Annual Virtual Gala
Join our Foundation for our Annual Virtual Gala on
Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 12:00PM - 2:00PM EST
This year’s theme is:
Long COVID: Is COVID-19 Really Over?
Our discussion panel of guest speakers are:
Dr. Tolu Abikoye, a board-certified family medicine physician, Dr. Taalibah Aisha Ahmed, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, Emily Bradford, a licensed massage therapist and author, Dr. Jean W. Davis, a Jonas Veterans Healthcare Scholar, assistant professor, nurse practitioner, and clinical researcher, and Dr. Shaquita Starks, an assistant professor, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (across the lifespan), family nurse practitioner, and nurse scientist.
Enjoy an afternoon of informational and encouraging messages from our guest panel!
Our gala is held annually with a different theme in September during National Sickle Cell Awareness month.
Enjoy an elegant gift assortment of teas delivered to your home (already included as part of your registration) to indulge in during our thought-proving panel discussion! There will be a live raffle available offering great prizes for bidders, while also raising funds to support the Foundation’s outreach work in the community!
Deadline to register: September 6, 2024 by 11:59pm EST in order to receive your gift box before the gala
Donation: $55 (plus processing fee)
Link to Register: https://the-hyacinth-scarlett-foundation.springly.org/collect/description/449857-b-annual-fundraising-virtual-gala
Meet Our Guest Speakers
Tolu Abikoye, M.D, MPH
Dr. Tolu Abikoye is a board-certified family medicine physician at Dedicated Health in Jacksonville, Florida. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Ilorin and completed his residency at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. He also has a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Tolu is passionate about infectious diseases and how this affects the health of the population. COVID-19 is impacting our world in a way unimaginable prior to the onset of the pandemic. He looks forward to sharing his experience with COVID-19 at our gala!
Taalibah Aisha Ahmed, M.D, FACOG
Dr. Ahmed earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She received her Doctor of Medicine from Florida State University in 2009. She then completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology surgery at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, Georgia. Dr. Ahmed is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Ahmed was raised in Miami‘s inner city and always planned to return to Miami to service the same patient population she grew up in. She has practiced in South Florida for 12 years delivering within Jackson Health System. She currently works as an OB hospitalist at Jackson North Medical Center in Miami, FL.
Emily Bradford, LMT
Emily Bradford is licensed massage therapist and author. She is a native of Daytona Beach Florida. She has been a licensed massage therapist since 2006. She is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association and is dedicated to learning so that she can help her clients out of pain. She is a member of Bold Ladies in Business which is a nonprofit group, helping support our local businesses and communities. She authored a book about her journey with COVID-19 called “Restoring My Mind & Body: My Journey with COVID-19.”
Purchase a copy of her book today: https://www.amazon.com/Restoring-My-Mind-Body-Journey/dp/B0C47YG3MB
Jean W. Davis, PhD, DNP, EdD, APRN, FNP-BC, PHCNS-BC, FNAP
Dr. Jean Davis’ passion for community health promotion grew from listening to her aunt and her mother, both nurses, discussing community health problems when she was a child. Today the Jonas Veterans Healthcare Scholar and assistant professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Nursing focuses her research and practice as a nurse practitioner on physical activity promotion to enhance health, decrease disease risks, improve patient outcomes, and address health inequities fueled by social determinants of health. In addition to her faculty appointment at UCF and clinical research appointment at the Veterans Affairs (VA), Dr. Davis serves as a volunteer family nurse practitioner and population health clinical nurse specialist with Remote Area Medical nationally and DOCare internationally. She is a Duke trained Health & Well-Being Coach and a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice.
Shaquita A. Starks, Ph.D., APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC
Dr. Starks is an Assistant Professor at Emory University in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing where she teaches in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) graduate programs. She also owns and operates Harmony Health & Wellness, LLC in Decatur GA. She has 26 years of experience as a professional nurse, 16 years of which have involved practice as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). As an APRN, she holds certifications as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (across the lifespan) and a Family Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Starks' research interests include caregiver health and quality of life, chronic stress and trauma, mental and physical health disparities, psychedelic and transformational medicine, substance use/ addiction, and spirituality. She has published her research in Issues in Mental Health Nursing and the Western Journal of Nursing Research. She has also published other clinically driven scholarly works in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the Journal of Clinical Nursing, Nursing Clinics of North America, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, to name a few. She enjoys mentoring aspiring nurses and advanced nurse practitioners, writing, music, salsa dancing, and spending time with her children and friends.
Past Gala Archives:
Join our Foundation for our first Annual Virtual Brunch Gala on Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 12:00 PM EST.
This year’s theme is:
“Advocating for Self and Family”
Our guest speakers are Dr. Cara Nelson-James, a Board-certified Family Physician and Chief Medical Officer of Central Florida Health Care, Inc. and Erika Obando, an international TEDx Speaker, author and Transformational Life Coach. Enjoy an afternoon of uplifting and informational messages from our guests!
Our gala will be held annually with a different theme in September during National Sickle Cell Awareness month. Wear burgundy to support awareness of Sickle Cell Disease!
Enjoy an elegant treat delivered to your home & tune in online for a morning of warmth and inspiration. Silent auctions are available offering great prizes for bidders with live raffles, while also raising funds to support the Foundation’s operations and outreach work in the community.
Meet our Guest Speakers
Dr. Cara Nelson-James
Dr. Cara Nelson-James is a Board-certified Family Physician and Chief Medical Officer of Central Florida Healthcare in Winter Haven, FL. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Florida Atlantic University and her medical degree from Nova Southeastern University. She always believed that serving the community as a physician was a ministry and after she graduated from medical school, she began to work at Central Florida Healthcare, Inc.—a non-profit health care organization that was founded in 1972, in response to critical healthcare gaps identified by the agricultural community which now provides care to more than 45,000 medical patients and more than 29,000 dental patients.
Her patient care philosophy is this: Healthcare is a basic human right. Everyone deserves access to quality healthcare regardless of their financial status, racial/ethnic background, immigration status, or gender. Dr. Nelson-James’s work improves lives because every individual she touches and has an impact on, improving their quality of life, has potentially far-reaching effects as it’ll impact their family for generations to come. As a clinician, she pledges to always listen to her patients.
Dr. Nelson-James loves to spend time with her family, watching basketball, and her favorite quote is from the Bible: Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Erika Obando
Using the tools from her own survivorship story, Erika Obando coaches individuals, turning Victims into Victorious heroes of their own stories!
A relentless advocate for defining a life with purpose, Erika made it her mission to help empower, coach and guide individuals by stepping into their own power and discovering the best versions of themselves.
"Strong people come from tough circumstances but it is up to you to decide how that ultimately defines you!"
With almost a decade of experience, Erika, an International TEDx Speaker, Author and Transformational Life Coach shares the tools she acquired in overcoming unthinkable hardships in her own life, by teaching her audiences how to use the same tools to achieve a balanced and purpose-driven life.
Her experience includes working with international learning facilities, organizations, individuals and corporations by way of workshops, individual and group coaching as well as executive roundtables. Her toolbox can be successfully applied in all aspects of life including personal, professional, and educational environments.
Stay Connected:
Instagram: @Erika_Obando_
Facebook: @ErikaObandoAuthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-obando
Purchase your own copy of her book today: Without A Voice
