Dr. Navin Mehta

Dr. Navin Mehta, surgeon director, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, was among three persons scheduled to be honored by the Asian American Federation of New York (AAFNY) at its 10th Annual Benefit Gala in New York on May 22. Lolita B. Compass, president of the New York State Nurses Association and Andrea Jung, chairman and CEO of Avon Products, were the other two honorees.

Mehta is one of the most distinguished, charismatic, dedicated and committed community leaders as well as an outstanding philanthropist in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the AAFNY Web site said. Practicing in New York as a renowned otorhinolaryngologist and an expert in neck, head and facial surgery, Mehta has earned recognition in this highly specialized field. He has continued to help many needy people medically, surgically, and financially to bring happiness into their lives, it said.

Organizations like Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Share and Care Foundation, NFJA, FIA, AIA, AAPI, Gujarati Samaj, Gandhi Mandir, Jaina, Sanatan Madir, ICA of CJ have gratefully appreciated Mehta’s generosity in their programs and projects.

His recent donation of Rs. 10 million ($220,824) to help earthquake victims in Gujarat and Kutch was a pinnacle in his longstanding philanthropic activities, the Web site said. Mehta was recently appointed as distinguished member of the Board of Trustees of the American Indian Foundation established under the leadership of former President Bill Clinton. He also serves as a professor at New York Medical College.

As president of the Manhattan, New York chapter of the American Association of Physicians from India (AAPI), Mehta and his colleagues continue to work on many projects which will benefit the community at large. Mehta’s other roles include, vice chairman of the Otolaryngology Department Surgical Case Review Committee since 1988, co-chairman of the Utilization Review Committee at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary since 1991, and surgeon director of the infirmary.