He gained his PhD degree and Master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

A text-book titled “Network Routing: Fundamentals, Applications and Emerging Technologies”, co-authored by him has been recently published by Wiley.

Holding the additional responsibility of Counsellor (Science & Technology) in the Embassy, he coordinates activities pertaining to health, science, innovation, and earth & ocean sciences.

Rajat Gupta

Mr. Rajat Gupta is Chairman of WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF), and serves on its board as a key strategist in defining direction and focus of the non-profit organization. Mr. Gupta brings his considerable skills to WGF, along with his leadership associations and advisory roles to many other non-profits such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Mr. Rajat Gupta is a leading Indian-American businessman and Philanthropist who has co-founded successful world class institutions including Indian School of Business(ISB), American India Foundation(AIF), New Silk Route and Scandent Solutions. He was ranked 15th in the nation in the entrance exam for the Indian Institutes of Technology, IIT JEE. He received a Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-Delhi) in 1971 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1973.

Mr. Gupta joined McKinsey & Company in 1973 as one of the earliest Indian-Americans at the eminent consulting company. In 1994, he was elected the firm’s first managing director (chief executive) born outside of the US, and

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then was re-elected twice in 1997 and 2000. Mr. Gupta is widely regarded as one of the first Indians to successfully break through the glass ceiling, as the first Indian-born CEO of a multinational corporation (not just a consultancy). During Mr. Gupta’s tenure as head of McKinsey, the firm opened offices in 23 new countries and doubled its consultant base to 891 partners, increasing revenue 280 percent to $3.4 billion.

Rahul Jindal

Dr. Rahul M. Jindal is a Professor of Surgery and Global Health at Uniformed Services University. Jindal is the author of over 200 manuscripts and 3 books. Jindal’s research work and publications have been cited in text books and have been accompanied by editorials. Jindal had played a crucial role on the medical team that conducted groundbreaking surgery at Walter Reed AMC on Thanksgiving Day in 2009. A 21-year old senior airman, Tre Porfirio was shot three times by an insurgent in Afghanistan; he received the first ever pancreas islet cell transplant after trauma. In addition to his clinical

activities, Jindal co-authored a textbook, “The Struggle for Life: A Psychological Perspective of Kidney Disease and Transplantation.” Dr. Jindal set up the first kidney dialysis and transplant program in Guyana, South America. His team visits Guyana four times a year to perform surgical procedures. This program is being extended to Suriname and the CARICOM countries based on the public-private partnership model. Governor of Maryland appointed Jindal as Commissioner, Office on Service and Volunteerism; Commissioner to the Human Rights Commission, Montgomery County. Jindal was awarded the Fulbright-Nehru Distinguished Chair to carry out research and teaching in India and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, 2015.

Farid Khan

Farid Khan is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, former head of business at Hitachi Software Europe, a senior cybersecurity consultant, published writer and, above all, a humanitarian worker. Frequently cited and published in Computing, Information Age and other technical publications in the U.K. Farid is now on a semi-sabbatical - ambitiously attempting to bring succor to our beleaguered planet!

In 2015, Farid successfully launched the IEEE Power & Energy Society’s Signature Program — IEEE Smart Village, in India. He holds a non-exec position on the Global Steering Committee.

In 2016, National Geographic shot a documentary on Smart Village India, which premiered in the summer of 2017. Based out of UK, he visits India frequently, heads the South Asia program for Smart Village and has extensively written and spoken on technology interventions in Development across Asia, Europe, and the US.

He is an Electrical Engineer with a Master’s in IT Law from the University of London.

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Devesh Kapur

Dr. Devesh Kapur is the Starr Foundation professor of South Asian studies and director of Asia Programs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Kapur is the author of “Diaspora, Democracy and Development: The Impact of International Migration from India on India” (Princeton University Press), which earned him a 2012 Distinguished Book Award of the International Studies Association, and “The Other One Percent: Indians in

America” (with Sanjoy Chakravorty and Nirvikar Singh), for which he received a Choice Outstanding Title of 2017. Before joining Johns Hopkins SAIS, Kapur was a professor of political science and director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India, holding the Madan Lal Sobti chair for the Study of Contemporary India, at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his tenure at UPenn, the Indian American educator was associate professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Frederick Danziger associate professor of government at Harvard.

