Board Members

  • President: Gayathri Kongovi, MS

    Gayathri Kongovi is an active community volunteer. After retiring from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, she has played a key role in developing the Indian American Cancer Network and to promote prevention and early detection of cancer.

  • Vice-President: Sunil Krishnan, MD

    Sunil Krishnan is an assistant professor of radiation oncology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He specializes in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers with radiation therapy. He also has an interest in evaluating natural products as enhancers of treatment effect on tumors and mitigators of treatment effects on normal tissues. He has previously worked with the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Rochester, MN where patients were provided free temporary housing while undergoing cancer therapy at the Mayo Clinic.

  • Treasurer: Alpa Shah, MS

    Alpa Shah is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in Texas. She is the owner of the popular Indian restaurant, the Madras Pavilion, a Texas-sized chain of fine dining establishments. She serves in leadership positions at many charitable organizations. She is currently a Board Member at the Richmond State School.

  • Secretary: Kanchan Kabad, MBA

    With an undergraduate degree in Clothing and Textiles from India, Kanchan came to United States in 1982 for her MBA. While working for the Drama Department at the University of Houston from 1986 to 1995, she managed 6 to 8 students and staff in the design and production of costumes for the plays of the Drama Department including the Houston Shakespeare Festival. In 1995 she joined her husband Jay at Jaykay Wealth Advisors Inc. As Vice President of Operations, she manages the accounting, payroll and compliance functions for the company. Her passion for the Arts continues as she volunteers her time at many community and social organizations in Houston.

  • Joint Secretary: Mitali Paul, MHA, MBA, FACHE

    Mitali Paul is a Director of Ambulatory Care Services at the Harris County Hospital District. She worked with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in various roles for over five years, most recently serving as Clinical Business Manager. During this time, she developed a passion for working with cancer prevention and awareness. She has a Masters in Business and Healthcare Administration (MHA/MBA) from the University of Houston, Clearlake and a Masters in Hospital Administration (MHA) from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Besides serving on the IACAN Board, she also serves as Co-Chair of the Southeast Texas Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and is a member of the Asian Healthcare Leaders Association (AHCLA).

  • MEMBERS
  • Lakshmi Naik, MA, LCSW

    Founding member, Lakshmi received her Masters of Social Science in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work from the Tata Institute Of Social Sciences, India. She has 26 years of experience in clinical social work and recently retired after 17 and half years of service with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Lakshmi is highly valued for her skills in counseling, distress management, crisis intervention and resource building. She is specially acknowledged for her interventions with patients who have advanced stage disease and end of life care concerns. In 2006 she was nominated for the coveted National Outstanding Social Worker Award by the Social Work Leadership in Healthcare. She is highly revered and respected for her leadership abilities and being the trailblazer for many new initiatives and programs.

  • Sewa Legha, MD

    Dr. Legha graduated from Punjab University, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana in 1970 and moved to the US in 1971. After completing a Fellowship in Medical Oncology from the National Cancer Institute (NIH) he moved to the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1976, where he spent the next 20 years of his illustrious academic career. He moved to St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in 1998 and was a teaching attending and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston for 10 years. He is currently working for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals where he is a Senior Director in Medical Affairs and is responsible for Drug development and Clinical Research in Oncology. During his Medical career of 35+ years as an Oncologist, Dr Legha was invited as a visiting Professor and has lectured to and educated oncologists in many countries across the globe. He has authored over 150 research papers and edited a popular book titled, Chemoradiation: an integrated approach to Cancer Treatment.

  • V.K. Dorai, Ph.D., M.S., M.B.A., B.E.

    Dr. Dorai has over 20 years of experience in healthcare administration. His research interest is in the area of quality of life and measurement of health outcomes. He has a Ph.D. from the School of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He has been a member of the research team focusing on patient safety at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and of rapid cycle improvements in glucose management protocols of the UT system wide ICU Collaborative. He has also been a member of the research team at the Center for Research in Minority Health at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center focusing on the health needs of South Asians living in the USA. Since 2006 he has served as a member of the Health Disparities Index Initiative / Community Electronic Record and the HDI Indicator Working Group, Health Disparities Index Initiative, both organized by the Texas Department State Health Services.

  • Panna Bhatia

    Panna Bhatia is a respected community activist in the Houston-area who has worked with non-profit organizations like ICC, AAPHA, IAA, IMS and IIE for several years. She currently also serves on the board of Friends helping Friends, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to those overcoming health-related challenges. Besides volunteering her time to the community, Panna is a professional florist since 1986 and is employed as a Floral Manager at Rice Epicurean Market.

  • Neeta Pahwa, MS, RD, LD, CNSC

    Neeta Pahwa is a nutrition support dietitian specializing in heart, lung and LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist device) nutrition. She has over 25 years of experience and has authored several articles and chapters in nutrition books. Neeta served as president and director at large for Texas Gulf Coast Society for Parental and Enteral Nutrition.

  • Julie Rani Nangia, MD

    Dr. Nangia, assistant professor of Medicine in the section of hematology-oncology, is board certified in internal medicine & medical oncology. Dr. Nangia received her medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She completed an internal medicine residency at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston as well as a hematology-oncology fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Dr. Nangia specializes in the care of patients with breast cancer and breast cancer prevention.