Board Members
Ronald Abraham MS, MHA
President
Dipika Varia
Treasurer
Dipika is a VP of Accounting with Memorial Credit Union and received her BS from India. Dipika has 25 years of experience with financial institutions. Dipika’s experience and strong leadership personality contributes to the continued success of IACAN. Dipika volunteers her time at community and social organizations in Houston. She has been an active volunteer of IACAN since its inception.
Janaki Nanjappa, MS
Joint treasurer
Born in Karnataka, India, Janaki immigrated to the United States in the mid-1970s and has called Houston home for over 40 years. She completed her Masters degree in Applied Mathematics at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and established a long career as a software engineer, working for a NASA subcontractor and a mutual fund company. Janaki retired in 2019 and enjoys spending her time with her family, cooking, and traveling.
Neeta Pahwa MS, RD, LD, CNSC
Patient Navigator
Neeta Pahwa is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, Certified in Nutrition Support by the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. She has an exceptional career in clinical nutrition spanning more than 32 years, starting at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital with Heart Transplant and LVAD patients and culminating with MD Anderson Cancer Center, guiding patients of different cancer diagnoses in their cancer survivorship journey. Currently, Neeta is continuing her service through private practice- NP Nutritional Services. Neeta Pahwa is a past IACAN board member and has been an educator while in India, having taught Biochemistry and Nutrition at the Indian Institute of Catering, Hotel Management, and Applied Nutrition in Mumbai. She has also had a short stint at JJ Hospital in Mumbai, where she was one of the Assistant Research Officers. She is an alumna of the University of Houston, Bombay University (MS in Nutrition and Dietetics), and SNDT University in Mumbai (BSc Nutrition).
Sarvesh Bhavaraju, MS
Sarvesh is a Project Engineer with Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals, Inc., Houston. He graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, and worked in New Delhi and London before moving to Houston in 1997. Sarvesh has been actively involved in organizing Marrow Drives in the South Asian community and works closely with the Gulf Coast Marrow Program, the local affiliate of the National Marrow Donor Program.
Ashma Khanani-Moosa
Ashma is a registered nurse working 28 plus years as a clinic administrator/triage nurse at La Porte Clinic, Houston. She is also a certified integrative health and wellness coach. Ashma is an executive Board member of The Rose (a nonprofit for breast health), health committee/board member of Clear Lake Islamic Center (Houston), volunteer and past chair of MD Anderson Survivorship Conference 2015. She also served on the Medical Mission to Rohinya refugees in Bangladesh under the Islamic Muslim American of North America (IMANA) in 2018.
Vibhuti Shah
Vibhuti is a biochemist. She has worked in cancer research publishing papers on liver perfusion. She is a past president of DAYA and an active community leader and volunteer.
Santu Dhar BSc, BBA, MS
Santu is currently the Associate Vice President of Business Development at Baylor Genetics. He has extensive training and experience in business development, strategic planning, and process improvement. His technical expertise includes setting up laboratory operations, negotiating contracts with leading global vendors, and developing investment proposals. He has also successfully negotiated M&A Equity Joint Ventures and is well-versed in managing projects with vendors and internal departments. As a C-suite executive with over 32 years of experience in building relationships in multicultural environments, he specializes in building and executing strategies for developing new revenue streams.