Wayne T. Price , FLORIDA TODAY11:46 a.m. EST November 18, 2016
Dr. Gobivenkata Balaji, Dr. Aravind Kumar and Glad Kurian are all key leaders of the Brevard Indo-American
Medical and Dental Association. For the last two decade, BIMDA has been force in the local healthcare
community.
(Photo: Craig Bailey, Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY)
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How does someone in the financial services industry become so important to the local healthcare community?
He develops a passion for a cause and surrounds himself with the right individuals to make things happen.
That's pretty much the modus operandi of Glad Kurian, a one-time rock-and-roll aficionado and mechanical engineer from India who has helped turned the Brevard Indo-American Medical and Dental Association in the last two decades into a notable presence in the local healthcare community.
On Saturday BIMDA holds its 21st annual gala at The Raddison at the Port in Cape Canaveral. More than 350 people are expected to attend including numerous officials and community leaders like State Attorney Phil Archer and Sean Gregory, chief executive officer of Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center, Brevard's single largest hospital.
BIMDA almost started as a fluke, or at least more of a social gathering.
"After leaving home and coming to America, I was at a loss for a major hobby," said Kurian, a vice president at Morgan Stanley's Melbourne-Suntree office. "BIMDA filled that void. It started off as fun, organizing medical dinners, concerts and get-together dinners. Today we organize medical conferences."
Kurian, a Florida Tech alum, said he attends numerous medical conferences to make sure he's up-to-date on issues affecting hospitals, doctors and health care delivery.
His latest interest is the Florida Hospital Association.
"It's a great group of leaders from various hospitals in Florida and many physicians are slowly rising through the clinical ranks to manage hospitals as chief executive officers, chief medical officers, etc. At my latest experience at FHA last month, I was pleasantly surprised to see many physicians in attendance, many who hold senior positions in hospital leadership."
And, ironically, it doesn't hurt that Kurian is something of a medical outsider so he can see how issues impact everyone - from hospitals, to physicians to patients.
"In healthcare today, reimbursements are down, co-pays have gone up," he said. "There is a whole new system that is taking over how medicine is being practiced and compensated. CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is developing an entire new system of payments. Medicine will never be the same again."
That's where BIMDA can play a leading role, said Dr. Aravind Kumar, BIMDA's current president.
"BIMDA has nearly 200 physician members in Brevard County and is growing every year," Kumar said. "BIMDA is so intimately involved in not only educating physicians about the newer advances in medicine by bringing speakers from reputed Universities , but also educating them about the newer regulations that is hitting health care."
And there's the community aspect of the BIMDA.
"Bimda strongly believes in giving back to the community be it through our organisation and or organizing events through our members," Kumar said. "All this makes me proud being a part of BIMDA."
Contact Price at 321-242-3658 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also follow him on Twitter @Fla2dayBiz.
