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
Engaged Community—Expanded Reach:
Community members touched
Participants completed AIM to Prevent Program
Increase in screening, education, and coaching service touchpoints delivered
Annualized enrollments in prevention programs, up 19% year-over-year
Donor and volunteer stakeholders
Physicians referring patients for lifestyle medicine services
Reduced Risk—Improved Participant Outcomes:
In participants followed-up over a 7 year study period
At least 5% drop in weight (vs. 48% of patients tracked nationally)
At least 0.2% drop in HbA1c (vs. 2% of patients tracked nationally)
Earned National Recognition and Credibility:
American Heart Association
Centers for Disease Control
United States Congress
California State Assembly
The County of Santa Clara
Nurse Professional Advisory Committee
The American Society for Preventive Cardiology
Forged Partnerships—Increased Access:
Research partners with Mass General, MIT / Harvard, and Stanford
World-wide Education and Coaching Partner
US-based clients Prevention Programs Partner
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
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)