Excellence
We fund what raises the standard of care: proper training, working equipment, and clinicians who keep learning after graduation.
Our roots
Incorporated in the State of Florida · Principal office at 10395 Seminole Blvd, Largo, FL 33778
Medical alumni networks usually produce reunions. Ours produced a checkbook. In the mid-1990s a loose circle of Baroda Medical College graduates practicing across the United States kept hearing the same thing from home: bright students leaving mid-degree because of fees, and departments running equipment held together by improvisation.
Rather than send money informally and hope, four of those physicians incorporated a charitable foundation in Florida so that gifts could be receipted, decisions could be minuted, and results could be audited. The alumni network remains the backbone of the organization — most of our recurring donors are physicians who were themselves taught by someone now memorialized in a named scholarship — but our beneficiaries are not limited to one school or one country.
Today the Foundation is staffed by one full-time executive director and a standing corps of volunteer clinicians. We deliberately keep overhead low and refuse to run commission-based fundraising: no telemarketing firms, no donor-list rentals, no paid solicitors.
Organizational history
A quarter century, year by year
1998
Four alumni, one student, $18,000
Incorporated in Florida as a charitable corporation after an informal alumni collection prevented a third-year student's withdrawal.
2002
IRS determination as a 501(c)(3) public charity
Recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3); EIN 16-1463549 assigned. First independent audit performed the following year.
2006
First hospital equipment consignment
A refurbished ultrasound and two anesthesia machines shipped to a partner teaching hospital, beginning our infrastructure program.
2011
Continuing Medical Education program launched
The first accredited weekend symposium drew 84 clinicians. CME has run twice yearly ever since, waiving fees for public-hospital staff.
2016
Saturday community clinics open in Pinellas County
Free screening clinics staffed by volunteer physicians, nurses, and our own scholarship recipients.
2021
Ratnabai Memorial Equipment Fund endowed
A $1.2M restricted endowment established by alumni families to fund neonatal and diagnostic equipment in perpetuity.
2026
Twenty-eight years, 1,284 scholarships
The Foundation now supports students, hospitals, and clinics across the United States, India, and East Africa.
Core values
Four commitments we can be held to
Integrity
Every grant carries a written scope, a receipt trail, and a follow-up report. Trustees receive no compensation and recuse themselves from any file touching a relative or business interest.
Educational Empowerment
Money alone rarely finishes a degree. Each scholarship is paired with a practicing physician mentor for the full length of study.
Compassion
Applicants are people in difficulty, not case numbers. Files are read privately, decided quickly, and never published without written consent.
Governance
Board of Directors
The Foundation is directed by an unpaid board of six, elected to three-year staggered terms at the annual members' meeting. The board meets quarterly, keeps written minutes, and operates under a conflict-of-interest policy signed annually by every director. No director, officer, or family member receives compensation, loans, or preferential consideration from the Foundation.
Dr. Anil R. Mehta, MD, FACC
President & Chair of the Board
Interventional cardiologist in Clearwater, Florida. A founding trustee; has chaired the board since 2014 and personally reviews every equipment grant above $50,000.
Dr. Sunita Kulkarni, MD, MPH
Vice President & Chair, Scholarship Committee
Anesthesiologist and the Foundation's first scholarship recipient. Oversees applicant review, mentor matching, and academic progress reporting.
Delsie Bernard
Executive Director & Corporate Secretary
Manages daily operations, donor correspondence, grant compliance, and the Largo office. Primary contact for verification and records requests.
Rakesh V. Patel, CPA
Treasurer
Licensed public accountant in Florida. Prepares monthly financials for the board, coordinates the annual independent audit, and signs the IRS Form 990.
Dr. Meera Joshi, MD, FRCS
Trustee & Chair, Equipment Review
General surgeon. Evaluates every hospital request for clinical necessity, serviceability, and local maintenance capacity before funds are released.
Prof. Harold N. Whitaker, EdD
Independent Trustee, Governance & Ethics
Retired academic dean with no professional or family connection to the alumni network — appointed to keep an outside eye on conflicts of interest.
Medical Advisory Panel
Advisors are practicing specialists who review clinical merit on request. They do not vote on grants and receive no honorarium.
Dr. Priya Deshmukh, MD, DM (Neonatology)
Neonatal & Maternal Health Advisor
Dr. Samuel Okoye, MBBS, MSc
Global Health Partnerships Advisor
Dr. Laura Feinstein, MD, MSc
Continuing Medical Education Advisor
Dr. Vikram Shah, MD, PhD
Laboratory & Diagnostics Advisor
Bylaws, conflict-of-interest policy, audited financial statements, and IRS Form 990 are available to any member of the public. Request documents from the Largo office.