So thank you, everybody, for joining us for this very important session. And for those of you who don't know me, I'm Raman Marwaha, I am the current president of the IMG caucus, and Dr. Goganani's mentee as well. So it is, again, a great, great pleasure for me to welcome you all to the George Tarjan Award lecture delivered by Dr. Raman Marwaha Goganani. Before we begin the lecture, I'm pleased to present Dr. Goganani with the George Tarjan Award. This award was first established in 1992 and is named after APA's first international medical graduate president, Dr. George Tarjan. The Tarjan Award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the enhancement of the integration of international medical graduates into American psychiatry. The call for nominations for next year's award closes on August 15th, so if you know someone who deserves to be recognized, please visit the APA website, look under the George Tarjan Award for instructions on how to submit a nomination. Now let me briefly introduce Dr. Goganani. Dr. Goganani is nationally and internationally recognized for the advancement of international medical graduates for advocacy, organizing skills, and scholarship. He's one of the core organizers, promoters, and leaders on IMG activities and various programs in APA, ACAP, GAP. Dr. Goganani has been chairing the South Asian American Forum in Greater Philadelphia, promoting programs for all the South Asian countries' immigrants. He was also the chair of the GAP IMG committee. Dr. Goganani has presented various, various presentations on IMGs, written book chapters, articles, and presented at APA, ACAP, other organizations as well. Now what I would like to do is I would like to invite a few people so the award can be given to Dr. Goganani so we can take photographs, and then after that, Dr. Goganani will do his presentation, followed by some remarks by some people, some colleagues that he's worked with, some mentees, some mentors, and family members as well. So congratulations, Dr. Goganani. You know, I just, I don't know what to say about getting this award this late in my life, but it is better late than never. But what they said is until Tony Fernandez gets his award, I can't get it. So obviously he got it last year. Thank you, Tony, for getting it before me. I have so many people to thank, but I think I'll go to the lecture first. I thought the right way for me to say it, as well as for all of us immigrants and IMGs, is to thank this wonderful country that gave us a home, opportunities for growth, and opportunities to give, all of it, particularly this time in the world where tempers are flaring, people are blaming each other. I thought this is a good topic, a good time for us to thank each other, thank ourselves, thank the world, and if you believe in God, thank the Lord. I think this is the time. That's why I kind of chose this topic. So because the write-ups are so thick, I want to read these things, though, instead of just giving highlights of it. I love one of these famous quotes by Oliver Sacks, that is, my predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved. I have been given much, and I have given something in return. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure. Beautiful quote. The next, I guess, I know Ramon said this, but I'm going to repeat a little bit what he said. George Tarjan was born in Zosla, Hungary, later, currently, Slovakia, on June 18th, 1912, came to United States in 1939, naturalized in 1943, and his parents were Odon and Margaret Cohn, Tarjan. His sister and brother-in-law managed to escape Hungary in 1940, but his parents were left behind and murdered as part of the Holocaust, and his younger brother also died for similar kind of reasons. And he finally came to U.S. in 1939, but before that, there was quite a bit written about his contributions to APA, ACAP, GAP, mental deficiency, but because of his work, selfless work, he became the president of the APA, president of the ACAP, and president of the GAP, and he was recognized for his work with mental deficiency. He was appointed to the John Kennedy, by John Kennedy administration, for the network of mental retardation centers, and Jimmy Carter named him, in 1977, as president of the President's Commission on Mental Health, and he died on December 7th, 1991, from heart failure. This is a kind of obituary from American Journal of Psychiatry, written in May 1993. I'll read out loud a little bit. A man, this is a long one, though, two pages long, but I just took out a couple of sentences. A man who was known as a genius, a giant, a gifted healer. He was always humble, call me George, don't call me sir. Sensitive to the needs of others, and possessed of that rare ability to instill in his students and colleagues alike the sense that they were important to him. His contributions to medicine, to psychiatry, to child psychiatry, and mental retardation, to professional organizations, including American Psychiatric Association, and to his adopted country in improving the mental health of its citizens have been enormous. He would rather envision us as continuing his optimism and his zeal to extend the use and viability of the causes central to medicine, to psychiatry, and especially to the care of patients. In the words of George's own benediction, take good care. Dilip, you have inherited this from Dr. Tarjan. You have the same qualities as Dr. Jeste. Thank you. George Tarjan Award was started in 2000, I'm sorry, 1992. And the internationally renowned IMGs that served as presidents of the APA include George Tarjan, Dr. Munoz, Dr. Ruiz, who were my mentors. He kind of brought me into APA and social psychiatry. I mean, he was such a wonderful man. And then Dr. Jeste, and the president-elect for three more days, Ramaswamy Viswanathan. And of course, afterwards, he will be the president. The APA FMG Committee was formed in 1979 to be renamed as the Committee on IMGs in 1990. I want to just, again, a few memorable quotes about gratitude. At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with the deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. This was by Albert Schweitzer. Be thankful for what you have. You will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. Oprah Winfrey. She's a positive psychologist, by the way. