About Indian Nurses Association of Michigan (INAM)
The Indian Nurses Association of Michigan (INAM) was founded on October 7, 2006, in Detroit, Michigan. INAM is a non-profit organization, offering full membership to all registered nurses of Indian origin/ heritage who hold professional licensure in the state of Michigan. With the birth of INAM, our membership continues to grow and receive recognition from other nursing and minority organizations.
INAM is a professional nursing organization established to promote professional development, professional identity, and mutual support for each member of nurses of Asian/Indian origin and heritage.
The purpose of this organization is to unite all nurses of Asian Indian origin and/or heritage, practicing in the state of Michigan.
The goal of INAM is to promote cultural diversity and to empower our members to reach their highest potential. As nurses of Asian/Indian origin, we bring to our practice arena rich resources from our cultural and religious backgrounds, traditions, value systems, and experiences. We need to find ways to transform these unique experiences into assets in providing health care. It is also the mission of INAM to develop a network to provide support and mentor the new immigrant nurses to foster professional and personal growth.
INAM is committed to promoting the health of all people through its involvement with other professional groups. We had many pioneers who worked hard to form the organization, whom we show our deepest appreciation and gratitude towards. Mrs. Sara Gabriel, the first president of NAINA, was our mentor and guide to start the INAM chapter. Dr. Rachel Zachariah was the founder of INAM and the first president. Saraja T Samuel was the first secretary of INAM.
The success of INAM is largely driven by the dedication and commitment of its members. We are proud of all our members who contributed to the growth of INAM.
As we look to the future, we can work in collaboration with the national organization (NAINA) to provide continuous education, support nursing research, and scholarly publication for our members who are interested in pursuing these goals. We will also invest in our student nurses through scholarship, mentorship, career counseling, and role modeling. We will also volunteer to promote the health and well-being of our communities. We, as an association, have accomplished a great deal and will be able to climb greater heights if we gather support from the Indian nurses of Michigan. We will continue to support and proudly preserve INAM as the professional organization of choice for all Asian Indian nurses in Michigan. In order to accomplish that, we must uphold our vision and mission statements to support each other and our community.
President: Zinus Joseph
Executive committee- 2025-2026
Board of Trustees
Vice President: Susan Abraham
Secretary: Shybi Mascarenhas
Treasurer: Saraja Samuel
Joint Secretary: Annika Mathews
Saraja Samuel
Annie Mathews
Daizen Chacko
Current Executive
INAM Executive Team 2025- 2026
I am Zinus Joseph, serving as President of the Indian Nurses Association of Michigan (INAM) for the year 2023-2026. I received my education from the College of Nursing in Bangalore, India. My 33-year nursing career spans various experiences, from bedside to leadership: Nursing facility, Medical-Surgical, ER, Home Care, PACU, Care Management, and leadership. I am currently at the University of Michigan as a Nursing Supervisor of Care Management. My journey with INAM began in 2008, when I was surrounded by and mentored by experienced, expert nurse leaders, which paved the way for my leadership by stepping out of my comfort zone. My firm belief is that every nurse must empower themselves with the 3 -E’s: Education, Experience, and Expertise
President’s Corner
Zinus Joseph, MSHA, BSN, RN
I am Susan Abraham, and I serve as the Vice President of INAM for the year 2025-2026. I received my nursing degree from Choithram College of Nursing, Indore. As I pursued my nursing career, I received my Master's in Nursing at Chamberlain College of Nursing. I started my Nursing career at a Nursing facility and then transitioned into Beaumont Hospital, specializing in Oncology. For the past 16 years, I have been serving as the Nurse Manager on the Medical Surgical and Dialysis unit at Beaumont Hospital. While I continue to pursue various roles in nursing, my goal is to enhance and strengthen new nurses to be more independent and autonomous in decision-making and pursue higher education.
Vice President
Susan Abraham, MSN, RN,
I am Shybi Mascarenhas, serving as Secretary for the 2025-2026 chapter of INAM. I graduated from Fr. Muller’s College of Nursing, Mangalore, India. My career runs 32 years deep with diverse nursing experience. These various experiences include Nursing faculty, Medical - Surgical, ER, OR, ICU, Home Health Care, Occupational Health, Hematology Oncology, and Leadership. I am currently at AmerHealth Caritas as an Administrative Nursing Supervisor of Utilization Management and a Co-Lead for Associate Resource Group. As we push this new chapter of INAM, my goal is to connect nurses through Networking and support each other in advancing their education and career path.
Secretary
Shybi Mascarenhas , BSN, RN
I am Saraja Samuel, and I currently serve as the Treasurer of INAM. My career in nursing spans as far as 40 years, with dynamic experience in various areas of nursing from bedside to healthcare administration. I graduated from nursing school in Indore, India, and earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia. Later, I completed a Master of Science in Health Services Administration (MS, HSA) from the University of Detroit.
My leadership roles included over two decades at Henry Ford Health System and a senior executive role at Trinity Health System. I was the Vice President of Planned Parenthood of Southeast Michigan, then proceeded as the Director of Ambulatory Services at the Detroit Medical Center until my retirement in 2015. I have been actively involved with the Indian Nurses Association, serving as Secretary, President, and Advisor, and currently serving as the Treasurer of INAM.
Treasurer and Board of Trustees
Saraja Samuel, MS HSA, BSN, RN
I am Annika Mathews, and I currently serve as the Joint Secretary of the 2025-2026 chapter of INAM. I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wayne State University in 2024. Since then, my experience has been in the Medical Progressive Care Unit at Corewell Health and now currently at the University of Michigan in Adult Surgical Telemetry, specializing in Otolaryngology, Oral Surgery, Vascular Surgery, and Neuro-Spine Surgery. While I have only started my career in nursing, I continue to pursue new opportunities for personal and professional growth, such as leadership. I am thankful to INAM for giving me the outlet to pursue leadership opportunities such as this role as Joint Secretary. My goal in INAM is to create a foundation within the South Asian community that pushes each other to be successful and stand side by side to strengthen each other’s goals and future endeavors.
Joint Secretary
Annika Mathews, BSN, RN
