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. In October 2013, Dr. Parikh was honored with the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman at Britain’s House of Lords, by Rt. Hon. Baroness Sandip Verma. In March 2012, recognizing his philanthropic contributions, Dr. Parikh has been nominated as Knight of the Ecumenical Hospitaller Order of St. John Knights of Malta.
Dr. Parikh is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medals of Honor 2005, the highest civilian honor an immigrant can receive in the United States of America for commitment to community and social service. With this award, Dr. Parikh joins the elite list, along with such distinguished personalities as Presidents George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton, as well as Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Colin Powell, General Norman Schwarzkopf and boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The award is instituted by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO).
Dr. Parikh is also a recipient of the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest civilian honor bestowed on Non Resident Indians (NRIs) by the Government of India. The U.S. Congress has honored this achievement with a special mention in its congressional records. Congressmen Frank Pallone Jr. and Joe Crowley inserted a statement into the Congressional Record honoring Parikh, who migrated to the United States in the late 1970s. The statement said, “Dr. Parikh is an asset to the Indian American community, and his efforts are deserving of this great award. Sudhir fully embodies the commitment and values the NRI award presents.”
Dr. Parikh played a pivotal role in the historic U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Agreement and toiled tirelessly with leaders in the Congress, Senate and the Bush Administration. During his tenure as President of the Indian-American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE), the “Friends of India” Caucus came into being in the Senate. Dr. Parikh used his close relations with the lawmakers to enhance their understanding of India as a natural and strategic ally of the U.S. Dr. Parikh also received Congressional recognition for his role in advocating the approval of the Hyde Act.
Dr. Parikh arranged several high-level meetings between U.S. lawmakers and their Indian counterparts in order to facilitate a better understanding amongst the two countries, a step that bore fruit as the U.S. and India worked closely on several initiatives over the past few years which culminated in the nuclear deal.
Dr. Parikh is a practicing consulting allergist in New Jersey. He has received international acclaim in the treatment of allergy, asthma and immunology, and is listed in the Who’s Who in America in the Field of Medicine. Apart from treating patients for more than two decades,Dr. Parikh has fought various ills plaguing society by contributing money and time, apart from using his influence in the community.
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 five 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 Chicago area and the Midwestern states; and “The Indian American,” a national bimonthly feature magazine, and the Gujarat Times, a Gujrarati language weekly. The combined circulation and readership of these publications make the media group the most influential in the ethnic Indian market.
As publisher of the magazine, Dr. Parikh’s editorial priority has been to empower second-generation Indians in their efforts to assimilate into society, enrich its multicultural environment and contribute to the professional and entrepreneurial genius of America. By showcasing the achievements of Indian Americans, Dr. Parikh hopes that the magazine will not only inspire new generations to pursue their American Dream, but also expose the life and times of the model minority to mainstream America.
Dr. Parikh has long been at the forefront of a movement that seeks empowerment among Indian Americans, with a view toward securing more lobbying power with the U.S. government. On more than one occasion, he has lobbied successfully in Washington, D.C., when critical votes related to India were being discussed by Congress.
Currently serving on the board of Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), Dr. Parikh is the Patron and Trustee of the AAPI Charitable Foundation and founding board member and vice chairman of the Indian American Republican Council (IARC). He is also the immediate past president of the Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE).
As a community activist, Dr. Parikh has supported several charity organizations in India and the U.S. with donations totaling $2 million. However, it was his effort to help tsunami victims in 2004 that brought him into the limelight. He not only personally visited the affected areas in Tamil Nadu, but also launched a partnership program with the Art of Living Foundation for providing humanitarian relief.
When the killer earthquake struck Gujarat some years ago, Dr. Parikh was part of the high-level delegation that accompanied President Bill Clinton to the area. Originally from Gujarat, the doctor was quick to respond to the plight of the state, but he never restricted himself to parochial considerations, spreading his efforts and activities across Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi.
Dr. Parikh’s commitment to India has always been notable. He has put considerable effort toward developing trauma centers throughout India capable of handling response and emergency needs during natural disasters.
In the U.S., he has worked closely with the powers in Washington and New Delhi to initiate a productive dialogue between two of the world’s largest democracies.
If his political influence is strong, it is matched only by his charitable efforts. The American India Foundation, Share and Care and the Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation are just a few of the major foundations to which Dr. Parikh has made contributions. Dr. Parikh was also honored by the Vraj Temple of North America, to which he donated $151,000. He was named as a Grand Benefactor to the Vaishnavaite temple, one of the largest temples in North America.
As part of his efforts to improve India-U.S. relations, he’s also often been a Grand Sponsor for the annual Indian Independence Day Parade, a massive community event held in New York City for the past 25 years. Its long-term commitments like these that influenced the 110 FIA member organizations to elect Dr. Parikh as President when FIA successfully celebrated the Silver Jubilee Parade in Manhattan, which created history by attracting over 100,000 people.
