Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know SPORTS 5 CITY VIEWS July 25, 2025 Dr. Sneha Mantri Appointed Chief Medical Officer At Parkinson’s Foundation T he Parkinson’s Foundation, based in NewYork and Florida, recently appointed Dr. Sneha Mantri as its chief medical officer. Considered one of the leading organizations dedicated to improving the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) through investments in research, care and education, the appointment of Dr. Mantri is the Parkinson’s Foundation’s first appointment of its kind. In her new position, Dr. Mantri will provide medical and clinical care leader- ship to the Foundation, helping to set the strategic and tactical direction of the Foundation’s care portfolio and ensuring its initiatives remain impactful, scalable, sustainable and measurable, a July 8, 2025, press release from the Foundation said. “We are pleased to add the vital role of Chief Medical Officer to our executive leadership team and are very excited to welcome Dr. Mantri,” said Parkinson’s Foundation president and chief ex- ecutive officer John L. Lehr. “Her proven dedication to improving the health and well-being of individuals with PD will be instrumental in advancing the Founda- tion’s mission supporting the one million people living in the U.S. with this disease.” A nationally recognized clinician-edu- cator, Dr. Mantri is an associate professor of Neurology at Duke University whose work focuses on interprofessional care, the patient/family perspective and health humanities initiatives, the Foundation noted. “Early in my neurology residency, I found myself drawn to the stories of people with Parkinson’s disease – recog- nizing the impact of PD is unique to each individual person,” Dr. Mantri said. “I love getting to know my patients as people first and thinking about how to personal- ize their treatments to help them achieve what matters most to them,” she added. “I’m excited to bring that philosophy of care to this role and address the needs of people with Parkinson’s.” Describing her as “a seasoned principal investigator of health equity studies and clinical trials,” the Foundation credited Dr. Mantri with successfully communicat- ing detailed research findings to different members of the PD community through- out the years. She has developed courses for future medical health professionals and is currently facilitating narrative medicine workshops for patients. This innovative work has been recognized by the Josiah Macy Jr Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology. At Duke, Dr. Mantri developed col- laborations with the Margolis Institute for Health Policy, the Duke Clinical Leader- ship Program and East Carolina University to strengthen outreach to rural communi- ties. Since 2019, she has led THRIVE-PD, an early-intervention team-based care model for people with PD across the Caro- linas. Dr. Mantri was featured as part of a panel discussion on PBS-NC for her inte- grated, interprofessional care model. She was recently selected as a Macy Faculty Scholar, where she will expand human- istic and community-engaged practice approaches in advanced practice nursing and physical and occupational therapy. Dr. Mantri completed her medical edu- cation at Columbia University, followed by residency training in adult neurology at the University of Virginia and a movement disorders fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Since 2018, she has been on the faculty at Duke University. She will con- tinue to see patients on a limited schedule at the Duke Movement Disorders Center. Published extensively in multiple leading journals, Dr. Mantri has served as Duke University faculty since 2018, and continues to see patients on a limited schedule at the Duke Movement Disor- ders Center. By a StaffWriter PHOTO:COURTESY PARKINSON’S FOUNDATION Dr. Sneha Mantri Shooting-New League Aims To Lift Indian Shooters Out Of Cricket’s Shadow I ndian shooters, like most Olympic athletes in the country, are accustomed to being the poor cousins of their cricket counterparts but a new franchise-based league wants to change that. The Shooting League of India (SLI) will start on the outskirts of Delhi in November with six to eight teams, each an eclectic mix of the sport’s global stars and local talents. “Despite our consistent performance in the Olympics and other events, shooting does not have the kind of visibility it should have here,” National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) President Kalikesh Singh Deo told Reuters. “The league will, hopefully, give some vis- ibility to our shooters, popularise shooting overall and increase our mass appeal.” Each franchise will have a 12-member squad — six men and six women —with up to four foreigners in their ranks. More than 70 shooters from 25 countries have registered for next month’s auction, Deo said without disclosing any names. “This is a first of its kind league in shooting and we’ll ensure that the best shooters come here and put up a great show,” he said. Similarities with the Indian Premier League (IPL) are uncanny and Deo acknowledged the influence of cricket’s most lucrative T20 competition. “Of course, IPL is a major, successful league for any sport and we’ve borrowed certain elements from it. But we understand that shooting is different from cricket,” Deo said. “We are not competing with cricket, but we believe that shooting needs to be recognised for being one of the most successful sports in the country. “It’s a long-term venture and it’s going to be fast, fun, and exciting. We’ll make sure our franchises and our sponsors get a bang for their buck.” MINOR FORCE India remains a minor force at the Olympic Games but shooters have enjoyed consistent success, winning three of the country’s six medals in Paris last year. The league, which requires franchises to include at least two shooters aged under 21, should go a long way to establishing India as a shooting powerhouse, Deo said. “We have identified the youngsters, who will potentially compete in the 2032 and 2036 Olympics,” he said. “This league will give the opportunity to all those shooters, who may not be part of the current national squad, to compete with the best and learn from them.” The NRAI will announce the league’s fran- chises and broadcast partners in due course. The International Shooting Sport Federa- tion (ISSF) has thrown its support behind the league. “Innovative formats like this have the potential to bring Olympic shooting to new audiences, offer more competitive opportuni- ties for athletes, and enhance the visibility of our sport on a national and international level,” ISSF secretary general Alessandro Nicotra di San Giacomo told Reuters. “We commend NRAI for taking this initiative and wish the league every success in its inaugural season.” - reuters By Amlan Chakraborty PHOTO:REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File Photo Paris 2024 Olympics – Shooting – 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Bronze Medal – Chateauroux Shooting Centre, Deols, France – July 30, 2024. Manu Bhaker of India (L) and Sarabjot Singh of India celebrate their win.