Kapur received the Joseph R. Levenson Teaching Prize, awarded to the best junior faculty at Harvard College, and Outstanding Teaching in Political Science by the American Political Science Association, in 2005. Devesh holds a doctorate from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota, and a bachelor’s from the Indian Institute of Technology at Varanasi.

Pradeep Kapur

Ambassador Pradeep Kumar Kapur, Chairman of the 2018 WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF-IIT) Summit Conference on “Leveraging Technology for Enhancing Social Impact”, November 17, 2018, Philadelphia, USA (www.WheelsGlobalFoundation.org is a transformational leader and practitioner of developmental diplomacy for enhancing the scope and content of relationships and

business across continents. He served as a Secretary in the Government India, Foreign Service officer, and as a former Indian Ambassador to Chile and Cambodia. He is currently Visiting Clinical Professor, International Trade, Sustainable Development and Security Issues at the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland in the Washington DC metro area, and Faculty Mentor for the student body, DESI (Develop, Empower, Synergize India).

Kapur is also Chairman, Advisory Council, DiplomacyIndia.com and President, International Conference on “Connecting World Heritage Sites and Civilizations”. Ambassador Kapur obtained a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree in electrical engineering and a Master of Technology (M.Tech) in Management and Systems from the IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), Delhi, India, before attending Oxford University where he carried out research on “Technology Transfer, Public Policy and Development Diplomacy.” He speaks French, Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and English.

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Ritu Khurana

Two times a Main Line Today Top Doctor and inducted in Marquis Who’s Who, Ritu Khurana is the founder of “Women in Rheumatology”. She is a practicing physician in a large Hospital system in the suburbs of Philadelphia since 2001. She treats autoimmune diseases and bone metabolism disorders more prevalent in the women population. She has had research published in lung cancer and breast cancer in women. In her free time, she volunteers at the local “shelter for battered women”.

Quote: “Being A Woman Should Be Your Supreme Achievement And Not Your Deepest Fear. Celebrate Womanhood, Fuel Yourself With Self-Confidence And Let That Fuel Empower You To Soar Towards Your Dreams.”

Vikas Khurana

Dr. Khurana is an American Board of Medicine certified practicing physician (Gastroenterologist). He is a former Associate Professor of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia and a former Assistant Professor of Medicine and Computer Sciences at Louisiana State University. Dr Khurana is double board certified and is licensed to practice medicine in the US and India. His experience spans across a variety of healthcare systems – University, Veteran Affairs, Private hospitals, multi-specialty practice, group practice and private practice. Dr Khurana completed his Master of

Business Administration (MBA) from the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania with a major in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management. The rare blend of business and medicine has provided him with a unique perspective and insights on global healthcare delivery, operations and management.

Dr Khurana has served several organizations representing the professional, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. He has served in various capacities in the Department of Veteran Affairs, the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). He has been the founding president of the Greater Philadelphia chapter of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (SOPE). He is judging the submissions for the Wharton Business plan Competition (Wharton BPC) since 2009.Dr Khurana’s research work has been cited in CNN Live, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA today. He has supervised NIH and National VA research studies and has 14 Research Awards, 33 Scientific Paper Presentations and 18 researched peer reviewed journal articles to his credit. He is considered a leading expert in the field of bowel disorders and has authored two books on constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. Dr Khurana has won accolades for his contributions to the fields of medicine and entrepreneurship. He has been elected as a fellow of the American college of Physicians (FACP) and the American College of Gastroenterology (FACG) and the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honors medical society. He received the Snider Seed Award for his Entrepreneurial project at the Wharton Business School.

Dr Khurana was elected and served as the National Treasurer for American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) in 2013-14. He is a medical graduate of the Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, India, and

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has served as President (2010-11) of the alumni association in the USA (MAMCOAANA). He is experienced in various challenges faced in implementing Rural health care projects and has been involved and been on the sites for the Sevak Project in Gujarat, Sankara Eye Foundation in Coimbatore and Rural Telemedicine project in Punjab, India.

