Our Story
During the years of 2002-2004, El Camino Hospital Emergency Department admissions indicated that only 3% of the population served by the hospital were South Asian, but represented a disparate 6% of all acute myocardial infarction (MI) cases. Also, heart disease seemed to be striking South Asians at a younger age and more malignantly than the general population. So in 2006, with the financial support of philanthropists in the South Asian community and the El Camino Hospital Foundation, the South Asian Heart Center was established at the El Camino Hospital as a non-profit response to the epidemic of heart disease striking the urban South Asian population. Today, the Center helps the South Asian community (people who originate from the Indian subcontinent countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal) reduce the incidence of heart disease and diabetes, with its unique and comprehensive AIM to Prevent program.
Our Vision
To be the leader in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in South Asians.
The Center's Mission is to reduce the high incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in South Asians with a culturally appropriate lifestyle approach, and through community awareness, education, screening, coaching, and research.
Our Strategic Initiatives
The Center's strategic initiatives are designed to provide best in class, evidence-based, lifestyle-centric, risk reduction methodology to South Asians and their physicians.
Outreach
- Be where South Asians are.
- Build relationships in the South Asian community to raise awareness of the health disparity.
- Promote the Center as the "family's defense to the epidemic".
- Seek our participants’ commitment to help those in their sphere of influence -- family members, friends, co-workers, employees, professional, religious, and cultural affiliates -- enhance lifestyles and reduce risk.
Prevention
- Co-locate South Asian Heart Centers in urban areas with large South Asian populations.
- Include effective, affordable, minimally-invasive, emerging/advanced screenings and innovative lifestyle management technologies to prevent disease to enhance health and longevity.
- Track sustained improvement in lifestyle and risk reduction in program participants.
Education
- Increase the community of trained, collaborating, and referring physicians and healthcare organizations.
- Create a formal network of physicians affiliated with the Center.
- Provide physicians with practice guidelines and culturally appropriate resources to address the epidemic.
Research
- Publish risk prediction standards for South Asians in peer-reviewed journals.
- Study the effectiveness of the Center’s AIM to Prevent program.
- Examine longitudinal impact of lifestyle changes on morbidity and mortality.
Our Accomplishments
Involved the community in healthier lifestyle behaviors:
AIM to Prevent program participants to-date
Achieved 150min/wk physical activity target
Reached 4 servings of vegetables/day target
Reduced heart disease risk in AIM to Prevent program participants:
Improved cholesterol ratios
Bettered triglyceride levels
Identified with previously undiagnosed hypertension
Engaged physicians and medical groups:
Physicians trained on epidemiology
Collaborating physicians referring patients to Center
Established partnership with PAMF
Published Research
- Collaborated with Stanford, UCSF and PAMF research programs
- Presented posters at ACC, ADA, and AHA conferences
- Published in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, Diabetes and Vascular Research, International Journal of Cardiology, and Ethnicity and Disease
Awards
- U.S. Congress Award of Distinction (2012)
- Santa Clara County Asian Heroes Award (2012, 2013)
- Association of Fundraising Professionals Award (2009, 2013)
Our Team
South Asian Heart Center was created and is supported in part by:
Our Directors and Staff
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LinkedIn ProfileLeela Kunhiraman
MD, DipIBLM, RPSGT Health Education Coordinator Diabetes Prevention Program Educator
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LinkedIn ProfilePrajakta Waingankar
Ph.D., DipIBLM Heart Health Coaching Coordinator Diabetes Prevention Program Coach -
LinkedIn ProfileCecile Currier
CEO CONCERN: EAP Vice President, Professional, Corporate & Community Health Services El Camino Hospital -
LinkedIn ProfileErika Deshmukh
MS, RDN,CDCES, DipACLM, MB-EAT Health Education Coordinator Diabetes Prevention Program Educator
Heart Health Coaches
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Sukanya Sekar
Heart Health Coach -
Jai Pattathil
B.Com, PG (Mktg) Heart Health Coach -
LinkedIn ProfileMaithili Bobde
MCA, NBC-HWC (National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach) Heart Health Coach
Advisory Councils
Philanthropic Council
Bhavna and Kapil Agarwal
Romina and Kelly Ahuja
Sharvari Dixit and Yatin Mundkar
Vibha and Girish Gaitonde
Sandhya and Prem Jain
Kalpesh Kapadia
Satish Mansukhani
Priti and Sanjay Mittal
Datta and Girish Shah
Pallavi and Rajendra Shah
Sudnya Shroff and Nickhil Jakatdar
Sheetal and Anil Singhal
Sujatha and Krish Suresh
Simran and Rajiv Thadani
Sowmya Vellanki
Scientific Committee
Dr. Anuradha Chirala
Dr. Archana Bindra (El Camino Health, SVMD)
Dr. Alka Kanaya (UCSF, Masala Study)
Dr. Deepu Nair (PAMF)
Dr. Latha Palaniappan (Stanford)
Dr. Chad Rammohan (PAMF)
Dr. Ron Sinha (PAMF)