ABOUT US

OUR HISTORY

In 2010 a group of young vascular surgeons of South Asian descent started meeting regularly to share anecdotes about patient care, professional advice, and form a supportive community. While this group initial served in primarily a social capacity the SAAVS quickly grew in membership and it became apparent that both the personal and career development of South Asian vascular surgeons could and should be supported by the SAAVS. The SAAVS serves as a voice for vascular surgeons of South Asian descent.  Our organization raised money to provide multiple scholarship opportunities for resident/fellow exchanges between the south Asian subcontinent and the USA as well as a resident research competition to support and engage the future leaders of vascular surgery. We participate heavily in the Vascular Society of India and have crafted guidelines and presented within this international forum.
From the beginning, our society has been fully inclusive. We defined “South Asian” in the broadest sense to include not only those from East, Southeast, and South Asia, but also the Middle East. Regardless of ethnicity, membership and inclusion in all activities associated with SAAVS is open to anyone who has an interest in promoting underrepresented populations in any arena of vascular surgery. We welcome you and hope to serve as your voice on the national front!

OUR MISSION

The Mission of South Asian American Vascular Surgery Society (SAAVS) is to serve as an international organization for Vascular Surgeons of South Asian heritage.
The Society is dedicated to the improvement of vascular health in the South Asian diaspora as well as the South Asian Subcontinent by fellowship, education, collaborative research, exchange and collaboration with regional as well as national vascular societies within the United States of America and throughout the world.
SAAVS strives to foster the careers of vascular surgeons of South Asian origin by mentorship and research opportunities.
The Society aims to serve as an inclusive organization for medical students, trainees and fellows to network, and provide a platform for presentation of their research activities.
The Society is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in education, training and research as it relates to vascular disease and amongst its members.

FOUNDING MEMBERS

  • Suresh Alankar MD
  • Sateesh Babu MD
  • Mohan Das MD
  • Kapil Gopal MD
  • Sachinder Hans MD
  • Shahid Haque MD
  • Ani Hingorani MD
  • Krishna Jain MD
  • Zafar Jamil MD
  • Karthikeshwar Kasirajan MD
  • Brajesh Lal MD
  • Rajesh Malik MD
  • Chittur Mohan MD
  • Ragu Motaganahalli MD
  • Manikyam Mutyalal MD
  • Deepak Nair MD
  • Lakshikumar Pillai MD
  • Hiranya Rajasinghe MD
  • Bhagwan Satiani MD

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
Neelima Katragunta MD, FACS
Associate Professor
Program Director Vascular Surgery Fellowship
University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
 

PRESIDENT-ELECT
Abishek Mohapatra MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital

TREASURER
Shipra Arya MD
Standford University School of Medicine

FELLOWSHIP/RESIDENT/STUDENT LIAISON
Mallika Gopal MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Rutgers University Hospital/NJMS

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Anahita Dua MD MS MBA
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School

PAST PRESIDENTS

  • 2010 Krishna Jain
  • 2011 Bhagwan Satiani
  • 2012 Brajesh Lal
  • 2013 Dipankar Mukerjee
  • 2014 Anil Hingorani
  • 2015 Ravi Veeraswamy
  • 2016 Faizal Aziz
  • 2017 Raghu Motaganahalli
  • 2018 Sachinder Hans
  • 2019 Kris Soundararajan
  • 2020 Nav Gupta
  • 2021 NiKhil Kansal