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. This was a famous quote by John Kennedy. And then Mahatma Gandhi said, the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. That is so Gandhian. The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking place besides the physician and the priest. Dr. William Osler. I'm a big fan of Osler, by the way. He has so many wonderful quotes, wonderful ethics, wonderful philosophies. I use Osler's quotes all the time when I'm teaching students and residents. I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it. And while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them. Clara Barton, nurse and founder of American Red Cross. Whatever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity, Hippocrates. By the way, Osler is an IMG in Canada and the United States. We forget that part often. He's one of our brothers. The next is a definition of the gratitude from other people. The word gratitude is derived from the Latin gratis and refers to the state of being thankful. Gratitude is a pleasant emotion, but it is different from simple happiness because gratitude is typically preceded by perception that one has benefited from another person's generosity. People feel grateful when they have benefited from someone's costly, intentional, voluntary effort on their behalf. Experiencing gratitude motivates beneficiaries to repay their benefactors and extend generosity to third parties. This is very crucial, though. It's not giving back. You extend to others. Expressions of gratitude also reinforce benefactors for their generosity. These social features distinguish gratitude from related emotions such as happiness and feelings of indebtedness. Gratitude is important in creating and sustaining positive social relations. One word about gratitude, though. We feel we have to give back somebody who gave us. No, that's not necessary. You passed forward gratitude to others by giving to others. People who gave you, they don't want anything from you except thank you. Thank them. It's a very important concept. Please, you don't have to pay back gratitude. Give it back to others. That's very crucial. Then what is gratitude? Okay. The words of gratitude from our presidents. Franklin Roosevelt said this is one of my favorite quotes. Remember, remember always that all of us, you and I especially, are descendant from immigrants and revolutionists. Then William Clinton said a wonderful thing. More than any other nation on earth, America has constantly drawn strength and spirit from wave after wave of immigrants. In each generation, they have proved to be the most restless, most adventurous, most innovative, most industrious people. Bearing different memories, honoring different heritages, they have strengthened our economy, enriched our culture, renewed our promise of freedom and opportunity for all. Next is George W. Bush, H.W. Bush. Nearly all Americans have ancestors who braved the oceans, liberty-loving risk-takers in search of an ideal. Immigration is not just a link to America's past. It is also a bridge to America's future. Beautiful, beautiful. The next, these are all three or four quotes, not quotes, like narratives from what I read. As Thomas Fire on June 11, 2016 writes, I was born Fair Thomas in Budapest, Hungary in 1953. My parents, who had survived Nazism and lived under communism, escaped from Hungary in December 1956. My father carried me on his shoulders through the swamp across the Hungarian border into the dead of night of freedom to Austria. In 1957, we arrived at Camp Kilmer in New Jersey and began our new lives in the new world. We became American citizens in 1962. And I worked hard at catching up. I was fortunate enough to attend Princeton University as a National Merit Scholar and graduated from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In a little less than two decades, I had gone from young refugee to your Ivy League graduate. This is not, you're not talking about Jamil. I have been, I have been a journalist for 40 years at the Associated Press. I will always be grateful to my parents who are no longer alive and making the monumental decision to leave Hungary when they were already middle-aged, mainly for my sake. And thank you, America, for taking us in, along with so many others, and giving us a chance. I try to my work to repay you, to contribute to society by promoting a free and robust exchange of ideas, so crucial in our democracy. By the way, my son, Emil, he had 36 papers since September of 2023. Get a figure. He's much smarter than me. What can I say? I'm proud of him. And the next is William Flanagan, writes, we are a nation of immigrants. All of us trace our origins to another land. Our culture is a blended one, from music to food to fashion, traditions from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, come together to form a distinctly American culture. American music would not be same without the