Akanksha Srivastava

Co-Founder & Co-President

Welcome! I’m Akanksha, an M4 at Boston University School of Medicine. I grew up in a quaint New England town and moved to Boston for my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Biology with a focus in cell/molecular/genetics at BU. I took some time off before medical school to explore psychiatry research. My current interests lie at the intersection of women’s health and culturally competent care. During my free time, I enjoy cooking, running, and reading. I’m looking forward to working with SAMSA to achieve our mission.

Email: asri18@bu.edu

Twitter: @akankshasri18

ANEESHA Pydi

Co-Founder & Co-President

Hi there! I’m Aneesha, a current Pediatrics PGY-1 at UCLA. I was born and raised just outside of Los Angeles and then completed undergraduate degree and medical school at Boston University. I am passionate about advocacy in medicine and delivering care with cultural humility. In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors, traveling, going to concerts, and spending time with family and friends. I’m very excited for SAMSA to create a network of future physician-leaders!

Email: aneeshap@bu.edu

Twitter: @AneeshaPydi1

aayush visaria

Research Committee Co-Chair

Hey! I’m Aayush, a PGY-2 in Internal Medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. I’m passionate about research – after completing an MPH in biostatistics at Rutgers, I did a research year at Weill Cornell during medical school and a postdoctoral research fellowship at Rutgers prior to starting residency. I’ve had the opportunity to teach and work with dozens of students over the past 7 years, many of whom have gone on to co-author several studies. My research interests include cardiovascular disease prevention and epidemiology, racial/ethnic disparities in cardio-metabolic health, and lifestyle medicine. I also run American Preventive Screening and Education Assocation (APSEA, formerly North American Disease Intervention), a non-profit focused on diabetes and hypertension awareness. I’ve been fortunate to be able to work with various South Asian research organizations in the past and hope to help close the large gap in South Asian-representative research in the United States through our SAMSA research initiatives, while also providing students with exciting research opportunities.

Email: aayush.visaria@rutgers.edu

Dr. Sunil sahai

Events/Networking Advisor

Dr. Sahai currently serves as a Professor and Division Chief of General Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.  Prior to moving to UTMB in February 2020, he was on the faculty of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.  His undergraduate education was at Tulane University, followed by medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.  He completed residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Sahai has completed a board certification in Medical Quality, as well as a graduate certificate in Health Care Management from Rice University School of Business.  In the fall of 2019 he attended the Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers course at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Dr. Sahai has held several leadership positions at MD Anderson. Of note, he was the Medical Director of the Internal Medicine Perioperative Assessment Center (IMPAC) from 2004-2018.  Dr. Sahai developed the first formal perioperative medicine program at the comprehensive cancer center in the United States. In the fall of 2018, the IMPAC Center merged with the Anesthesia Assessment Center to form the POEM Center. Dr. Sahai is an advocate for patients being a partner in their healthcare and is recognized internationally as an expert in the perioperative care of the cancer patient

Dr. Prerak Shah

Events/Networking Advisor

Dr. Shah has been practicing Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at New England Ear, Nose, Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery in North Andover, Massachusetts. He was graduate of the accelerated Medical Honors Program at the University of Florida and was a resident in General Pediatrics at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois followed by completing his Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery residency at Tufts University in Boston. During medical school, he was co-founder of the Medical Students and Resident Section of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI-MSR).

His current surgical practice has a focus on the management of head & neck cancers and thyroid/parathyroid surgical patients. Dr. Shah has established a unique balance between his community Otolaryngology practice and his affiliation with an academic teaching hospital. Since 2011, he has been a member of the medical staff at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary and a Clinical Instructor in Otology & Laryngology at Harvard Medical School. He has presented at national meetings on the management of head and neck cancer and was recently a member of the Endocrine Surgery Committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. He has been Chairman of the Thyroid & Parathyroid Committee at Lawrence General Hospital and Steward Holy Family Hospital since 2012. He has authored several chapters on Patient Safety and Quality and Practice Administration in Otolaryngology. He also carries a dual board certification in Otolaryngology and Sleep Medicine.

His administrative activities include serving as Treasurer for the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Society of Otolaryngology and Medical Director of FYZICAL Dizziness and Fall Prevention Center in North Andover, Massachusetts. He was the former Chief of Surgery and Operating Room Committee Chair of Steward Holy Family Hospital and former Executive Committee member at Steward Holy Family Hospital. He was also on the Board of Directors for the Merrimack Valley Independent Physicians Association and member of the OR Governance Committee at Lawrence General Hospital.