Sudhir M. Parikh, M.D.
Chairman Emeritus
Sudhir M. Parikh, M.D., is one of the most honored Indian Americans. Topping the honors is the 2010 Padma Shri conferred on Dr. Parikh by the President of India, Prathibha Patil. With this award, Dr. Parikh has become the only Indian American to receive all three of the most prestigious awards – The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and the Padma Shri. He is the recipent of the 2006 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, bestowed on non-resident Indians (NRIs) by the government of India. The U.S. Congress recognized this honor by mentioning his achievements in the Congressional Record. He's also a recipient of the 2005 Ellis Island Medals of Honor, the highest civilian honor for U.S. immigrants, for his lifetime of community service. In 2002, he received the National Excellence Award from former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in recognition for his philanthropic activities, at the 6th annual meeting of the Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) in Washington, D.C. In recognition of his efforts on Capitol Hill, Dr. Parikh was appointed member of the National Leadership Advisory Committee of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans in 1999 by the Chairman of the India Caucus, U.S Congressman Gary Ackerman (D) of New York.
Publishing
Dr. Parikh is the Chairman and Publisher of Parikh Worldwide Media Inc., the
largest Indian-American publishing group in the United States. The group publishes
four periodicals – "News India Times," a national weekly newspaper; "Desi
Talk in New York," a weekly newspaper serving the New York-New Jersey-
Connecticut region; and "Desi Talk in Chicago," a weekly newspaper serving the
Greater Chicago area and the Midwestern states; and "The Indian American," a
national bimonthly feature magazine. The combined circulation and readership
of these publications make the media group the most influential in the
ethnic Indian market.
Advocacy
As a leading advocate for India with the U.S. Congress and government for
the last two decades, Dr. Parikh has been responsible for bringing a number of
American political leaders to serve the cause of U.S.-India relations. He was, for
instance, personally responsible for Congressman Elliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Rush Holt
(D-N.J.) and Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) joining the Congressional Caucus on India
and Indian Americans. In recognition of his efforts during the 1990s, he was
invited to join the delegation that accompanied President William Jefferson Clinton
during his historic visit to India in March 2000. As a (founding) member of the
Indian American Republican Council (IARC) and a number of other organizations
lobbying Congress, Dr. Parikh has worked tirelessly for the fruition of the
U.S.-India nuclear deal. Dr. Parikh used his personal relationship with a number of
American politicians – including New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine and the state's former governor Christine Todd Whitman, Senator Charles Schumer of New
York, Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Congressmen Benjamin Gilman,
Frank Pallone and Gary Ackerman – to rally political support for the nuclear deal
and foster a strategic partnership with India. Recognizing his efforts as part of
the core group that lobbied for the nuclear deal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
personally acknowledged Dr. Parikh's contributions during his visit to the U.S.
last year. Dr. Parikh also has been a cultural ambassador of India in the United
States. To this end, he has often been a Grand Sponsor of India's Independence Day
celebrations that have been held in New York City for the past 25 years. He also
advanced the cause of the Indian-American community through his leadership
of organizations like the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), Indian American
Forum for Political Education (IAFPE), where he was instrumental in starting a
Congressional Internship Program for second-generation Indian Americans to
work in the U.S. Congress.
Philanthropy
Dr. Parikh is a patron of several philanthropic organizations, including the
American India Foundation, and has contributed generously to select causes in
India and the United States, including to the rehabilitation of the Gujarat earthquake
and Tamil Nadu tsunami victims. Dr. Parikh accompanied President
Clinton when he visited Gujarat to assess the impact of the earthquake in 2001.
He's closely involved with the Share and Care Foundation, a nonprofit helping the
poorest of the poor in India. From 1995 through 2005, Dr. Parikh funded a
scholarship program for undergraduate students in the Indian-American community
through the Share and Care Foundation. He has been a dedicated
patron of Ekal Vidyalaya in the tribal areas of India. As a physician, Dr. Parikh is
particularly gratified by his effort to raise substantial amount of funds for the
Gujarat Cancer Society and the Nargis Dutt Foundation. Thanks to his commitment
to advancing Indian culture and values in general and to the temple in particular,
Dr. Parikh has been named the "Grand Benefactor" of the Vraj Shrinalhajee
Temple in Pennsylvania.
Medicine
Dr. Parikh is a leading allergist in the United States and has received international
acclaim in the field of allergy, asthma and immunology. He is a Diplomate
of American Board of Allergy and Immunology, Clinical Associate Professor at the
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, a Fellow of the American College of
Allergy & Immunology and Trustee of American Association of Physicians of
Indian Origin (AAPI). He's also a Fellow, Allergy/Immunology (Adult and
Pediatrics) at the New York Medical College and Metropolitan Hospital Center,
New York.
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