[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 118 (Friday, July 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO DR. SANKU S. RAO, M.D.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. FRANK D. LUCAS

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 31, 2009

  Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to commend the service of my 
constituent Dr. Sanku S. Rao, M.D., who recently completed a one-year 
term as President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian 
Origin (AAPI).
  Dr. Rao has practiced Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine in Enid, 
Oklahoma at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center since 1979. He is a 
member of the American Society of Internal Medicine, serves as Chairman 
of the Oklahoma Blood Institute, is President-Elect of the Garfield 
County Medical Association, and is Board Certified by the American 
Board of Internal Medicine.
  Dr. Rao was elected President of AAPI for 2008-2009. AAPI has entered 
its 28th year, and with 15,000 members, it is one of the largest ethnic 
medical associations in the nation. Dr. Rao is truly committed to the 
Indian American community and serves as a vital link between the 
medical communities in the U.S. and India. As President of AAPI, Dr. 
Rao organized the Indo-U.S. Healthcare Summit in New Delhi, India in 
January 2009. Medical specialists from the U.S., India, and the UK 
discussed prevention, treatment and the management of six major 
diseases including heart disease, diabetes, infectious diseases, HIV, 
tuberculosis, and allergies, and promoting better maternal child health 
care. Dr. Rao established a free endoscopy clinic at a hospital in 
Hyderabad, India and has assisted young Indian American physicians to 
secure residency positions in the U.S.
  Dr. Rao exemplifies the success story that has made Indian American 
physicians so vital to our health care system. He graduated 
Valedictorian of St. Paul's High School in Hyderabad and received his 
medical degree with distinction from the Institute of Medical Sciences 
in Hyderabad. He completed his medical residency and fellowship in New 
York and has been a longtime resident of Oklahoma. He lives in Enid 
with his wife, Dr. Sanku Rohini, and has two children, Archna and Ameet 
Rao.
  I want to congratulate my constituent Dr. Sanku Rao for his able 
service as the national President of the American Association of 
Physicians of Indian Origin.

                          ____________________