He is married to Sudha S. Parikh, an anesthesiologist. They have two children.
Dr. Parikh is a patron of noteworthy philanthropic organizations, including as Senior Advisor and Founder of the USA chapter of the Gujarat-based Project Life – a major Non-Governmental Organization started in 1978, which is heavily involved in buildings schools in rural areas, expanding education for marginalized populations, and in the healthcare arena, in India.Project Life, with the involvement of over 30 million people, has spread its social work to several niche areas since its inception: it has saved over 300,000 lives through a blood center; served more than 1.4 million people through its Thalassemia prevention center; helped over half a million people through a life health and wellness center; trained more than 6,000 women to earn a living; and constructed over 71 primary schools in rural Gujarat. They have also distributed over 2,55,000 six-feet-tall plants, to help the environment.He is a patron of several other philanthropic organizations, including the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO), Order of St. John Knights of Malta and the American India Foundation, and has contributed generously to select causes in India, Europe and the United States. His donations totaling nearly $100,000 to these organizations have been channeled into projects – among others – of the American Red Cross, Gift of Life International, The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Hurrican Sandy relief and Haiti earthquake relief, and the rehabilitation of the Gujarat earthquake and Tamil Nadu tsunami victims.Dr. Parikh has received honors for his philanthropic work from various American and Indian American community organizations, including the State of New Jersey Senate, Gujarat Samaj of New York City, Vishva Gujarati Samaj, Indian Cultural Association of New Jersey, Federation of AAPI, Indian American Forum for Political Education and Association of Indians in America.As a community activist, he worked hard to support several charity organizations in India and the U.S. by donating $2 million. American India Foundation,Share and Care, Nargis Dutt Cancer foundations are some of the organizations that Dr. Parikh supports regularly.As patron and chair of the American Associations of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) charitable fund, he helped raise enough money by conducting a 10-city event with Rajya Sabha member Hema Malini. The funds were used to support AIDS awareness in India.He received the National Excellence Award from former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in recognition of his philanthropic and community activism, at the 6th annual meeting of the Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) at Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. in June 2002.The Gujarat Cancer Society in Ahmedabad, India, honored him for providing invaluable support in raising over $150,000 from the B.J. Medical Alumni Association in the U.S.Vraj Temple of North America honored him after he contributed $151,000 to the Temple, a record donation. He was also named as a Grand Benefactor to the Vaishnavaite temple – one of the largest temples in North America.The Share and Care foundation, a nonprofit helping the poorest of the poor in India, similar to the Salvation Army in the United States, honored Dr. Parikh on four occasions. He has also been Grand Sponsor of Charitable Events during the past 18 years.From 1995 through 2005, Dr. Parikh has funded a scholarship that provides undergraduate studies in Indian Communities throughout the United States via the Share and Care Foundation.The Nargis Dutt Foundation, a premier charitable foundation helping the cancer patient in India, has honored Dr. Parikh as Grand Sponsor.Dr. Parikh was honored by FIA as Grand Sponsor for his philanthropic work to preserve and propagate Indian culture in the U.S. by sponsoring the annual India Day Parade.Currently President of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) for the tristate area, an umbrella body of over 110 member organizations.He served as president of the Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE), the largest and oldest organization working toward political empowerment of the Indian American community.Serving as Consulting Allergist at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and other teaching hospitals throughout New Jersey. Member of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.Diplomat of the American Board of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Allergy and Immunology.He is a member of the prestigious New Jersey Licensing Board of Physicians. He contributed significantly to protect the interests of physicians in the State of New JerseyHe was a prominent board member to help resolve the pre-medical deficit issue in New Jersey for Indian American physicians, which resulted in a large number of Foreign Medical Graduates receiving their licenses in the State of New Jersey.Currently Clinical Associate Professor at UMDNJ-Rutgers Medical School. Was appointed Clinical Assistant Professor at the NY Medical College in 1980.Appointed in 2001 as the founding Vice Chairman of the Indian American Republican Council, which was formed at the request of the Bush White House and the Republican Party to help bring more Indian Americans into politics.Became the first president of the AAPI Federation of NY/NJ/Pennsylvania, which has over 6,000 Physicians of Indian Origin in the Tri-State area.Was instrumental in creating a liaison between AAPI and the President of the Federation of the State Board of medical Examiners, which led to a significant impact of AAPI into the policy of the Federation of the State Board of medical Examiners. 