Scotch-Irish, Afro-Caribbean influences. Just as California cuisine would not be same without its Latin and Asian influences. Our history and our destiny are so shaped by our diversity. We have to keep this in mind day in and day out, at least during these days of crisis in our country. The early colonists come to this country for a few new opportunity to seek their fortune, escape persecution, and provide a better life for themselves and their children. Others came in chains, but after the end of slavery, slowly found those same opportunities too. Immigrants came to this country today for similar reasons. And we, like the Wampanoag tribe before us, should welcome them. Yes, absolutely. We are irrevocably and proudly immigrant. From the operating room to the cabinet room to the shuttle discovery, immigrants and their descendants created and continue to contribute to the development of this great nation. We hold parades to celebrate our Irish ancestry, festival to spread our Caribbean culture, and our calendar is replete with holidays for every faith group and days in which we commemorate and remember our nation in the nation's history, including Ramadan and Diwali. Our nation celebrates Thanksgiving since 1863 and officially since the first immigrants stepped ashore in Florida, Virginia, and Massachusetts in the late 1500s and early 1600s. Americans of all ethnic and racial backgrounds commemorate the spirit of friendship and welcoming exhibited in particular by Wampanoag tribe in 1621 towards the newly arrived Plymouth colonists. This is an interesting, I want to read this for you guys, though. It applies to most of us physicians. This was written by Dr. Oza, chief of gastroenterology and interventional endoscopy. As an immigrant and one that has lived in four different countries, including one in the Middle East, my view of what July 4th means to me and my family is unique. Happy Independence Day, America. As I celebrate my journey as an immigrant physician in this great country, I am reminded of the incredible opportunities and freedoms we enjoy here. Today, I want to express my gratitude for the United States and the countless individuals who have supported me along the way. On this special day, I reflect the immense privilege it is to contribute to the well-being of this diverse nation. As an immigrant, I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable resilience and strength that define the American spirit. I owe my accomplishments to the patients who have entrusted their health in my care. My colleagues, the colleagues who have inspired me, the mentors who have guided me towards excellence, together we are building a healthier society. The beauty of America lies in its diversity and the richness of its cultural tapestry. It's in the land of opportunity that I have forged lifelong friendships, embracing people from all walks of life. Let's also remember the importance of giving back, in giving back to our communities, whether it is volunteering at local clinics, advocating for healthcare access, or supporting organizations that uplift the less fortunate. We can all make a difference. Together, we can create a brighter future for all. On the 4th of July, I'm filled with gratitude and hope for the land that welcomed my family with open arms and allowed me to pursue my dreams. Without a doubt, opportunities that exist in this country are second to none, and I am forever grateful. Let's continue to cherish and protect the values that make the nation extraordinary. Happy Independence Day from my family to yours. I want to say a couple of words about this. The next one, the wedding picture, I found it, I'll say a little bit more about this. I found this picture last Sunday, right? Sorry, Wednesday, Wednesday, yes, this Wednesday, when we went to the funeral of Madonna Di Giacomo in the picture, the bride. And the next is Joe Di Giacomo, who gave me an opportunity to get residency in America and mentored me until he died four years ago. He tagged me along wherever we went, TV stations, to be on the TV, book chapters in the books, celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve with seven course fish meals. Just, he was my American uncle, and he died four years ago. And the next, it's interesting, look at, there are six people there. One is his daughter, their daughter, Jennifer. The other five, one is from Haiti, one is from West Indies, one is from the African, what, Lebanese, Liberia, there are all five of them, four of them are, five of them are four different countries. They're all immigrants, women. They took care of Madonna like she is their mother. She was bedridden, dying, not, couldn't get up or get out of her bed. They cared day in and day out. That's the immigrant spirit of gratitude. Just when I saw them, I thought I have to take their picture and show it here. Thank you. The next is grateful to all immigrants who make America great. The Thanksgiving, I'm grateful, this is from Bill George. That this thanking, I am grateful to all immigrants who make America great. My grandfather arrived from Holland in 1876, became a house painter. My daughter-in-law's mother arrived from Philippines, raised a doctor and engineer. Buriseku from Ghana at age 15 became a neurosurgeon. Anuson from Laos, who was homeless at age 15, lived with us and became computer expert. Omar from Bangladesh became CEO of Medtronics. Indra from India became CEO of PepsiCo. Ken, whose grandfather was a slave, became CEO of Merck. Nitin from India became Dean of HBS. Guatemalans seeking asylums in America. Courageous Americans who fought and died overseas to help other countries. Jewish