Cecile Currier is chief executive officer of CONCERN: Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Vice President of corporate and community health services for El Camino Hospital. A hospital employee since 1985, she has many years of experience in a leadership role in healthcare, with a focus on community health and community benefit. Active in community organizations, Ms. Currier has served on many boards of directors often as the president. She earned a B.A. in sociology from University of California Santa Barbara and a master's degree in social work. She is committed to collaborating with community partners to reduce health disparities and improve health status. With this background and passion Ms. Currier is an ideal executive responsible for the operations of the South Asian Heart Center, and the Chinese Health Initiative (CHI) to focus on ethnic health disparities.

Raj Mathai is the 3-time Emmy Award-winning weeknight news anchor on NBC Bay Area. He anchors the nightly 5 pm, 6 pm and 11 pm News and is among Bay Area's most well-known TV personalities. He is also part of the Giants broadcast team. He has reported on-location from the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Athens, Turin and Vancouver and is among a handful of people in the world to have run the Olympic Torch three times. Mathai grew up on the Peninsula. He and his family support a number of Bay Area Charities.

Priya Dharan is an electrical engineer by training and has worked for many years in the medical device industry in research and development as well as product, and strategic and global marketing. As Marketing and fundraising Chair of the South Asian Heart Center she brings experiential knowledge of heart disease and a great passion and energy for addressing and preventing heart disease among South Asians. Priya is an accomplished classical dancer and serves on the Board of the Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose.

Dr. Sheena Iyengar is a renowned Columbia Business School professor and authority on the subject of how people make choices. At a very young age she was diagnosed with retinal degeneration and had lost her sight entirely by 11th Grade. When she was just 13, her father died of a heart attack. These apparently random misfortunes were what led to her fascination with how people make choices. Her award-winning Ph.D. thesis looked at circumstances in which people are better off when they have their choice limited or entirely removed. She has an award-winning book, The Art of Choosing, about the mysteries of choice in everyday life.

Poornima Kumar is a molecular biologist by training who has worked in the Biotech and Pharmaceutical industry for several years. She has worked in R&D, product development, clinical research and marketing. Poornima is currently Vice President of Marketing at DermDx, an early stage medical device startup in oncology diagnostics. She has been a long term resident of the Bay Area and is a supporter of the South Asian Heart Center.

Sujatha Suresh - Client, volunteer, donor, chair, vendor - those are just some of the roles Sujatha Suresh has played at the South Asian Heart Center. Having chaired the first two Scarlet Night Galas successfully, she with her co-chairs grew it from a 300 to a 700-person event in the span of one year. She is credited with creating the succession plan for the Gala Chairs to ensure diverse attendance and reach for the Center and the Gala. Committed to her health Sujatha is a poster child for the Center's Heart Health Program. She worked at losing and keeping off over 40lbs and follows a strict exercise regimen.

Ashish Mathur is a co-founder and the Executive Director of the South Asian Heart Center. Ashish is passionate about prevention, and has made it his mission to raise awareness and educate the community on healthy lifestyles. Under his leadership, the Center has been recognized as an Asian Hero by the County of Santa Clara, and has received special distinction from the US Congress. Prior to leading the non-profit efforts at the Center, Ashish was an enterprise software executive with over 25 years of industry experience in developing software products from early phases to successful market introductions. Ashish holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and an MS in Computer Science from the University of Southern California

César Molina, MD, FACC is a co-founder and Medical Director of the South Asian Heart Center, and has a cardiology practice in Mountain View, CA. He obtained a Bachelors of Science from Boston College where he graduated with honors as a Scholar of the College. He obtained his medical degree from Yale University. With a research fellowship from Yale, Dr. Molina wrote his M.D. thesis at the Joslin Clinic at Harvard University Medical School. Dr. Molina completed his medical, clinical pharmacology and cardiology training at Stanford University Medical Center where he was on the medical school faculty and a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar.

Rita Sharma is a Farmers Insurance agent with over 15 years of risk management and insurance experience. In addition to her passion for protecting her clients, Rita is dedicated to Indo- American Community service for many years through her commitment to the South Asian Heart Center, Home of Hope, and Chinmaya Mission. She has a relentless passion for helping ensure the progress of these worthwhile causes and contribute as much as possible to their betterment. Her involvement with the Center began as her tribute to her dad who despite being a cardio-thoracic surgeon passed away of a sudden heart attack.

Abraham Verghese MD is Senior Associate Chair and Professor of Medicine, Stanford University. Verghese trained as a resident at East Tennessee State University, and as a fellow at Boston University. He is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and infectious diseases. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa. His book, Cutting for Stone, is the New York Times Book Review bestseller for over two years and is being made into a movie. He has been the commencement speaker at many medical schools and has honorary degrees from Swarthmore College and Northern Illinois University

Nimish Mehta is CEO and Co-founder of LumenData. A seasoned technology executive with more than 25 years managing global software businesses, he has worked at major high-tech companies including SAP, Siebel Systems, Stratify, Inc. and Oracle Corporation. Although he was slim and athletic, a worrying family history of heart disease led him to get tested in his late 30s and landed him on several medications. Tired of trying to control his high risk medically, he made lifestyle modifications that have dramatically improved his overall health as well as his blood numbers. He believes the Center 'gives you simple heart health strategies and goals that you can easily achieve and incorporate into your life'.

