WASHINGTON: With heart disease emerging as the number one killer among Indians, an ethnic doctors' group has launched educational "Networks" to foster high quality medical education of Asian Indian origin physicians in the US.

Launched by the influential American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), these networks are made up of noted physicians in the areas of cardiology, diabetes, and stroke from Harvard, Mayo Clinic, and Cleveland Clinic.

"AAPI has a mandate to help disseminate our medical knowledge, our expertise and technological advances to the rest of the world, and to India in particular," said AAPI president Jayesh Shah.

Within these "Networks," AAPI has recognized renowned physicians such as Deepak Bhatt, Samin Sharma, Sameer Mehta, Samir Kapadia, Om Ganda, Paresh Dandona, PK Shah, Sanjay Rajagopalan, Aneesh Singhal and Mandeep Mehra, Navin Nanda, a distinguished professor in the field, chairs the committee on "cardiovascular, diabetes & stroke" focus theme.

The initiative's scientific advisors include Narendra Kumar, past-president of AAPI, Joseph Chalil, and Kamini Trivedi.

These networks will educate AAPI leadership and member physicians on cutting edge disease topics and cutting edge intervention.

They will "showcase the full heights that Asian Indian physicians have reached, elevate educational quality, stimulate the AAPI general physician members, bring further recognition to these renowned physicians, and inspire our young physicians-in-training," Trivedi said.

Physicians of Indian origin in the United States are reputed to be leading health care providers, holding crucial positions in various hospitals and health care facilities around the US.

Headquartered in Chicago, AAPI is one of the largest ethnic umbrella organizations with more than 130 member associations nationwide.