refugees escaping the Holocaust who helped build America where would America be without them. They fulfilled the American dream, make America the greatest nation on the earth. Just, this is, I'm not going to read, if you look at what's there, physicians, dentists, nursing, pharmacists, dieticians, medical assistants, dental assistants, optometrists, registered nurses, and licensed medical practitioners. There are almost 20% of them are IMG, immigrants. Twenty percent of the healthcare professionals are immigrants, not just physicians. Fascinating numbers. Just keep that in mind. I'm going to just, for the sake of time, what time is it? Okay, I should stop. Immigrants have contributed greatly to scientific productivity in the U.S. NIMH, journals, American Journal of Psychiatry, JAMA Psychiatry, American Psychiatric Journals, U.S. Workforce, and last one is important, international medical graduates fill gaps in the community mental healthcare and rural healthcare settings. By the way, this is also true not only here, even in England. It's fascinating, most of the England, Australia, wherever immigrants went or settled in the west, western countries, most of the rural medicine psychiatry is practiced by IMGs. What I heard them saying when they surveyed the people, local people, what the difference between IMG physicians and British or local physicians. What they said is local physicians care about my illness. The IMG physicians care about me as a person, not just the illness. Beautiful, beautiful research. This is an interesting numbers here. If you look at the, again, for the sake of time, I'm going to rush through it. IMGs constitute 45% of the deceased from COVID, 1.8 times higher than national average. That number goes to nursing, same thing, other professionals. Why children of immigrants, this is an interesting, what I didn't realize when I was looking for, what I was looking for, how children of immigrants are smarter than children of locals, that's what I thought. What I found is that's not so. All children of immigrants for the last 100 years, 200 years, did better than the natives. Irish, Polish, all of them. Why? Because they have the different drive. They worked at places that nobody wanted to go. They choose specialties nobody wanted to specialize. The combination of psychosocial aspects as well as reality aspects contributed to IMG's children, immigrants' children, to succeed better than locals. That doesn't mean we're not any smarter, we just work smart. This is an interesting slide, though. I'm going to, just for the sake of time, again, I'm going to read the third bullet. So, like many immigrants, at least 400 years, last 400 years, international medical graduates have been exemplary in humanism and volunteerism. Dr. Syed Harshad Hussain's international trauma work, Dr. Pedro Ruiz's global volunteerism and leadership, Dr. Salman Akhtar's teaching and mentoring, Dr. Jnapati Rao's volunteer work in U.S. and in Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Geetha Jayaram's global mental health work delivering needed services to women and children in 187 villages in the rural southern India are some of the examples of how IMG is contributing to humanism, volunteerism. I guess the last bullet is a good one, too. Humanism and volunteerism become part of the IMG identity. This is one of my favorite people. I think somebody said that he's the first IMG recipient, right? Somebody said this. I didn't know about that, but for people who don't know, Syed was born in Delhi. He talks about it all the time, it's fascinating. He was born in Delhi, and after partition, he went to Karachi. He excelled both in academics and sports. The lessons he learned from experience in Bosnia, Hussain formed the International Center for Psychosocial Trauma at the University of Missouri. His trauma team at the University of Missouri trained approximately 7,500 teachers, physicians, nurses, and other volunteers to work in Bosnia, Kosovo, Russia, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Oklahoma City, Hurricane Katrina, and Toronto, and Missouri. And of course, he published a lot, and he authored a lot. Thank you, Syed. I'm not going to say too much here. These are all the pictures. I'm grateful. My parents, my family, my nuclear family, my residency program, my medical school, my Cooper Hospital, Niyapati Rao, Peter Ruiz, Salman Akhtar, Parmijit Joshi, my patients, and the last one, Deva Yafagiripati, he helped me to come to America by sending me a ticket to go to Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, to take the exam, and to come to America. And he just, I just, it was in the news the other day, he just bought, gave $50 million to some hospital in Tampa that will be named after the Pagadi Patis Hospital, so that's my closest friend, good friend of mine. I'm proud of him. And this is a quote from Dalai Lama. This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple. The philosophy is kindness. I want to say a little bit more about Dalai Lama and Emil Gogineni. Emil Gogineni spent in Dharamshala for six weeks between his first and second years of medical school. Until then, he was a goofball. All of a sudden, he woke up. There's no stoppage since then. It's amazing how this kind of experiences shape us. So like George Giacomo and Raul Gogineni, and Dalai Lama and Emil Gogineni. Thank you. Well, congratulations again, Dr. Gogineni. Thank you. Now, let me call on to some in the audience to kind of come and say a few words about Dr. Gogineni and gratitude as IMGs as well. Dr. Jeste. It's a great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Ram