Awardees
Dr. Harry Gibbs Legacy Award
Awardees
Guyer
Laura Guyer, PhD, MEd, RDN is the Associate Director of Global Health Education Programs and Adj. Associate Professor in the UF College of Medicine. She is known as a creative problem solver who uses systems thinking and an interprofessional framework to generate novel, outside-of-the-box solutions that promote health equity. Her career is distinguished by several noteworthy “first” accomplishments: (1) in undergraduate education, she established the first undergraduate academic program in the U.S. dedicated to the elimination of health disparities, Health Disparities in Society in 2012 and (2) in clinical nutrition practice, she created the first Handbook of Medical Nutrition Therapy: The Florida Diet Manual in 1995. As the Handbook’s first editor, she also established the practice of grassroots authorship and review by registered dietitians and nutritionists (n=100+) in Florida. Dr. Guyer’s deep and long-standing commitment to education, diversity, inclusion, and equity has been recognized by numerous awards including the National Diversity Council’s Dr. Harry Gibbs Legacy Award finalist (2022), UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Faculty Achievement Award (2019), UF Superior Accomplishment Award for Diversity and Inclusion, Division III (2017), UF Faculty Advisor/Mentor of the Year Award (2016), UF Faculty Leadership and Service Advocate Impact Award (2016), and College of Agriculture Advisor of the Year Award (1993). Her commitment and service to the dietetics profession in Florida was recognized by the 1995 President’s Award. Dr. Guyer is the former Associate Director at Suwannee River AHEC, tenured Associate Professor and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics and Combined Master of Science Degree-Dietetic Internship Program at the University of Florida. She has experience as a clinician in acute care, wellness nutritionist, and rural nutrition consultant; Dr. Guyer is published in numerous peer-reviewed and consumer publications and she maintains professional registration with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The hallmarks of her career include leadership, innovation, creativity, community engagement and collaboration.
Champion for Advancing Health Equity
Awardees
Epstein
A frequent contributor to publications like Forbes.com, HR Magazine, and peer-reviewed journals, David serves as the U.S. subject matter expert on strategic human resources issues, ranging from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and talent management to international benefits and wellness initiatives. David is currently the Director of Human Resources & Talent Strategy for Mobilization for Justice based in NY City https://mobilizationforjustice.org, where he serves on the senior management team. “Mobilization for Justice’s mission is to achieve social justice, prioritizing the needs of people who are low-income, disenfranchised or have disabilities. We do this by providing the highest quality direct civil legal assistance, conducting community education, and building partnerships, engaging in policy advocacy, and bringing impact litigation.” For over a decade, David served as a member of the Doctors Without Borders/MSF-USA management team, he is also a frequent lecturer and panelist on DEI, human resources, insurance/risk management, and international employment—including at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the American Bar Association International Employment Law Conference in Dublin. David recently was awarded the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (2019) for his speech at the Women in Leadership Symposium. He is a member of the SHRM Global Expertise Panel, a Board Member of the Tri-State Diversity Council, and the Academy of Advanced Practitioners of the Association for Conflict Resolution. Prior to joining MSF-USA, David was Director of Human Resources at the New York Foundling Hospital Center for Pediatric, Medical and Rehabilitative Care (Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center) where he received the NYAHSA (now LeadingAge New York) Professional of the Year Award for his contributions to pediatric long-term care. A graduate of Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, he is also a member of the Board of Advisors and Faculty of National Paralegal College and is a Kellogg (Northwestern University) Executive Scholar. He has taught courses for eCornell, the SHRM preparation course and long-term care administration for New England College. David has more than 20 years of human resources experience and holds master’s and post-master’s degrees in management and international employment law. He is a Certified Diversity Professional, Senior Certified HR Professional, Career Management Fellow, coach, and a Certified Wellness Practitioner. He received the Tri-State Diversity Council’s “Most Engaged Leader” and “Company of the Year Award” in 2018. David serves on the National Staff of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary in the Diversity Directorate and received the prestigious U.S. Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Citation—the service’s highest non-combat peacetime award, as well as the Meritorious Team Commendation. He is also a U.S. Coast Guard Academy Admissions Partner. David serves on the “Design Thinking Program” at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business and volunteers for the Life Raft Group, a cancer research organization. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Humanitarian Institute for Urban Emergencies and the Harvard Program on Negotiation. In 2019, David was selected as one of the “Top 3 Healthcare Leaders” which was presented at MD Andersen Cancer Center (Healthcare Diversity Council Conference). He also received the “Healthcare Diversity Advocate” honor from the Tri-State Diversity Council that same year, as well as Get5’s “Compassion in Employee Relations” award. In 2020, he was awarded the “Authentic Leadership Award” and “Most Engaged Leader” by the Tri-State Diversity Council. He also presented a workshop on leadership, strategy, and culture at the 2020 National Diversity Council’s Annual Conference, which will be included in the National Diversity Council’s best practice online toolkit. In 2021, he was awarded the National Disability Inclusion Award and presented on wellness and well-being for Cornell University. In addition, David serves as a Board Member of the Coalition for Racial Justice & Equity which develops strategies to address systemic racism in education and the justice system.