His experiences have equipped him with the knowledge and resources to lead the effort on the Health Tract of the Wheels Global Foundation. He is actively looking forward to partnering with individuals and organizations who are willing to enhance global health care both as charity and business model.

Vijay Kumar

Professor Vijay Kumar is Nemirovsky Family Dean, Penn Engineering, and Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), Computer and Information Science (CIS), Electrical and Systems Engineering (ESE) at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Honors and Awards: Elected to National Academy of Engineering - 2013, Fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers - 2005, Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers- 2003, Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching - 1996, NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award - 1991

Vijay studies collective behaviors in biological and robotic systems. He and his group design novel architectures, create abstractions for systems of interacting individuals, and develop new algorithms for cooperating robots. The overarching themes in his research include modeling nature and developing bio-inspired architectures and algorithms, understanding group/individual dynamics, and the design and composition of controllers for robust, scaleable autonomous systems. Vijay’s key challenges include operation in unstructured, dynamic environments, integration of control, communication and perception, and scaling down to smaller sizes with limited actuation, sensing, and computational resources.

He is a member of General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP); Penn Genome Frontiers Institute (PGFI); and Institute for Research in Cognitive Science (IRCS).

Dileep Mavalankar

Dr. Dileep Mavalankar is a medical doctor with MBBS from Gujarat University (1981) and MD (equivalent to board certification -1987 ) in Preventive and Social Medicine from the same university. He also did Master of Public Health (1983) and Doctorate in Public Health (1989) from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University USA. Then he worked at NIH as a visiting fellow before returning to India. In Indian he worked as a faculty member in the public systems group (department) of the well-

known Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad for 20 years - from 1991 to 2010. From 2011 he has been the director of Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, which is now the first public health focused university in India. His work interests includes family planning, reproductive health, maternal health and health system

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management. Recently he has worked on impact of climate change on mortality in India. He worked as consultant to many national and international organizations including Columbia university, USAID, World Bank, Unicef etc. He has published more that 60 peer reviewed journal papers, more than 100 other publications and delivered many more invited lectures in well-known organizations. He was appointed by prime minister of India to the high level Mission Steering Group of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Recently government of India has appointed him to the faculty selection committee of new AIIMS coming up in Andraparadesh, also appointed to the board of governors at new IIT coming up in Goa and Board of governors of NIHFW New Delhi. He is also associated with many NGOs in state and is appointed by national government on important health related committees. In view of his lifetime contribution to development of maternal health in India, the All Indian College of Obgyns (AICOG) have honored him with a fellowship of AICOG. Currently he is busy building an important school of public health in western India called. Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar which is partnership between Gujarat state govt and Public Health Foundation of India.

Ron Mehta

Mr. Mehta was a serial entrepreneur in the plastics industry, who recently sold his last plastics manufacturing business in California in 2012. Over a 24 year period he started, bought, merged and sold several plastic blow molding companies in New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Canada that ranged in size from 5 million to 34 million in sales. Prior to starting Crystal Clear Inc., in New Jersey, his first start up in plastic blow molding in 1990, Mr. Mehta was General Manager at Combustion Engineering Environmental (now ABB) and was President of an

engineering services company in Flemington, NJ called Andersen Engineering Services.

Mr. Mehta was a licensed Professional Chemical Engineer (inactive status) in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 1970 and also received Masters Degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut (1972) and in Engineering Administration from the University of Utah (1974).

Mr. Mehta is the current President of IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation and the former President of IIT Bombay Alumni Association Greater New York. He is passionate about giving back to society and to his alma mater IIT Bombay. Mehta was instrumental in developing and initiating a successful Student Exchange Program between IIT Bombay and The Cooper Union, a prestigious highly regarded Engineering institution in New York City. Mr. Mehta is an active supporter of Clean Drinking Water Plants (CDWP) in remote impoverished villages in India. He is a co-chair of the Water initiative of WHEELS Global Foundation, a US non-profit started by IIT alumni residing in the US.

Mr. Mehta is an active volunteer mentor of SCORE Central Jersey, a non-profit resource arm of the US Small Business Administration. The SCORE Central Jersey Chapter provides completely free mentoring services to help guide individuals and small businesses to start, grow and prosper in New Jersey. Score Central Jersey also conducts free seminars on a wide variety of business related topics throughout the year.