Sheetal Singhal has been associated with the South Asian Heart Center for the past 5 years, including co-chairing the gala for two years. She has followed her passion for dance and has taught dance for the past 20 years. Trained as a Bharatanatyam dancer, Sheetal primarily teaches Indian folk dance including Bhangra and Garba. Being that she is in pretty good shape from all the dancing, it came as a total shock to her that she was at high risk for heart disease. This has led her to become more involved in the Center's outreach initiative; she spreads the word about the importance of heart health screening as looks can be deceiving!!

The support system provided by the South Asian Heart Center was a major factor in helping me make permanent lifestyle modifications. This was my first experience with this type of focused medical analysis and lifestyle modification support, and I was impressed with the staff's systematic efficiency and tenacious follow-up. I had just one face-to-face feedback on my medical results, and one half-hour conversation on the phone with the nutritionist; the rest of our interaction was via email, which minimized overhead and worked well for me. The team understands the busy lives we all lead, and is prepared to work flexibly with individual needs. My first blood draw was on 8 May 2007. Just 6 months later, I experienced real results: reduced waistline by 3 inches, lost 20 lbs., reduced cholesterol by 15%, and dropped triglycerides dramatically.

Faruq Ahmad, San Francisco

The South Asian Heart Center and staff are terrific. They provide a very valuable service - to increase awareness of the high risk of heart disease among people of South Asian origin, and to work with individuals to reduce their risk by exercise, improved eating habits, and comprehensive testing. I have found that the staff is amazingly supportive and persistent, and they fine-tune their advice to individual needs. Hats off to them.

Ashok Chandra, Saratoga

South Asian Heart Center helped me lower my risk of coronary heart diseases and improve my physical fitness tremendously. They have very dedicated clinicians, nutritionists, and consultants who helped me understand my risks, suggested a program that included focused dietary changes, and an exercise regimen that helped me lower my cholesterol levels and improve my overall health.

Sanjay Gangal, Campbell

Everyone at the South Asian Heart Center has been very helpful in managing my health. The results so far are encouraging. My eating habits have changed radically. I exercise at least 4 days a week. I take my blood pressure and cholesterol medications regularly. My blood pressure is down. I have lost 6+ pounds. All of this progress happened because some one from the Center talks/emails me every other week and helps me keep on track.

Mahendra Mehta, Palo Alto

The counselors at the Center make simple suggestions, which are easy to follow. They're really dedicated people; they chase you down. My contact calls me regularly and then calls again if I don't respond. Even when I was on vacation, they emailed me. It works - partly, because I'm doing it for all the right reasons. It was not out of vanity. Now, when everyone says, 'You look wonderful; have you lost weight?' I say, 'Yes, I had to. It was a matter of life and death.' I credit the South Asian Heart Center with giving me the support necessary to reduce my heart risk. 'They're holding me accountable - and that's the key to my success.'

Meenu Mehta, Foster City

I would like to thank you for an excellent "12 Weeks to Wellness" program that includes weight training. Your weekly one-hour classes were intense, fast paced and fun. I have improved the strength of my core muscles. Instead of a cookie cutter approach, you personalized the standard exercises for me, especially in areas where my muscles are weak. Thanks to you, I have made weight training an essential part of my own fitness routine. Your personal fitness program is an essential part of the South Asian Heart Center's program to reduce heart disease among South Asians.

Raja Saladi to Shobha Reddy, Exercise Physiologist, South Asian Heart Center

The South Asian Heart Center is one of the best things that have happened to me in recent years. I was amazed with the Center's analysis about my cholesterol and its staff's ability to follow up with me so that I do not veer off from my health path. The life style changes suggested by them were really well thought out and suited for a South Asian person like me. The helpfulness of their direct and extended staff really made me take that extra step to get a handle on my health. I want to stay associated with them for rest of my life and I would definitely participate in all their programs. I will take this opportunity to thank each one of SAHC team members for the excellent care they are providing to South Asian community.

Yogesh Ayachit, Sunnyvale, participant since 2011

I am glad that I chanced upon South Asian Heart Center over a year ago, and learned that in addition to my ancestry some of my seemingly benign habits were contributing to my problems with sugar and cholesterol levels. While I was avoiding cholesterol rich foods, little did I realize that my heavy reliance on fruits for high energy on-demand would cause a problem. Thanks to the analysis of my diet and specific recommendations that I received from the dietitian at the center, I was able to control my sugar levels without any medication for diabetes. The recommendations of protein-rich vegetarian foods, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates give me a balanced diet. The new diet and increased exercise together with medication keeps my cholesterol levels in check and I feel better. I wish I had learned all of this earlier. I hope the message that South Asian Hearth Center conveys spreads fast in the community.

Eswar Subramanian, Palo Alto

The South Asian Heart Center made me realize that South Asians may have heart disease risk factors which are not caught in the regular testing done during the physicals with the family practitioner. Understanding my risks and taking concrete steps to reduce the risk factors with the Center's guidance gave me a sense a control over my health. After talking to the nutritional counselor, I constantly look for ways to reduce carbs and increase protein in the foods I prepare. The Center has inspired me to start making healthier nutritional choices which have now become part of the entire family's diet such as replacing cereals with oatmeal/fruit and proteins for breakfast, switching to brown rice, using 0% or 1% milk, eating variety of sprouted lentils and increasing consumption of salads and various vegetables. Also, the entire family has increased the level of physical activity - I look forward to brisk walks with my dog and Zumba classes!

Neela Jorapur, San Jose