Top 3 Healthcare Diversity Leaders
Awardees
Vatwani
Dr. Vatwani is an Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy department at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). She is a National Diversity Council Certified Diversity Professional and strives for efficient organizational processes by incorporating DEI in best practices. She has held service leadership positions including the NSU Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Healthcare Sciences founding chair of the diversity and inclusion faculty committee and the founding co-chair of the Physical Therapy department cultural competence task force. At the state and professional level, she served as the founding co-chair of the Florida Physical Therapy Association Acute Care Special Interest group. She is a certified lymphedema and wound Care therapist (CLWT), certified lean six sigma black belt (CLSSBB), certified project management professional (PMP) and certified in diversity, equity, and inclusion at the workplace. Her primary research interests include cultural competence in healthcare and academia, interprofessional education and practice, simulation-based teaching/learning, healthcare education, physical therapy practice and management specifically in the acute care and cardiovascular and pulmonary fields. She has authored several peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and presentations. Dr. Vatwani will soon be graduating with her terminal degree, an Education and Leadership in Healthcare Doctorate (EdD) in July 2022.
Ramiro
Dr Lucila Ramiro is the President of Tampa General Medical Group (TGMG) and Vice President of Physician Practice at Tampa General Hospital (TGH). She started her career in 1994 at TGH Family Care Center Kennedy providing chronic are for the underserved population. Using this experience, she became a consultant, advisor, and speaker for medical advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies. She collaborated with the University of South Florida (USF) Internal Medicine Department and expanded the training of USF residents in TGMG clinics to promote education for the next generation of physicians. Despite the challenges of caring for patients with complex medical, economic, and social issues, Dr Ramiro championed TGH/TGMG participation in a variety of quality initiatives. This resulted in TGMG’s national recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for quality diabetes care and gold recognition from the American Heart Association for excellence in hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes management. She also spearheaded the physician effort to achieve level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition at the TGMG primary care clinics. In October 2020, she was appointed as co-chair of the Tampa General Hospital Equity Domain to help build the infrastructure and promote equitable care at Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida. In her current role, she has provided training to new nurses at TGH regarding diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency in the healthcare setting. She remains active in community volunteer programs and is a member of the Hillsborough Community College Foundation Board. Dr Ramiro currently serves as President of the American Heart Association Tampa Bay Metro Board working to advance cardiovascular health, including identifying and removing barrier to healthcare access and quality. Dr Ramiro is board certified in internal medicine and a fellow of the American College of Physicians. She completed a Master of Business Administration program at the University of South Florida. Despite the demand of her administrative role, she continues to treat her beloved patients one day a week at the TGH Family Care Center Kennedy.
Anako
N. Chineye (Chi) Anako is a public health practitioner whose work has focused on the intersection of public health and health equity solutions. Past initiatives include work on food security/life cycle, violence prevention in youth and cultural and linguistic programs. She is the Regional Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Trinity Health Of New England, a five-hospital system across Connecticut and Massachusetts, part of Trinity Health. Under her leadership, she led the Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Initiative, which revised the patient demographic questions to be inclusive of all genders and sexual orientation on all hospital in-take forms and in EPIC system throughout the Regional Health Ministry (RHM). She also oversees the 3+1 Language Services Program. The program provides cultural and linguistic care to patients, especially those from marginalized groups. In addition to her role at Trinity Health Of New England, Chi currently serves on the board of the Connecticut Chapter for the National Association for Health Services Executives (NAHSE) and is also the immediate past-president. NAHSE is a healthcare organization that ensures greater participation of minority groups in the healthcare field. She also serves on the board of the Connecticut Public Health Association (CPHA) and Copper Beech Institute (CBI). Chineye holds a master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in Health Promotion from Southern Connecticut State University and a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and an EPIC Summer Scholar at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Chineye Anako is an avid traveler and a native from Nigeria.
Top 3 Healthcare Diversity Organizations
Organization Awardees
