Over the past ten years, the Desai Family Foundation (DFF) has collaborated with several organizations in the United States and India. Programs and events supported via these collaborations include:
Health Seminar: Talk on Heart Disease among Indians by Dr. Enas A. Enas
The Desai Family Foundation hosted its third Health Seminar on February 20, 2010 in Burlington, MA.
The FREE Health Seminar focused on the high risk of heart disease in the Indian community, how to prevent it, manage it, and even reverse the dangerous but treatable killer disease. The seminar was led by Dr. Enas A Enas, a world-renowned cardiologist who discussed his findings of over 25 years of patient care and research into heart disease among Indians. Dr. Sudesh Kannan also discussed his secrets of lifestyle changes that have helped him go from a couch-potato to a marathon runner. The seminar was followed by a 30 minute Q & A session.
Based on the book:
HOW TO BEAT THE HEART DISEASE EPIDEMIC AMONG SOUTH ASIANS:
A Prevention and Management Guide for Asian Indians and their Doctors
by Enas A Enas MD, FACC with Sudesh Kannan PhD
Publisher: Advanced Heart Lipid Clinic (2005), 350 pages, 56 Figures and 112 Tables
ISBN: 0976995301 | www.cadiresearch.com
Testimonials:
"As a South Asian who values your health and quality of life, you owe it to yourself and your families to listen to Dr. Enas and Dr. Kannan. You will see a comprehensive and compelling presentation that provides both the evidence that South Asians have a far
higher disposition towards heart disease and more importantly, solutions that can keep you healthy and vibrant. This is a must see presentation. It completely changed my thinking.
Harsh K. Chicago, Illinois
"How to Beat the Heart Disease Epidemic among South Asians" is the new bible for understanding, managing and preventing heart disease and living longer, for Indians. Can anyone of us afford not to read it?
Dr. M.P. Ravindra Nathan
Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin (AAPI)
Please contact Dr Sudesh Kannan at seminar@cadiresearch.com for any questions.
Women's Health Seminar: Early Detection & Prevention of Cancer
The Desai Family Foundation hosted the first in a series of Health Seminars designed specifically for Indian American Women on November 21st, 2009 in Burlington, MA.
DFF has been very active in health outreach in rural village in India, such as Talangpur, Gujarat, however this was part of our effort to bring health education stateside.
The FREE Health Seminar, Women's Health Seminar: Early Detection & Prevention of Cancer, focused on the four most prevalent types of cancer in women in the Indian American community. "Our goal was to create a forum where women can come together and feel comfortable learning about common issues that aren't often addressed or spoken about, and I think we achieved that today" Nilima Desai, Trustee of Desai Family Foundation.
The seminar was led by two health experts who discussed early detection and prevention. The interactive group discussion was designed to be fun and engaging, and helped to provide basic descriptions of the four main cancers women face with applicable practical advice.
Doctors Purnima Sangal (Minimally Invasive Gynecological Surgeon) and Janaki Vardahan (General & Breast Surgeon) led a highly interactive 90 minute discussion to a full house of 40 women. Only female attendees were allowed to attend this seminar in order to encourage an open and honest dialog.
"Excellent event, very well organized, speakers were wonderful". - Said Dr. Manju Sheth who attended the seminar.
The successful seminar was well attended, well received, and helped to bring a bit of practical knowledge to the South Asian home. The Desai Family Foundation hopes to continue these types of seminars in the spirit of its mission.
For questions or inquiries contact:
Megha Samir Desai
Director
Desai Family Foundation
Desaifamilyfoundation.org
megha@desaifamilyfoundation.org
Health Seminar - Managing Diabetes & Heart Disease: Heart Healthy Eating
The Desai Family Foundation hosted its first ever Health Seminar in the United States on July 11th, 2009. The FREE Health Seminar, Managing Diabetes & Heart Disease: Heart Healthy Eating, focused on the two most prevalent diseases in the Indian American community. “Despite having moved thousands of miles away, our community here in America is still afflicted with Diabetes and Heart Disease at an alarming rate. We wanted to develop a seminar that educates on healthy eating habits, but doesn’t ignore our Indian palette.” Says Samir Desai, President of the Desai Family Foundation.
The seminar was led by three health experts who discussed disease prevention and management as well as provided a guide to eating heart smart and healthy Indian food. The interactive group discussion was designed to be fun and engaging, and helped to bring preventative research home into the Indian kitchen and with applicable practical advice.
Doctors Om P. Ganda (Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism), Dr. Vikas Desai (Cardiologist) and Sangeeta T Pradhan (Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist) led a highly interactive discussion to a packed house of nearly 100 attendees. Our host, Rakesh Kamdar (CEO and President of DB Healthcare) helped to take questions from the audience to make this a truly interactive seminar.
The successful seminar was well attended, well received, and helped to bring a bit of practical knowledge to the home. The Desai Family Foundation hopes to continue these types of seminars in the spirit of its mission.
