Board Members
Shilpa Ghurye
President
Shilpa Ghurye is a Senior Attorney (Intellectual Property/Healthcare law) at Kearney, McWilliams, & Davis, PLLC. Her past roles include working at University of Houston-Cullen College of Engineering, Rice University, Harris County Attorney’s Office serving as counsel for Harris Health System, and Adler and Associates. Shilpa has a PhD in Immunology from the University of Texas (UT) MD Anderson Cancer Center UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and a Masters in Biochemistry and a Bachelors in Microbiology and Biochemistry from the University of Bombay, India. She received her JD from South Texas College of Law. Shilpa is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is also licensed to practice in the State of Texas and the U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts – Southern District of Texas and U.S. Eastern District of Texas. She most enjoys spending time with her family, especially her daughters and the four-legged members, as well as her friends.
Achalesh Amar
vice president
Achalesh Amar is an accomplished technology leader with over 30 years of Quality Assurance and Project Management experience across multiple domains. He holds a Masters degree in Engineering and spends a lot of time on strategic planning and organizational growth.
A philanthropist at heart, he is a well known servant leader in Greater Houston Community. He volunteers his time for multiple causes including awareness, education, empowerment, accessibility, disaster response and serves as a board member on a few non-profits. He has won numerous accolades and awards for his community service work in last 15 years.
Shobha Pai
Secretary
Shobha has been a resident of Houston, Texas for over 30 years. She is a Physician Associate dedicated to the service of cancer patients with 28 years of experience in Clinical Oncology, Phase I Research in Oncology, and leadership in Clinical Operations and Advanced Practice management at academic institutions.
She has a BS in Biology from the University of Texas at San Antonio, a MS in Physician Assistant Studies from the Baylor College of Medicine, and an MBA in Healthcare Management from the University of Texas at Tyler.
For over 2 decades at MD Anderson Cancer Center, she managed patients with a wide variety of cancers, mentored and trained health professionals from multiple disciplines, created and implemented educational programs, led safety and quality initiatives, served on various committees, engaged in clinical research activities, and played a central role in expanding patient access to integral service lines at the Woodlands satellite location.
Shobha continues to serve cancer patients as a Physician Associate in Radiation Oncology at Houston Methodist.
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
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
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).
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
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.
Pooja Shah
Pooja Shah is a dedicated researcher in cancer care, specializing in translational medicine and clinical research with over ten years of experience. Armed with a PhD in Medical Sciences from Bar Ilan University, Israel, she currently serves as a Clinical Research Scientist at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Specializing in cancer therapeutics, Dr. Shah manages and oversees clinical and translational research projects, including early clinical studies for cancer patients in her current role. She is an experienced mentor and has contributed extensively to clinical trials, research publications, and international conferences, making significant strides in cancer research. She joined IACAN as a volunteer and facilitates the IACAN Youth Scholarship program along with the designated Chair. With her extensive cancer research experience and commitment to IACAN’s mission, Dr. Shah aims to use her expertise to make a meaningful impact on cancer patients.
She loves spending her vacations traveling and exploring off-grid locations. She’s a cat mom, foodie, movie buff, and has recently embraced fitness, with a newfound love for lifting weights pushing herself to become healthier and more energized each day.