Melissa Ruiz

/in

Melissa Ruiz, ARNP, is a Family Nurse Practitioner at Doris Ison and Martin Luther King Clinicia Campesina Health Centers.

After earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Miami Dade College, she went on to obtain a Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Miami. She is also nationally certfied as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Ruiz has over a decade of obstetrics and gynecology experience. She previously worked at Jackson Health System in the Labor and Delivery unit, and at Miami Dade College as part of the nursing faculty.

Ruiz is a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and Sigma Tetha Tau International Honor Society of Nursing

Born in Panama and immigrated to Florida, Ruiz is focused on providing culturally sensitive and high-quality healthcare to the South Florida community.

In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and exploring new places with her husband and children.

Dr. Cheryl Holder

/in

Dr. Cheryl L. Holder is a family medicine physician at the Doris Ison Health Center and a Core Faculty member of The Brodes H. Hartley Teaching Health Center.

Dr. Holder is a graduate of Princeton University and George Washington University School of Medicine. She is also is a National Health Service Corp Scholar, Internist, and HIV Specialist. She previously served as Medical Director at a local community health center in Miami. Additionally, Dr. Holder is a member of the National Institutes of Health and Center for Disease Control and Prevention review panels. She has dedicated her career to improving health of underserved populations.

In 2009, she joined Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine’ faculty, where she taught about the social determinants of health, diversity, and the health impact of climate change. She also was the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity and Community Initiatives.

Dr. Holder’s leadership roles include organizations such as president of Florida State Medical Association, Founder and Co-Chair of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action and Co-chair of Miami Dade Heat Health Task Force. In spare time, she holds a strong passion for addressing climate change and delivered a TED Talk titled “The Link Between Climate Change, Health and Poverty” that gained more than 300,000 views.

Dr. Carol Williams

/in

Dr. Carol Williams attended the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus in Jamaica, where she obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) degree. She began her medical career by working in primary care, serving rural and urban communities throughout Jamaica.

She is a native of Kingston, Jamaica, and recently immigrated to South Florida amidst the pandemic to further her medical career.

Dr. Williams’ passion for family medicine stems from her love of building long-lasting relationships with her patients and the diverse range of medical challenges that the field presents. Her desire to become a physician was sparked by her aunt, Dr. Bryan, who served as a role model and inspired her to make a direct positive impact on people’s lives with a compassionate, non-judgmental approach.

When she’s not practicing medicine, Dr. Williams enjoys spending time with her family, practicing indoor cycling and yoga, volunteering, and indulging her creative side with fashion and pottery.

Dr. Kerling Israel

/in

Dr. Kerling Israel earned her medical degree at Universite d’Etat d’Haiti. She worked mostly in rural Haiti before she moved to the United States. She is passionate about providing comprehensive care for her patients and values each interaction that she has with them. She believes that family medicine will allow her to best serve individuals and families in underserved communities where she wants to practice.

She enjoys reading, meditation, outdoor activities and spending time with her family and friends. She speaks English, Haitian Creole and French.

Dr. Anaise E. Pierre

/in

Dr. Anaise E. Pierre completed her medical degree at the Université Notre Dame D’Haiti. She chose a career in family medicine because of the diversity within the specialty and the opportunity for building relationships with the patients.

She understands how much it takes for someone to put their trust in her to provide care and considers it an honor that she will value throughout her medical career.

Dr. Pierre was born in the United States but moved to Haiti where she was raised. Her hobbies include dancing, playing the violin and swimming. She speaks English, Haitian Creole and French.

Tamara Wright, MD

/in

Dr. Tamara Wright, who joined CHI in January 2017, is a family medicine physician at Martin Luther King Jr. Clinica Campesina Health Center. She is also the Associate Program Director in the Family Practice Program of the Brodes H. Hartley Jr. Teaching Health Center at CHI.

She was inspired to enter the medical field by her mother’s passion and dedication as a registered nurse. Her younger brother, also inspired by their mother, became a physician.

In 1990, Dr. Wright graduated from Lugansk Medical Institute in Lugansk, Ukraine, where she was born and raised. For several years, she practiced as a cardiologist in the Acute Cardiac Unit at the First Hospital in Lugansk.