Rao on this richly deserved award. I've known Ram Rao for many years. And the year that I was the APA president, 2012-13, was also one of the two years that Ram Rao was the president of the American Society for Social Psychiatry. And during those years and subsequently, I learned a lot about social psychiatry from him. But he has been a model of compassion. And when he talks about gratitude, he feels toward other, there's so many people who feel grateful to Ram Rao for what he has done. And it really has been a pleasure and an honor to know someone like Ram Rao, who is so humble. Tremendous achievements, and you really don't know about them until you really find out more about him from other people. So, I know that he's going to continue doing great jobs and look forward to seeing more honors and awards and my gratitude toward Ram Rao. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Jeste. Now, we have Dr. Vasavada, who I would like to invite to speak a few words. And you can come over here as well. Yep. So, we have a kind of poem in Gujarat, which I remember only a little bit, is the, starts with saying that, Vipul vardana e dada, meaning it's a giant banyan tree. And that's my grandparent is, my grandfather is. And so is Dr. Gogineni. He's there, and you come, you get the rest there, you get, the birds come and pick up things from Dr. Gogineni, takes things from him. People chip on some woods and make some furniture out of it, but that's what it does. As I write in my blogs, I always say that gratitude is the greatest virtue, and that is learned by the great philosopher, Cicero, and you have embodied that. I remember your talk at our Indo-American Psychiatric Association, and you bring that. Gratitude brings the moral behaviors, it also reduces envy and hate, and it improves your own positive mindset. And that's what we see in Dr. Gogineni, and I respect. Each time I ask him, and he tells me something, but he doesn't expect that. He tells me, he's given me some good ideas about Indo-American Psychiatric Association, and what can be different. And I've been getting it from him, but he doesn't really pressure you, and that's when the great learning happens. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Vasavara. Dr. Kagande. Yeah. Okay, I had to write this down because this is Dr. G and if I screw up, he's going to be mad at me. Thank you for the invitation to speak. So let's talk about Uncle Rao. You know, in the Philippines and India, there is this thing where every male acquaintance is your uncle. In the Philippines, we call T.O. or Tito. It's like one big happy family. So I've known Dr. Goganini, Uncle Rao, since 2000 when I started my psychiatry residency at Cooper. And everything I learned and why I am and who I am today, blame it on him. Well, not all. My parents, too, because they're my amazing parents. Uncle Rao inspired me to pursue child and adolescent psychiatry. You already know that he's an exemplary clinician, leader, advocate, scholar, master educator. I only have a few minutes, so I'll just highlight a few things. But believe me, there's a plethora of things to choose from. As I mentioned, he's a scholar and master educator. What I love about Uncle Rao is that even when we're discussing something, he'll always just say, really? How do you know that? Where's the evidence? Always asking me. I was a program director and part of the ADPIRT, the American Association of Director of Residency Program Training. Asking me, reaching out, what's the curriculum now? What is it? He always sought new and innovative things. But I always used to think that Uncle Rao knew everything. Why is he asking me? But his humility really outshines his plethora of knowledge. Dr. G, as we also fondly call him, is a guru for past, present, and future IMG psychiatrists in America. He's taught hundreds of medical students and residents who are, some of them are here in the audience today. Surprise. From around the globe, really, for more than 20 years. And when I became his psychiatry program director at Cooper, I witnessed his passion for teaching students and residents topics such as cultural psychiatry, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and of course, child and adolescent psychiatry. But most importantly for me, he was a strong advocate for IMG applicants into our program. And it really, really added a lot of good diversity. Residents have observed Dr. G's sessions with patients, and even their patients, when he joins a resident and patient in their supervision time. The way he breaks down the walls and guards that some kids have is just jaw dropping. And the residents will really, really relate to this. When residents try to do what he just did and ask the same question the same way he did, without Dr. G, it just doesn't work. You cannot get away with what Dr. G, how his interpersonal style and communication with the patients. In terms of organized medicine and global presence, he's everywhere and doing everything, especially for IMGs. He involved and invited many IMGs to present at national and international conferences with him. Again, he really, really took a lot of us under his wing. I've tried to emulate his passion to give back and pay it forward by being involved as many organizations and committees as him. I'm failing, Uncle Rao. No, no, no. I can't keep up with you. I don't think anybody can. Lastly, I really want to share a couple of comments from some of his IMG mentees. Quotes, Dr. Goganini was an impactful mentor early in my residency. His wonderful bedside manner, psychoanalytic perspective, and disarming humor were just a