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Harsha Mukherjee

Ms. Harsha Mukherjee is a serial social entrepreneur, having been the Founder and Managing Director of CSR Development Stories Private Limited (www.csrds.net), and International Institute of Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (IICSR) (www.iicsr.com). She also runs a NGO, Ekjaa Foundation (www.ekjaa.org) in Mumbai. With degrees in engineering and management, she conceptualized and implemented Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CSR) strategies for various private and public sector companies and Non-Governmental Organization

(NGOs) worldwide. She developed a CSR education eco-system by curating India’s first Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in CSR, post-graduate courses in CSR and Sustainability.

Her clients included ESSAR Foundation, ALERT India Foundation, and numerous others. She received prestigious awards such as, “Super Woman Achiever (2017)” by Femina – India and “Top 40 under 40 Alternate Investment Professional (2018)”, National Social Entrepreneur Fellow (NSEF–2011), and “CSR Women Leader (2012).”

Sheela Murthy

Sheela Murthy, immigration lawyer, entrepreneur, community leader and philanthropist, is the President and CEO of the pre-eminent Murthy Law Firm. Ms. Murthy is among the Best Lawyers in America © a Super Lawyer. Ms. Murthy is the Chair of the Board of TiE DC, a network of global entrepreneurs. Notable among her many other honors and recognitions are being among Maryland’s Most Admired CEOs, Top 50 Most Influential Marylanders, United Way’s Philanthropist of the Year, and Maryland Innovator of the Year. She was the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the

Year and became a Judge of the program. Ms. Murthy and her husband, Vasant Nayak started the MurthyNAYAK Foundation after the events of Sept. 11th. The firm’s website murthy.com is considered the world’s most popular law firm website with useful and cutting-edge information. Ms. Murthy is passionate about the benefits of immigration to America, about entrepreneurship, motivation, leadership and women’s issues, as she works with others to make the world a better place.

Chirag Patel

Chirag Patel is the co-founder and co -Chairman of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, a leading US based Generic and Specialty Pharmaceuticals company. Chirag’s drive and passion for being at the forefront of innovative medicine have helped transform Amneal from humble beginnings to an influential global presence, as well as leading him to invest in several independent biopharmaceutical companies – Asana Biosciences, Kashiv Pharmaceuticals, Prolong Pharmaceuticals and Adello Biologics which specialize in breakthrough healthcare technologies

and products. Earlier in his career, Chirag co-founded technology companies NextGen Technologies and Veriprise Wireless.

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Chirag’s industry honors include the 2011 Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year Life Sciences Award®. He supports various philanthropic causes and, together with his wife, Priti Patel, established the Niswarth International Foundation in 2013, which aims to bring fresh water, sanitation, nutrition and education to underprivileged children. Chirag serves on the boards of the, Art of Living Foundation, New Jersey City University Foundation, Family Reach Foundation and Liberty Science Center. Chirag received Bachelor’s degrees in Commerce from H.A. College of Commerce, India, and in Business Administration from New Jersey City University. He also received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from New Jersey City University in recognition of his efforts to serve others.

Priti Patel

Priti Patel is the co-founder of the Niswarth Foundation. Along with her husband, Chirag Patel, she sets the overall direction of the foundation and approves its strategies and plans. Priti strongly believes that children are the most valuable resource and what is given to them today shapes their future.

Priti is the proud mother of two boys, Amun and Neal, who also share their parents’ passion for giving back to the community. She is an accomplished artist, specializing in oil paintings, and the owner of an interior design company, Sanskruti Designs LLC, which focuses on integrating the best of East-West cultures.

Priti received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from H.L. College of Commerce in Ahmedabad, India and her degree in graphic design from C.N. College of Fine Arts in India. She also spent a year in the University of Michigan studying graphic design.

Thakor Patel

Dr. Thakor Patel is a Master of the American College of Physicians. He retired from the US Navy as Captain in the Medical Corps after serving with distinction and receiving numerous awards for his service of 23 years. He was instrumental in developing and implementing critical policies on cancer, vascular access for hemodialysis, and hemoglobin A1C standardization as the Program Director for Renal Diseases, Diabetes and Oncology in the Department of Veterans Affairs. He serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services of the Health Sciences in

Bethesda, Maryland. He created the Sevak Project in India with personal funds to bring access to healthcare by utilizing the U.S. Navy ‘corpsman’ model.

