Rashmi Kapur, MD

I am a vitreoretinal surgeon who has been practicing in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago for the last 7 years. In 2016 I opened my own practice, Retina Health Institute. My mantra of practicing medicine is to deliver evidence-based care with compassion and attention to every aspect of my patient and to focus on prevention of disease. Ultimately, I entered the field of ophthalmology because I feel this is a branch of medicine in which the weight is completely on the doctor's shoulders. No matter what the patient's complaint, you can diagnose the problem simply by the exam. Any diagnostics that need to be done are done by the physician themselves. You do not need to send the patient for multitudes of labs and imaging trying to diagnose the patient. The satisfaction I see in my patient’s face when I can tell them why they are having difficulty seeing is an unsurpassable experience. In the last decade there have been major advancements in the field of retina. Diseases that previously only resulted in blindness now have treatment options. To be able to give your patient's vision and restore sight is an unparalleled feeling. In addition to English, I am fluent in Hindi and Spanish. Speaking these languages not only helps me in communication with my patients, but also makes them feel more comfortable and helps me in ensuring their compliance with treatment. I continue to pursue research in my field. I have over 20 peer reviewed publications, with book chapters and paper presentations. I have in the past received both grant funding and awards for my research. I am currently on clinical staff at the University of Illinois-Rockford. When we think of philanthropy, we always think of the under-served in developing countries outside the United States. Unfortunately, there are many uninsured patients living here. I take great pride in providing care and helping those that do not have access to care. At Retina Health Institute we care for all patients.

In 2014 Indra Nooyi, Pepsico CEO stated in an interview, "[women] pretend they can have it all, but we can’t.” I greatly struggled with this statement as she is a person who I look up to with great admiration. I do believe that in efforts to have it all there are many sacrifices that we make, some that are seen and some that are unseen by the general public. I am a proud mother of 4 children, 3 boys and a little girl. Along with my husband, they are my lifeline. For me this achievement is equal to all my education and professional accomplishments.

I was a pioneer in bringing proton beam radiation for ocular cancers in the Midwest. Patient that previously had to travel to the east coast for this treatment are now able to just cross state lines to access this care.

For additional information please visit my website www.retinahealthinstitute.com

Bhargavi Nettem

Successful, board certified Family Physician winning America's top doctors awards four times

Woman entrepreneur owning a medical center in Chicago and other real estate

Part of several Indian Organizations as chair, board of director, co-founder. Currently co-founder and Secretary of Chicago Andhra Association

Conducted several free health fairs in Chicago in Balaji Temple, Aurora, delivered health lectures at Swaminarayan temple and at other organization events. Have chaired Indian senior and youth groups winning their love and affection for engaging them in several useful and entertaining community related activities. Demonstarted BLS in organization events.

Pictures at Chicagoandhra.org, tagc.org, ata.org

Bhavini Patel-Shah

Ask the Pharmacist is a program that was my greatest achievement, it is a program tailored to the seniors in which the goal was building and strengthening relationships between the pharmacists and the patients. This focus on conversational style, and personal follow-up helped to create positive experience for the patient. Volunteering my time once a week to host this program at the local senior center gave patients the individual care they require and ultimately improving outcomes. Hearing that i've made a difference to even just one person is all the achievement i could ever ask for. This program was also mentioned in the daily herald article.

Preceptor of the Year - becoming a preceptor is more that just assessing students for basic knowledge and teaching set objectives. For my students i was a person who helped them put pieces of puzzles together so that they can see the big picture in patient care. As a pharmacy preceptor i served as a mentor and role model who demonstrates high standards of professionalism. Lastly i was able to train and develop the students so they know how to apply knowledge learned in classroom to daily patient care. Along with this achievement i was also given awards in recognition of outstanding performance throughout the year for the company i work with.

This is my biggest achievement of my life, that is saving a persons life. As a women pharmacist in charge i was always viewed as someone who is only the middle man in between doctors and insurance companies, along with being focused as a person who only counts pills. But a few months back the views of the public changed because not only we pharmacist have prescription knowledge, we can also save someone's life. please see the link below.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cvs-pharmacist-saves-man-having-food-allergy-epipen/

Geetha Sivasubramanian

Its an honor to be nominated for Women's Empowerment Campaign Awards.I am an Infectious Disease Specialist with Metro Infectious Disease Consultants serving Lake County Area. As a specialist in Infectious Disease, I encounter patients with life threatening infections, from resistant superbugs to influenza outbreaks. In addition to serving Lake County Hospitals I also serve various nursing homes for elderly. I feel honored to be one of the few Indian women specializing in this field in the Chicagoland area. Having well published and won many awards in my field, my focus has been to be a pioneer in prevention of multi-drug resistant infections as well as curbing unnecessary use of antibiotics to reduce the emergence and prevalence of superbugs (which is now a national level concern in all hospitals) in our community.

Women's health and fitness is very close to my heart. I am an avid fitness and nutrition enthusiast. Anyone who knows me well know that they can step into my kitchen anytime after a great work out and will find fresh cooked healthy Indian food waiting for them. I am also part of DWANCE school that encourages and promotes fitness among Indian girls and women in the community. I have performed with DWANCE on multiple occasions in various events in the Chicago area.

I am a busy medical professional but also a proud mom to my lovely 10 year old girl. I am thrilled that she is a fit and fun loving girl, who looks up to me and wants to chase her dreams just like her mom.

www.linkedin.com/in/geetha-sivasubramanian-b616191a

Shubhada Lawande

As a board-certified pediatrician, I have been serving the Naperville area for 20 years along with two of my colleagues. After graduating from Goa Medical College, I did an Internship at the University of Kansas, and I completed my residency at Lutheran General Children's Hospital.

It gives me great joy to see our patients blossom into healthy adults and it's heartwarming to see some of them return back to our practice with children of their own, which is a testament to the quality of care and service we strive to provide.

In the course of providing care to my patients, I have had many opportunities to counsel and provide career advice to some of them. However, my greatest joy and satisfaction comes from knowing that I have been a role model and a very positive influence in my own son’s decision to follow my footsteps and pursue a career in medicine, specifically pediatrics.

In addition to balancing my work and family, I love to socialize with my friends in the community. I have been an active member of the Happy Feet Walkers Club since it started in 2015. I see it as an opportunity to challenge myself and help others find a motivation to keep walking and stay fit. This passion has allowed me to motivate many mothers of my patients to get involved with this organization and strive to walk more.

Leena Nayak, MD

I have been a family medicine physician for 20 years. I treat patients of all ages from birth to golden years but women's health and geriatrics is my interest. Until 4 years ago I lived and practiced in the suburbs. After moving to the city I have been practicing in the inner city serving the most vulnerable and undeserved among us. This is not new to me as I worked in the inner city in Pennsylvania also. I cared for patients who lived in women and children's shelters as well as those who were homeless. While I focus on my patients' physical health and well being, I also treat their spirit and emotional health. This is especially important to the young women I see in my practice. Many are working young women with 2 jobs, children and families to care for. I help them navigate the health care system and give them the support, encouragement and mentoring they need to succeed. Access to specialty care for most of my patients is not easy. I have found myself having to manage extremely complex problems until they can get to the specialist. My empowerment journey did not start here but has definitely been pushed to the forefront. I know I make a difference because my patients tell me that I do. Their success is my success. I've also participated in advancing my knowledge by studying current issues in health care via collaboration with the University of Chicago Medicine to help bring more specialized access and nuanced care to my patient population. I also have mentored medical students to help advance their knowledge of family medicine. My new project is telemedicine which is something I am working on. I (and my husband) are so blessed to have 3 beautiful teenage children.