small nugget of pearls Dr. Goganini shared with his residents. He spoke fondly of his upbringing and the impact his family and culture made on him and how it related to the care of our patients. He emphasized the importance of diversity and background and how, as IMGs, we should not shy away from it, but rather embrace it and make it part of who we are and how we care for others. Dr. Goganini epitomizes the values of the Dr. George Tarjan Award, and I would think of no one else who has made such an impact on countless generations of IMG residents than Dr. Goganini. Never for a moment when I ask for his help, and he does when he can, he nurtures my interest in however I wish to. Truly fortunate to have known such a kind soul. I love that. He tries to make several new connections for me. Those are just really some wonderful quotes. Uncle Rao, on behalf of all your mentees, it's because of you that we are paying it forward and striving to emulate your authenticity, your compassion, humility, gratitude. We are so grateful for you. Congratulations. We love you. All right, good afternoon everyone, congratulations Dr. Goganeni, we've had some conversations over time, I wanted to also congratulate your family, especially April, we've run into you at meetings, and also Emil, we know what a goofball you are now, sorry, saying that in front of your wife, Therese, but glad that Delilah fixed you. When Dr. Marwaha asked me to say a few words here, I was truly reminded of a Hindi phrase, Suraj ko roshni dikhana, which means, I don't know what's a good English translation for it, but the meaning is, a shining light to the mighty sun, and I felt very inadequate, you know, coming here and doing that, but nonetheless took the courage and came over, so congratulations again. Unlike many of you, like Chi-Chi mentioned, in the audience, I didn't get to know Dr. Goganeni personally until maybe the 2010s, and I clearly recall Dr. Nayapati Rao pointing me to an article, a beautiful chapter in the Clinics of North America back in 2010, and I think you were a co-author, April, on that, and that, if you haven't read it, I think that was a landmark piece in, you know, workforce and child psychiatry, and where IMGs belong, so that is where I started to learn more about him, then we had the good fortune of meeting him at ACAP multiple times, GAP, IAPA, and APA, obviously, and what stood out to me was this kind gentleman who was always very generous, very generous with his time that he would devote to younger colleagues, sitting with them during the IMG caucus meetings, listening intently, guiding them, and mentoring them, and often, I would say, even doing a gentle slap if they were, if they needed some course correction, which was, you know, really good to have, you know, all kinds of mentoring, which you really admire. His enthusiasm, his inherent goodness, kindness, and collegiality are truly infectious. If you spend some time with him, I think you'll really, really feel it inside you, the goodness comes out from within inside you. Dr. Gogineni's brilliance, I think, truly shines through when he presents on the complex topics related to ethics, to Eastern philosophies, to Hinduism, and my favorite, an area we don't talk about much, fatherhood, and that's something I really admire. I can think of, I was thinking of doing a presentation at ACAP, and I was like, oh, Dr. Gogineni already is presenting on that topic, so such an amazing presenter. Lastly, you know, I would say your presentation today on gratitude was a true master class. I got bits and pieces of it running around the show. Every single day, and I've been, you know, talking to IMGs all day, scores of IMGs vacillate between, you know, feelings of achievement, glory, joy, and the feelings of frustration and discontentment, disappointment, and it's so refreshing and so wise at the same time to bring the right perspective of gratitude to the forefront, especially in these trying times in the world. Thank you again, and congratulations. Appreciate it. Thank you, Dr. Madan. I want to invite Dr. D. Nicola to speak a few words. Well, it's such a pleasure to be here. I'm Vincenzo Di Nicola, and like Dr. Gogineni, I'm a foreigner, although I graduated from medicine in Canada, and I live in Canada. The words that come to mind to me are a number of Cs. He's a colleague, he's a collaborator, and let me stop on that. So, if you get involved in a project with Rama Rao, my good friend here, what happens is immediately there's a couple of dozen people that he has in mind that he immediately connects you with. So, he connects me with people that I oughta know, and so he expanded my life enormously. Another C is that he is a connector. He brings people together across differences. He brings people together that don't talk to each other. He brings people together that have different points of view because he's a conciliator. He brings people together, and he conciliates seemingly impossible differences across many, many kinds of divides. So, it's really a pleasure to be here. I think this award is richly deserved. I don't know anyone who's done more for many kinds of communities here in North America and beyond that, so on behalf of the World Association of Social Psychiatry, I'm really delighted to be here to witness this wonderful achievement and your wonderful talk, and so I'm gonna end with the word gratitude in a few different languages, but the last thing I wanna say about Dr. Guglielmi and my dear friend, Rama Rao, is this. There's two kinds of great persons. There's the great person that is great because they make everybody else feel a little smaller, and then there's the great person, and this is Rama Rao, that makes everybody else feel a little bit bigger, and so this short person that I am, I'm just a little bit bigger because of this great friend of mine, and I wanna thank you from the bottom of my heart. So, let me express it. Sono grato in Italian, gratidão in Portuguese, in every language we can imagine, I really think we should express our gratitude to this wonderful person among us. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Di Nicola. I wanted to invite Dr. Mali to speak a few words as well. I think everybody has said what I was already thinking to say. So, I have known Dr. Gugnani since 2015 when myself and my family moved from Nebraska to Pennsylvania. And I was working in a community mental health clinic and Dr. Gugnani used to work there in the evenings. And then he departed from the clinic and all his patients came to me. And his notes were like three, four lines, but very insightful. And I'll be like, who is this person? Like, what I was trying to understand by writing all these long notes, he just wrote in two, three words and done. So, then there was, he is a primary person in South Asian American Association that we have in Philadelphia where he hosts a number of lectures. So, I attended one of those and that's where I met him for the first time. And I was like, although we haven't met, but I know you from your notes. And he was like, okay, where are you from? Like I said, I moved, we moved from Nebraska. And he was like, do you want to join this regional council of child psychiatry? I'm like, yeah, okay. And that's where it all started. And since then, he's, that's everything else is history now. So, he has opened so many doors, connected with me, with so many people. And he'll randomly call, Dr. Narpinder Malhi, I have a thing for you. What do you think? I'm like, okay, yeah, give me, what is it? And I've gotten so many opportunities because of him. So, like I was reading about the mentorship and one of the things that come into my mind is somebody who sees more talent and ability in you than you yourself. And he's one of those. I probably may not even have recognized what I can do or I would do. But he's the one who brings it to my attention that, okay, this is what you need to do. And not so long ago, he called me that, take me as your American uncle. And I'm asking you, where do you see yourself in 10 years? I'm like, I have no idea. He was like, I need to work on that. And I'm not going to stop pounding until you tell me where you see yourself in 10 years. So, thank you so much. Thank you so much for all these wonderful conversations. He has introduced me to family psychiatry, which has become such a great passion for me now. And under his leadership in GAP, we have been doing so many amazing things. And everything he does for all the mentees like me. There are so many people out there who are grateful for all the work he does for us. And brings so many opportunities for us. So, thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Mali. Now, I want to save the best for the last. No, everybody is really good. But Dr. Phelan, you wanted to come up and say a few words. Well, I just want to thank the organization for giving him this, and I certainly know that he deserved it. And as he had mentioned to you before, his journey as an immigrant began when his best friend, Devaya, sent him a plane ticket and the money to take the ECFMG in Malaysia. It was mid-summer when he arrived in New York, and his intention was really just to get a job and work, but fortunately for him, he learned of an opening in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, and that was the beginning. The chief resident, Alberto Rich, at the time was from Mexico, and he really advocated for Rao, and that's when his training began. By the time I met him as a student on a clinical rotation, he was the chief resident. And what attracted me most to him was what a sincere, hard worker he was, always the last to leave the service and so willing to share his knowledge with students. And over the years, of course, this propensity has intensified as he continued to work with these vast number of groups and students, and his interests are boundless. Being married to him has given me, this white girl, a certain cachet of trust with my own IMG residents, and it's certainly been a pleasure to teach them. And they bring their ideas, hard work, and energy to the work we do, and I've so enjoyed that. They've certainly made my life richer and fuller than it would have been otherwise. Many of the residents have become our close friends. One of them even helped us adopt a little girl from Pakistan, and we were equally delighted when our son, Emil, decided to marry an immigrant physician from Lebanon. Most of us have an immigrant story in our past, and mine was a century earlier. But with the passing of generations, we lose the firsthand experience of the strum and strife that occur with all of the immigration process. And I am certainly grateful for all the immigrants who have been willing to risk leaving their families to come to the U.S., spread their goodness, their creativity, and their energy into the fabric of our society. America is so fortunate that you have all made your home here. Well, thank you, Emil. Did you want to come in and say a few words? Hi. I'm Emil Gogineni, the son. Certainly didn't have anything prepared, but there's plenty to talk about in terms of how grateful I am. Anytime, you know, we've met people, he knows everyone everywhere. You can't walk, you know, five steps without people