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Harsha Rajasimha

Dr. Harsha Rajasimha is Founder and CEO of Jeeva Informatics Solutions and CoFounder Board Director of the Organization for rare diseases India, USA with a 501(C)(3) tax exempt status. After losing a child to a rare congenital disease in 2012, Dr. Harsha Rajasimha got determined to apply his years of post-doctoral clinical genomics data research experience at National Institutes of Health and industry product development experience to develop products and solutions to help accelerate clinical research. Dr. Rajasimha has authored 15 high impact journal publications, 2

book chapters, and inventor on 2 patents. He is a keynote speaker, convener of #DigitalOMICS meetup around the Capital Beltway and other part of several conference organizing committees. Dr. Rajasimha has received numerous Awards for his work in genomics, precision medicine and rare diseases including the Lead India 2020 Award for leadership and outstanding achievement for the cause of rare diseases, NTT DATA Healthcare Life Sciences Silver award for outstanding achievement 2017, Sanofi Genzyme patient advocacy leadership award 2016, Bioscience company of the year 2014, NEI director’s innovation award 2012 for building their genomics cyber infrastructure. Harsha earned his M.S. in Computer Science (2004) and Ph.D. in Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (2007) from Virginia Tech.

Jayanti S Ravi

‘A passion for human development and service to humanity’ best describes the mission of Dr. Jayanti S Ravi, a versatile, multi-dimensional human being. A career bureaucrat and a distinguished speaker, writer, thinker, researcher, innovator and practitioner par excellence are some more attributes that describe her. Dr. Jayanti S. Ravi, IAS has worked as the Commissioner of Schools, Commissioner for

Higher and Technical Education, the Chairperson of the State Board of Secondary Education, Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Rural Development and is currently the Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Health in Gujarat.

She has a Masters degree in Nuclear Physics, MPA from Harvard University & a PhD in Technology enhanced Education from the MS University, Baroda. She has worked as the Collector, Panch Mahals and DDO, Sabarkantha and Director, NAC in the Prime Minister’s Office. She has been a column writer with DNA Newspaper and Frontline, a leading fortnightly, and the Times group. She is a graded artiste with All India Radio and a performing vocalist in Indian music. Her regular talks on the Gita at forums like the Banaras Hindu University and the MS University have been very well received. She has authored case studies, regularly publishes papers in International Journals, guides doctoral students and has been a visiting Faculty at Harvard University. She has been invited to speak at various forums such as the Global Governance Conference at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, Global Leadership Conference and address Vice-Chancellors at the All India Vice-Chancellors conference. She is credited with initiating many transformational changes in the Education, Labour and Rural Development Sectors. She has co-authored a book “Symphony of Fraternity” on Social Enterprise for Human Upliftment. She has been awarded the Littauer Fellowship, Mason Fellowship, the Times Power Woman 2018 by the Times of India for her outstanding contribution in Governance and Public service and the FAS Stree Ratna award of the Fine Arts Society, of Mumbai for outstanding Public Service.

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She championed the Swachh Bharat Mission for Rural Sanitation in the State, leading Gujarat towards an ODF (Open Defecation Free) State. Gujarat, as an ODF state has won recognition from many quarters, including the recent appraisal of the World Bank. As Principal Secretary and Commissioner, Health, she has contributed to the design and implementation of a new paradigm of integrated, behaviour change & demand-based, technology enabled community health services in Gujarat. Her multidisciplinary, innovative and creative approach to problem solving has given outcomes and results that have successfully worked across various sectors.

Avni Santani

Dr. Avni Santani, Ph.D, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Division of Genomic Diagnostics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is also the Director of Clinical Laboratories, Strategic Partnerships and Innovation at the Center for Applied Genomics (CAG) where she oversees the clinical genomics program for the diagnosis of common and rare genetic disorders. Dr. Santani received her Master’s in Medical Molecular Genetics at the University of Aberdeen and her PhD in Genetics

at Texas A&M University. She holds specialty board certifications in Clinical Molecular Genetics and Clinical Cytogenetics.