This year DFF celebrated its inaugural Sensational India! Festival on April 4th-5th, 2009 at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Ma. This Indo-Centric Art & Cultural program provides an annual opportunity to celebrate India’s artistic and cultural heritage through a multi-faceted program that includes an exhibition of Indian art, dance, music, lectures, films, family events, lectures or symposia, social events, and related activities. For two days, the program brought to life the sights, sounds and tastes of Indian culture and was attended by roughly 2,500 people. Our guest of honor, award-winning actress and cookbook author Ms. Madhur Jaffrey dazzled the audience with an incredible lecture including experts from her latest book, Climbing the Mango Trees. This is an annual event – so if you missed out on the fun this year, join us next Spring!
For more on the Peabody Essex Museum click here and to see press coverage on the event click here.
Community Impact at Columbia University
For the last 10 years, the Desai Family Foundation has worked with the Community Impact (CI) at Columbia University in the City of New York. Community Impact is an organization whose goal is to serve disadvantaged people in the Harlem, Washington Heights, and Morningside Heights communities in Manhattan. It aims to “provide high quality programs, advance the public good, and fosters meaningful volunteer opportunities for students, faculty, and staff of Columbia University.”
CI also provides food, clothing, shelter, education, job training, and companionship for residents in its surrounding communities. It consists of a dedicated corps of more than 950 Columbia University student volunteers participating in 25 community service programs, which serve more than 8,000 people each year. CI has partnerships with more than 100 community organizations and agencies who do service work in the Harlem, Washington Heights, and Morningside Heights communities, including service organizations, social service offices, religious institutions, senior centers and schools. Many of these organizations refer their clients to Community Impact's programs and work collaboratively to positively influence residents' lives. The Desai Family Foundation has given financial grants to CI every year for the last 10 years to support its programs. The foundation has assisted CI in its fundraising efforts. Moha Patel, a DFF trustee, serves on the Board of Directors for CI. For more information about CI, please go to www.columbia.edu/cu/ci/about/index.html.
Each year DFF contributes to the Columbia Community Impact Annual Spring Benefit Auction. This year the auction brought in upwards of $180,000! For more information on Columbia Community Impact please click here.
Gujarat Earthquake Disaster Relief Operations
Gurjar (Gujarati Association of New England) raised funds and sponsored projects for the devastating earthquake that hit the state of Gujarat, India on January 26, 2001. The Desai Family Foundation worked extensively to support Gurjar’s efforts to provide necessities like food and shelter, and long term rehabilitation projects to rebuild and sustain communities that were devastated by this natural disaster. Mr. Samir Desai, a DFF trustee, accompanied Former President William J. Clinton during his visit to review the damage and rebuilding process and to further assess future needs. The efforts resulted in working in concert with non-profit organizations to initiate and complete several projects.
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- Artists’ Sheds (Dhamadka)
- School (Saurashtra)
- Hospital (Near Anjar)
- Ajarakhpuo (Vatsalya Mandir)
- Housing Reconstruction (KUTCHH)
- Trade Sheds (Bhadreshwar)
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Contemporary Indian Art Exhibition |
 The Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University sponsored “Tiger by the Tail,” a contemporary Indian art exhibition. This exhibition was designed to feature Indian female artists who are leading the way as Indian art breaks forth on the global scene. Socially engaged and politically active, these artists are interrogating the experiences of women in India through their art. The project included a traveling exhibition of original art, a scholarly illustrated color catalogue, an interactive symposium, and videotaped interviews with the artists. |
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The Desai Family Foundation sponsored the Gateway Bombay exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum and series of programs in conjunction with the exhibition to explore life in Bombay/Mumbai through Indian artists. The dynamic art exhibition probes the city’s complex urban culture, inner realities and countless human history. The exhibit runs through December 7, 2008. For more information, please go to http://pem.org/exhibitions. |
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Student Scholarship Programs |
The Desai Family Foundation has worked with the Middlesex Community College (MCC) Foundation, Daniel Webster College, and many Indian community organizations, to support and raise money for student scholarships. At MCC, the Desai Family Foundation has been actively involved in their Celebrity Series Program. The Desai Family Foundation co-chaired and assisted in annual auctions to raise money for student scholarships at Daniel Webster College. The Desai Family Foundation has also worked with organizations such as American Indian Forum for Political Education, Gurjar, and others to support student internships and activities.
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The Desai Family Foundation has supported Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE) in its efforts to raise funds for charitable projects to meet the needs of poor and uninsured patients. IMANE is the oldest association of Indo-American physicians/dentists founded in 1978 and represents over 5,000 physicians, dentists, and medical residents in New England.
The Desai Family has worked with Lahey Clinic for more than two decades. Upon learning of the Clinic’s desire to move to the suburbs, Mr. Samir Desai was most instrumental in arranging meetings and garnering support for the move to Burlington, MA in 1980. Since then the Desai Family Foundation has continued to offer logistical and financial support, offering suggestions, advice and important contacts to inform and implement their strategic imperatives. The Desai Family Foundation has discussed with Lahey Clinic their desire to have a positive impact on the prevention of disease that affects the Indian community through education, awareness, and cultural change, both in the United States and in India. The DFF also supports both the Future of Medicine Initiative at Lahey and Lahey’s Global Outreach Program.
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