1995-98- Chairman of AAPI Licensing Board Committee.Served as the Regional Director of Mid-Atlantic AAPI during 1995-96.In 1997, became the first Indian to be appointed member of the New Jersey Task Force to formulate Tele-Medicine Licensing.Appointed to represent of the IMG section in the New Jersey Medical Society in 1998.As member of the AAPI-PAC in the last decade, he motivated the powerful Chairman Emeritus of the House International Relations Committee Benjamin Gilman to address issues impacting Indian physicians.As past President of B.J. Medical Alumni Association, he was instrumental in helping the Alumni raise over $100,000 to ensure better quality care in Ahmedabad. The association is the largest Alumni Association of Indian Physicians in the United States.Co-chairman of AAPI National Convention in 2000 in New York City, which helped raise over $2 million and netted a profit of over $700,000 to AAPI and former Trustee of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.Dr. Parikh is the recipient of the 2010 Padma Shri award conferred by the President of India, Prathibha Patil, in recognition of his professional and philanthropic activities.He is the recipient of the 2006 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, bestowed on non-resident Indians (NRIs) by the government of India.He has been awarded the 2005 Ellis Island Medal, the highest civilian honor an immigrant can get in the U.S. for commitment to community and social service.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 L. Ackerman, Democrat of New York.Received New Jersey State Senate citation for contribution to Indian Community in 1999.New Jersey Republican Congressman Bob Frank presented him a special American Flag that had flown over Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The honor was in recognition of his contributions in the field of medicine and in particular working on a measure to protect Indian American Physicians from deselection in the House MedicareManaged care bill as well as his contributions to Politics and Community services.In 1995, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman appointed him a member of the State Board of Medical Examiners (a medical licensing board) making him the first Indian American physician to hold the position in New Jersey.Received the National Excellence Award in recognition of his philanthropic and community activism, at the 6th annual meeting of the Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) at Capitol Hill in June 2002.The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) bestowed “The most distinguished service award” in 2000. • Scroll of appreciation from Gujarat Cancer Society for immense contribution to cancer research and relief presented in 1996.Honored by Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation for significant achievement in medicine and generous contribution towards medical care in India in 1993.Share and Care foundation bestows recognition for his compassion to contribution to the betterment of human suffering in 1994.B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad honors its grand benefactor in 2001 for contributing $150,000 to build a community center and temple.B.J Medical College Alumni Association, the largest medical alumni organization in USA, honors him in 1994.Business and Trade
Initiated a high-level delegation to India in 2004 comprising members from the Indo-America Chamber of Commerce and U.S. congressmen. Besides participating in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi, the delegation visited Bangalore and the facilities of software giants Infosys and Wipro. Aimed at creating awareness among U.S. lawmakers about India’s potential, the delegation was headed by Congressman Frank Pallone Jr., a founder of the India Caucus in Washington.Worked with Clinton administration to lift several sanctions imposed on India after the nuclear tests of May 1998.Helped health care and pharma companies to set up shop in India. Evangelizing the concept of outsourcing to India in the healthcare industry.Set aside parochial considerations and spread his charitable and social efforts to states other than his home state of Gujarat. He contributed to relief in Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.Worked tirelessly to develop trauma centers in India capable of handling response and emergency needs in the case of natural disasters.A Grand Sponsor for the Indian Independence Day Parade, a massive community event held in New York, for the past 20 years.Played a key role in arranging a Diwali celebration at the White House in 2003 and later mobilized political and community support that resulted in a Diwali stamp being released by the U.S. Postal Service in 2004.Mobilized the Indian community to raise funds and support to help earthquake victims in Gujarat; accompanied President Clinton on his 2nd visit to India.“The Parikhs’ spotless, well ordered (home) environment is as far away from the stereotype image of the cow and the beggar as one could possibly get. Besides being a display of arrival and upward mobility, the house is also a means of public service, extending the doctor’s identity as a successful immigrant.” – The New York Times, January 2000.“Over the past 20 years, Parikh has contributed over $2 million in areas dear to himeducation, religious organizations, social service agencies and politics. Besides giving scholarships for pursuing education in India and the United States, Parikh rarely goes back in contributing to social organization. The share and care, a prominent not-forprofit organization in India has been a major recipient of Parikh’s generosity.” – India Tribune, March 23, 2002.“There is an air of quite satisfaction about physician Sudhir Parikh, He has it all: wealth, fame and success. But money, he believes, is only a means to an end. That is why he loves to play philanthropist.” – Mantram Magazine, September 2001.“Dr. Sudhir Parikh is a paragon of determination and success. Rubbing shoulders with President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, he has elevated the standing of the Indian community in the U.S. with his own personal example.” – Garvi Gujarat, (U.K.) 33rd Diwali Special Issue 2000.“The forum Parikh heads is involved in educating the U.S. lawmakers that outsourcing means loss of jobs for the Americans but creation of wealth for the country.” – The Times Of India, January 2004.