El Camino Hospital Board Member to Co-Chair Health Care Focus of Mayoral Delegation to India

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- El Camino Hospital today announced that Nandini Tandon, PhD., vice chair of the hospital's Board of Directors, will be co-chairing a health care delegation of local business, civic and physician leaders, who will visit India from December 1-4, as part of the SF Bangalore Sister City Initiative.  The delegation, led by the Honorable Ed Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, will meet with individuals at the highest levels of government and business to exchange ideas and best practices in the areas of infrastructure, information technology, health and life sciences and empowerment of women. 

"San Francisco and Bangalore - for more than five years since the forming of the sister city relationship - have been able to strengthen cultural and economic ties between these two vibrant, progressive cities," said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.  "I am honored to be leading this delegation of diverse business leaders and look forward to increasing our cooperation and exchanges with our San Francisco and Bay Area counterparts on this upcoming mission."

"With a population of 1.2 billion people, there is a lot that can be learned from – and can be shared with – their leaders, especially in the area of health care," said Dr. Tandon, who is the first Asian to serve on El Camino Hospital Board and first Indian to serve on the Bay Area Council Economic Institute Board of Directors.  "One of our delegation's goals is to create partnerships with health organizations in our sister city, with whom we can continually share information and expand the depth of knowledge and medical practice to improve patient care back here in Silicon Valley while also contributing in India."

"We are delighted that health care is such a prominent part of our Mayoral delegation and look forward to a lasting impact through meaningful and value-add Memorandums of Understanding," said Madhav Misra, who is co-chair of the San Francisco Bangalore Sister City Initiative along with James Herlihy.  Kumar Malavalli, the founder of Brocade and IT Chair for this Mayoral delegation, expressed his enthusiasm for Telemedicine, "the confluence of IT and health care, resulting in telemedicine, has a huge potential today to be a great equalizer across the globe in serving quality health care in an affordable manner and more importantly saving lives."

Dr. Tandon will co-chair the health and life sciences segment of the trip and will introduce the delegation to health care leaders in India who, like the physicians on the delegation, are applying the latest innovations in medical practices to combat cancer and diseases that specifically and disproportionately affect the Southeast Asian community like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.   

Among the more than 55 members of the delegation are 11 physicians and executives from both El Camino Hospital and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, who have been working closely with the Southeast Asian community to address these medical disparities and will have the opportunity to share critical insights from years of research and creating programs that are tackling these issues in a culturally appropriate way.  

"As a Silicon Valley hospital, we pride ourselves on having our fingers on the pulse of the latest innovations in medicine.  We are honored to be able to share some of what we've learned with our counterparts in India in order to advance health for our global community," said Tomi Ryba, President and CEO of El Camino Hospital.  "On behalf of the hospital Board of Directors and executive team, we applaud Nandini for her leadership on this delegation, and look forward to increased collaboration with like-minded health care organizations in India."

"There is something truly unique about having the opportunity to exchange information about technology, techniques and care best practices directly with our Indian counterparts," said Elizabeth Vilardo, MD, president, Camino Division, Palo Alto Medical Foundation.  "We look forward to bringing back what we've learned to provide even greater culturally appropriate care to our Southeast Asian patients, while potentially applying some new practices to benefit all of our patients."

The delegation members from El Camino Hospital and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation include the following physicians and executives:

• Cesar Molina, MD, medical director, South Asian Heart Center at El Camino Hospital
• Latha Palaniappan, MD, MS, medical director of Clinical Research at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute
• Eric A. Pifer, MD, chief medical officer for El Camino Hospital
• Chad Rammohan, MD, medical director of the Chest Pain Center and Cardiac Cath Lab at El Camino Hospital, member of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation medical group
• Tomi Ryba, president and CEO of El Camino Hospital
• Shyamali Singhal, MD, PhD, medical director, Cancer Center at El Camino Hospital.
• Robert Sinha, MD medical director, radiation oncology for El Camino Hospital
• Edmund Tai, MD, medical director of Cancer Care at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation
• Peter Paul Yu, M.D., director of cancer research at Palo Alto Medical Foundation
• Conrad Vial, MD, medical director, Cardiothoracic Surgery at El Camino Hospital, member of Palo Alto Medical Foundation medical group
• Elizabeth Vilardo, MD, president, Camino Division, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

The El Camino Hospital and PAMF attendees will join several Silicon Valley technology leaders, who will also visit Kochi in Kerala, Patiala in Punjab, and Delhi, the capital, as part of Silicon Valley-Delhi delegation to solidify partnerships with their Indian counterparts in telemedicine, cardiology, oncology, prevention, personalized medicine, women's health, amongst other areas of interest.  This independent delegation, which will focus on the areas of health care, technology, cross-border entrepreneurship and women empowerment, will be led by co-chairs, Dr. Nandini Tandon; Priya Tandon, founder and chair, IndUS Setu Global Foundation; and Professor Shivaram Malavalli, resident chairman, San Francisco - Bangalore Sister City Initiative.

"In today's business climate, it is critical that we find ways to support our entrepreneurs, regardless of borders, who have the courage to disrupt and create new products and services that are changing lives," said Priya Tandon.  "The Silicon Valley-Delhi delegation is also focused on continuing to elevate and empower women in both countries, and looks forward to holding a series of discussions that we hope will help influence and inspire attendees."

About El Camino Hospital
El Camino Hospital is an acute-care, 443-bed, nonprofit and locally governed organization with campuses in Mountain View and Los Gatos, Calif.  In addition to state-of-the-art emergency departments, key medical specialties include heart and vascular, cancer care, urology, orthopedic and spine, genomic medicine, and the only Women's Hospital in Northern California.  The hospital is recognized as a national leader in the use of health information technology and wireless communications, and has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center as well as back-to-back ANCC Magnet Recognitions for Nursing Care.

To learn more, visit our website, find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or view our videos on YouTube. For a physician referral, visit our website or call the El Camino Health Line at 800-216-5556.

About Palo Alto Medical Foundation
The Palo Alto Medical Foundation for Health Care, Research and Education (PAMF) is a not-for-profit health care organization dedicated to enhancing the health of people in our communities. This includes more than 700,000 patients and countless community members across Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

PAMF is part of the Peninsula Coastal Region of Sutter Health, a family of not-for-profit hospitals and physician organizations that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, Sutter Health is a regional leader in cardiac care as well as care of women and children, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology. Sutter Health's Peninsula Coastal Region also includes Mills-Peninsula Health Services, based in Burlingame and San Mateo.

SOURCE El Camino Hospital