Under Dr. Santani’s leadership, the multi-disciplinary clinical program at CAG is focused on creating comprehensive genomics program for patients with rare pediatric disorders by forming strategic alliances with pharmaceutical companies, advancing gene discovery, developing comprehensive genetic tests, and developing innovative technologies and informatics tools. Dr. Santani is an experienced leader in molecular diagnostics with years of experience in clinical testing, genomics, strategy and laboratory administration. Her research focuses on leveraging advanced technology and informatics for the diagnosis of rare genetic disorders. Her work in the area of clinical genomics led to her receiving the Innovator of the Year Award (2015) by the Philadelphia Business Journal and Outstanding Contributions to the Prevention of Birth Defects Award by the National China Gene Bank. She is actively involved with several national working groups including College of American Pathologists Genome Medicine Committee, the Association for Molecular Pathology, American College of Medical Genetics and the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute and is considered an international leader in the advancement of genomic medicine.

Anand Shah

Anand Shah is a Senior Advisor with ASG’s India and South Asia practice, where he helps clients manage both short-term challenges and long-term growth opportunities. Mr. Shah brings over 15 years of experience working across the private and social sectors and has significant experience building and growing businesses in India. Before joining ASG, Mr. Shah led global strategy for new ventures at BMW Group on urban impact and autonomous mobility. He also was an Advisor and Manager at Audi AG in the Social Innovation department, where he applied engineering, design,

and manufacturing techniques to sustainable, urban innovation.

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Mr. Shah founded and served as CEO of Saravajal, a technology and market-based provider of clean water to rural villages and urban settlements in Gujarat, India and he holds several patents in drinking water distribution technologies. In addition, Mr. Shah helped establish Ahmedabad University and has worked extensively in India on policy in higher education, solar energy and urban infrastructure. Mr. Shah was the founding CEO of the Piramal Foundation and a co-founder of Teach for India. He also was a co-founder and Executive Director of Indicorps, a non-profit organization that connects the Indian diaspora with opportunities to contribute to India’s development. Mr. Shah also serves as a TED fellow and an Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network fellow. He holds an A.B. in evolutionary biology from Harvard University and studied science, ethics and society at the California Institute of Technology. Mr. Shah is proficient in Hindi and Gujarati. He is based in Washington, D.C.

Suresh Shenoy

Mr. Suresh V. Shenoy is the President for WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF) and serves on its board to provide valuable advice and direction for activities of the non-profit organization. Mr. Suresh Shenoy has been an active supporter of the Capital IIT and Pan IIT Alumni associations and has continued to give his time and talent to WGF as its trusted advisor.

Mr. Suresh Shenoy is Executive Vice President at Alyxtech, Inc., Inc., a Virginia based systems consulting and Technology Company. He recently completed two terms as Chairman of the National Capital region of the American Red Cross and currently serves on the boards of The Kevric Company, IMC Global Services, The Capital IIT Alumni Association and the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Shenoy also serves on the TechAmerica Board of Directors, the Board of Directors for Fairfax 2015 – the biennial World Games of Police and Fire Fighters with 12,000 athletes competing from 80 countries.

His distinguished career includes being the Program Committee Chairman of the PanIIT Global Conference held in Washington, DC in 2005. Mr. Shenoy served as co-President of the PanIIT Alumni Association in North America for the 2006-2008 Term. He also represented Dranesville District on the Fairfax County IT Advisory Board for six years. Mr. Shenoy is a Fellow of the Information Management Congress (Europe) and AIIM International (USA). He has been recognized by IBM Corporation as ‘Information Champion’ for his contributions to Enterprise Content Management technologies for three consecutive years 2009-2012 and received the Distinguished Service Award from his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. In 2010, Mr. Shenoy and his brother Sudhakar, were honored by the Northern Virginia Community Foundation for their leadership and contributions to Fairfax County. He is on the adjunct faculty of the School of Information Technology & Engineering at George Mason University, where he teaches a course in Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation.

Mr. Shenoy has traveled widely throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East, has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (1972), and an MBA from the University of Connecticut (1975).

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