stopping him. Oh, Ramarel, thank you so much for this, thank you so much for that. So every time, you know, he introduces me, and he, of course, brags and embarrasses me like he just did earlier today. And when I think about it, I mean, all of my success is 100% thanks to these two, both for my genes, obviously, but more importantly for the support they provide, the love, everything. Putting me through undergraduate medical school, not a dime came out of me. I don't have a single dollar of, you know, debt, anything. And they continue to. I think about it now. I constantly call them about random things that's new in my life that I don't know what to do. As a grown man, you know, I'm attending physician, I should know everything, but at the same time, I constantly, I need help from them, advice, anything that I need, they're always there for me. And my father has been my role model from the minute I understood what was important in life, you know, when I realized that going out and partying wasn't the priority, it was learning and finding a career and being able to provide for hopefully one day my future family, finding an incredible wife who's also provided me a lot of support as well. And I just, I think about it all the time, that my mom and my dad, Ramarao Gogineni, I couldn't have asked for a better role model, and I am so grateful. Thank you, Dad. Before he leaves, I want to say one thing. He started his job at Ohio State in September of 2023. By May of 2024, he has 36 publications. And he is moving up to associate professorship within a year. Wow. He's as good as you are, Vincent. Yeah, amazing. We need to get you in our research group to help mentor us, actually. Yeah, so that's what we need here. I also wanted to, there are a couple of people who were not able to make it here. Dr. Nayapati Rao, he sent his wishes. He unfortunately had a surgery, so he wasn't able to come here to speak. But he wanted to say, you know, again, all the best to Dr. Gogineni. And from another of Dr. Gogineni's mentees, Rajesh Mehta, who wasn't able to be here, he sent... And he sent me specific instructions. So this scarf is called the khata, it's a special silk fabric scarf, which is a traditional of the Himalayan Buddhist people. So one is for you, and one is for April. And then he said very specifically, that then we have to take a photo of that as well and have to send it to him. So so that's, that's an important thing. And he mentioned that, you know, as you've had a profound impact on both IMG, non-IMG residents, students, fellows. His first experience with you was during his mentorship for a presentation on immigration and cultural aspects. And he felt immensely grateful for your guidance since then. He's felt blessed that it's his karma, that he's able to work and learn from you. His congratulations to you, your family, and many more to come. You embody all the qualities of a mentor, guru, friend, father figure, touching the lives of many patients and families. Your dynamic, kind, relatable, and trustworthy nature make you easy to talk to. And you dedicate yourself fully to those keeping, you know, seeking your help and guidance. Your leadership has been amazing. And all IMGs express their gratitude for your leadership, which has inspired positive changes and made us all better through our work as inspiration from you. So thank you for being a role model and inspiration for all IMGs. Thank you. Now if there's anybody else who wanted to say anything, please feel free to come to the mic or to the podium as well. Dr. Fernandez. Congratulations, Ramarav. When I met him about close to 30 years ago, I met, ran into him at one of the APA meetings. And of course, April was by his side. And we've been very good friends over the years. He's been my mentor. And then I ended up getting involved in so many projects with APA, the GAP. And I've really enjoyed his mentorship and friendship. And many congratulations. And one thing I would want to say about his style of interacting with people is to get to know you and talk about your family. And every year, he gives me an update on his son. And I always wanted to meet him, you know. And today, I have an opportunity to meet him. And hopefully, after the session, I'll come there to shake hands with you. Thank you. Anybody else wanted to say? Thank you so much, Dr. Guggenheni. One thing we learned in leadership that it's not about you, it's about the people that you serve. So I just want to thank you. I met during my residency application to you and have been really grateful for all the, you know, the mentorship, guidance, and the supervision. And it has been a really great experience. And congratulations. Thank you. I could not stop myself. Me, Percy, and Dilys, need you here. Come on. I can do this by myself. We can thank you, Dr. G. We've always called you our daddy at Cooper. And you've been that mentor who was always there for us, would reach out to us randomly and say, this is a project, you have to do it, and we will do it. We will, you know, no matter the time of the day, if it's your call, we pick it up. No matter where we are, what we do. And wherever we are in our life, you've played a big role. And you'll always be that person. So thank you so much. A lot of gratitude to you. Here we are together for you. Percy and Karina, are you working on your project now? You owe me something, right? I do owe you something, I know. Thank you.

George Tarjan Award

Raman Marwaha Goganani

international medical graduates

American psychiatry

mentorship

cultural connections

healthcare community

immigrant contributions

APA

professional legacy