The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has conferred its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on Maryland urologist Dr. Navin C. Shah, recognizing the organization’s co-founder for decades of leadership, advocacy, and contributions to Indian American physicians and global healthcare initiatives.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is among AAPI’s highest honors, recognizing members who have demonstrated exceptional vision, service, and long-standing contributions to the organization.
Shah, who grew up in Pune and graduated from BJ Medical College, played a pivotal role in the fight against discrimination faced by physicians who earned medical degrees outside the United States. His advocacy helped lead to federal legislation in 1992 that established greater equality for foreign medical graduates.
After accepting the award, Shah told The American Bazaar that he was grateful to AAPI’s leadership for the recognition and reflected on the organization’s beginnings.
“As president of the Indian Medical Association (Washington, DC) in 1981, I appealed through the Embassy of India’s newspaper India News to all existing Indian medical associations to form a national body of physicians of Indian origin,” Shah recalled. “Later, I contacted all 12 association leaders, and in 1982 AAPI was formed.”
Shah said AAPI was created with two major goals: fighting discrimination against foreign medical graduates (FMGs) in the United States and helping strengthen healthcare and medical education in India.
READ: Dr. Navin Shah: an immigrant surgeon’s inspiring fight for equality (
As AAPI’s second president, Shah helped build a broad coalition of foreign-trained physicians from more than 100 countries to advocate for equal treatment.
“Once I became AAPI president, I found out about blatant discrimination against FMGs,” Shah said. “Among all FMGs, Indians were a major group. I approached other national groups and united them under one umbrella.”
The campaign eventually led to a landmark victory.
“We got a lobbyist and fought for equality in the U.S. Congress,” Shah said. “After about seven years of struggle, Congress passed the equality bill, and President George H.W. Bush signed it in March 1992.”
Shah said AAPI also expanded its mission in India through medical education programs, physician training, specialty development, and hospital support.
“As AAPI president and later as education director, I started continuing medical education programs, trauma care training for surgeons, infectious disease initiatives, and equipment donations to hospitals in India,” he said.
Over the decades, Shah said, he worked with Indian government leaders and healthcare officials to strengthen medical education and patient care. His current efforts include prostate cancer screening initiatives and partnerships between U.S. and Indian medical institutions, including collaborations involving BJ Medical College in Pune.
Congratulating Shah, Vandana Agarwal, Chair of the AAPI Awards Committee 2026, said the honor reflects his lifelong contributions.
“The honor is a magnificent testament to your decades of dedication, leadership and outstanding contributions to AAPI,” Agarwal said in an email. “Your vision and unwavering commitment have not only shaped our organization but have also set a remarkable standard of excellence.”
READ: Sans infectious disease specialists, India paid the price during Covid: Navin Shah (November 20, 2022)
She added that Shah’s legacy would continue to inspire future generations of physicians.
Shah’s journey mirrors the evolution of AAPI itself. The Kolhapur, Maharashtra, -born physician moved to the United States to pursue medicine and became a leading urologist in the Washington, D.C., area. Alongside his medical career, he helped build one of the most influential Indian American professional organizations and became a leading voice for foreign-trained physicians.
He later chronicled his life and advocacy in his book, “Karma and the Destiny of an Indian American Surgeon,” which traces his journey from India to becoming an AAPI co-founder and a champion for Indian American physicians. The book was published by The American Bazaar.