From a modest childhood in Godhra, Gujarat, to a distinguished medical and philanthropic career in the United States, Dr. Meera and Dr Jasvant Nagindas Modi’s journey reflects the possibilities created by education, determination and service. Alongside his wife, Dr. Meera Modi, he has built a legacy that combines healthcare, education and philanthropy with the Jain principles of compassion and nonviolence.
From Gujarat to a medical career in America
Born into a large Jain family, Jasvant Modi grew up in a household shaped by education, discipline and faith. His father was a schoolteacher who later became a school inspector, while his mother raised six children. After studying medicine at B.J. Medical College in Ahmedabad, Modi moved to the United States in the mid-1970s.
He established himself as a gastroenterologist in Los Angeles before expanding into healthcare management, real estate and long-term care. Together, Jasvant and Meera eventually acquired and managed four hospitals, extending their work in medicine beyond individual patient care.
Meera Modi, born in Wankaner, Gujarat, in 1949, earned her medical degree from Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi, at a time when opportunities for women in medicine in India were far more limited. She went on to build a successful career in family medicine in Los Angeles, running private practices while raising their two children and supporting the family’s expanding healthcare ventures.
Turning success into philanthropy
For the Modis, professional success became a platform for giving back. The couple has contributed more than $30 million to charitable initiatives across the United States, Europe and India, with healthcare and education among their key areas of focus.
Through the Vardhamana Charitable Foundation, they have supported the growth of Jain studies at universities and colleges. Jasvant Modi has pledged $13 million toward Jain Studies programmes across the United States, helping create academic opportunities to study Jain philosophy, history and values.
Their philanthropy also extends to India, where they have supported student hostels, girls’ schools, rest houses for Jain monks and educational infrastructure in Gujarat, alongside contributions to healthcare and community institutions.
Taking Jain values into academia
The Modis’ giving increasingly connects Jain principles with contemporary academic and social issues. In October 2025, they pledged $1.5 million to UCLA to establish the Bhagawan Abhinandan Endowed Chair, the university’s first endowed professorship in Jain Studies and Religions of South Asia.
Their most recent contribution extends this mission to veganism and animal advocacy. Jasvant and Meera Modi, together with Dr. Namrata Patel, funded a $1 million endowment at Arihanta Institute for the Tīrthaṅkara Śreyāṃśanātha Endowment for Professorship in Vegan and Animal Advocacy Studies.
The professorship will support teaching and research through the institute’s Vegan Studies Initiative, connecting Jain principles of nonviolence and compassion with questions surrounding animal welfare, environmental sustainability, food systems and ethics.
A legacy of service
Jasvant Modi’s contributions have earned recognition beyond the healthcare and philanthropic communities. In October 2023, he received the Ahiṃsā Award from the Institute of Jainology at the UK House of Commons. In February 2024, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth in Vadodara conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Literature.
For the Modis, philanthropy has become an extension of the values that shaped their lives. Their work spans hospitals and medical practices, universities and classrooms, community institutions and initiatives supporting animals and the environment. In doing so, their journey from Gujarat to the United States has evolved into a wider legacy of healthcare, education, compassion and giving back.