Dr. Wright moved to the United States and started her journey to practice medicine in a new country. She completed her residency at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, Georgia, in 2006. Dr. Wright is board certified in Family Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She enjoys reading, traveling, music and most of all, spending time with her family.

Dr. Luis Gerardo Martinez MD

/in

Dr. Luis Martinez is a Family Medicine physician at Community Health of South Florida’s Tavernier Health Center. He earned his medical degree at the University of Costa Rica and went on to study Obstetrics and Gynecology at State University of New York at Brooklyn Health Center.

After completing his education, he established and held a private practice for several years in Indiana where he also practiced as a successful cosmetic surgeon.

Originally born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Dr. Martinez returned to Florida in 2018 to continue his medical practice as a doctor at CHI. He has a passion for providing quality care to individuals that are underserved in the community.

“I believe in what Community Health of South Florida, Inc. represents and hope that my broad knowledge can assist those in need,” he said.

When he is not practicing medicine, Dr. Martinez enjoys spending time with his family.

Stephanny Santana Rivera

Dr. Stefanny Santana Rivera , MD

/in

Dr. Stephanny Santana-Rivera was born and raised in the western part of Puerto Rico in a town called Mayaguez. She attended the University of Puerto Rico, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

Later, Dr. Santana-Rivera went to the island of St. Kitts and Nevis, where she attended the University of Medicine and Health Sciences and graduated in 2019. At the same time, she attended Walden University online, where she obtained a Master of Healthcare Administration. Dr. Santana-Rivera is currently completing a Graduate Certificate in Public Health. Ever since she was a little girl, Dr. Santana-Rivera wanted to be a physician. While doing her rotations in medical school, she realized she enjoyed the patient-physician interaction. That’s when she understood that family medicine would be the best choice for her.

Dr. Santana-Rivera was also the founder of an association to help underserved children with afterschool activities such as tutoring, sports and arts. This allowed her to work with underserved and helped steer her towards family medicine as well. As president of the American Medical Women’s Association, she organized different health fairs in St. Kitts, and provided healthcare to people who had never seen a physician before. This experienced opened her eyes to access to care and prevention of disease. All these opportunities helped her grow into the person she is today.

Dr. Katina Richardson

Dr. Katina Richardson, MD

/in

Dr. Katina Richardson earned her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida.

Although she was born in Texas, she was raised in Germany, Turkey, England and Illinois. While studying at FAMU, her continued interest in seeing the world and experiencing different cultures, paired with her desire to serve. This led her to enlist into the United States Air Force, where she served for six years.

During her many travels, Dr. Richardson discovered her passion for serving the community. She followed this passion at Ross University School of Medicine while serving disadvantaged areas in Dominica. Dr. Richardson also served as a research coordinator at Washington University School of Medicine within the Division of Public Health in St. Louis, Missouri and subsequently in clinical research within Pulmonary and Critical Care. She coordinated several research projects with the primary objective of reducing healthcare disparities in Prostate Cancer patients.

Dr. Richardson chose Family Medicine as it manifested a strong sense of community. She loves that this field knows the value of building strong relationships and the importance of truly getting to know each patient. Outside of Medicine, she truly enjoy outdoor adventures, traveling and cultural immersion, and spending time with her family.

Laura Muetieles

Dr. Laura V. Mustieles Orozco, MD

/in

At a very young age, Dr. Laura Mustieles used to accompany his father, who is an ENT, to her clinic days. Since then, she knew she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up. Dr. Mustieles earned her Medical Degree from La Universidad de Zulia, in Maracaibo, Venezuela. After graduating, Dr. Mustieles worked for a year in a rural setting, where she had the chance to work as the only attending physician in the outpatient center.

During that time, she treated patients of different ages and socioeconomic status. Dr. Mustieles had the opportunity to follow them until their recovery enriching her decision of becoming a Family Medicine Doctor. Being able to follow up throughout the life of a patient is priceless for to her. Dr. Mustieles would like to keep treating a broad spectrum of diseases that could be treated in the family medicine environment.