Save the Date: November 6–7, 2025
Join the Leading Event in Healthcare Innovation, November 6-7, 2025
The Grand Bahama Medical and Dental Association is a not for profit organization. It’s membership includes medical and dental physicians primarily on the island of Grand Bahama but whose practices may span the remainder of the Northern Bahamas and New Providence.
The objectives of the association include fostering better relationships amongst the members of the medical and dental professions on Grand Bahama Island, improving the professional knowledge and skills of its members, improving the standards of medical and dental services on Grand Bahama Island and supporting a high standard of ethics and conduct for all members.
Date: November 6-7, 2025
Location: Pelican Bay Resort, Lucaya, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
The GBMDA will be hosting its annual scientific conference November 6th and 7th, 2025 at the Pelican Bay Resort, Lucaya, Grand Bahama, Bahamas. This years theme is “The Modernisation of Medicine”
It is our pleasure to invite interested persons and our partners which include stake holders and patrons such as Healthcare providers/Agencies, Insurance Companies, Faith Based Organisations, Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations spanning local, national and international communities to join us at our conference.
The Main Sponsor for this years conference is Doctors Hospital, a privately owned health care institution here in the Bahamas with facilities spanning several islands and major hospitals in New Providence and soon to be Grand Bahama! They along with other organisations most notably Baptist Health South Florida, The University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital and Cleveland Clinic and pharmaceutical companies such as Nassau Agencies, Lowes, Abbot and Merck Serono, have continued to provide substantial support to the development of our conference. The financial assistance from our sponsors, resources and contributions to this event are invaluable.
Our slate of speakers this year will include persons from the local, national and international communities including the United States and The Bahamas, who will be presenting on a range of topics from multiple specialties which focus on the trends and strategies that revolutionise
healthcare! We will hear about modernising medical practice with new approaches to managing healthcare, new technology, Artificial Intelligence, a focus on mental health, chronic communicable and non-communicable diseases, the business of medicine and view points on the future of healthcare in the Bahamas.
Specialties represented include but may not be limited to Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Neurosurgery, Radiology, Anaesthesiology, Dentistry, Pediatrics and experts in Medical Education and Audiology!
It is our hope that this years scientific conference will provide a forum for education, insightful discussion, examination of new trends and approaches, embracing new technology and the visualisation of the future of healthcare in our communities.
Pre-registration for attendees of the conference is now open. We encourage you to take advantage of our discounted prices! Sponsorship options, booths and ads are also available!
* Please note that an additional $25 will be added to each category for registration on the day of the conference.
| Time | Session | Speaker / Details |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, November 6 | ||
| 8:00–9:30 a.m. | Registration | |
| 9:30–11:00 a.m. | Opening Ceremony | |
| Moderator | Mrs. Sandra Mortimer-Russell | RN; Retired Hospital Administrator |
| Prayer | Rev’d Dr. Elvis Burrows | Vice President, Grand Bahama Christian Council |
| National Anthem | Ms. Anaiah Sands | Lucayan International School |
| Opening Remarks | Dr. Tanya G. Bethel | Consultant Radiologist; President, GBMDA |
| Introduction of Minister for Grand Bahama | Dr. Erin Dames | Senior House Officer, Radiology — Grand Bahama Health Services |
| Greetings | The Hon. Ginger Moxey | M.P., Minister for Grand Bahama |
| Introduction of Minister of Health | Dr. Paul Ward | Consultant Obstetrics & Gynecology; PHA Board Member |
| Remarks from Minister of Health | The Hon. Dr. Michael Darville | M.P.; Minister of Health & Wellness |
| Introduction of Keynote Speaker | Dr. Winston Forbes | Consultant Internal Medicine/Cardiology; Medical Advisor, GBMDA |
| Keynote Speaker | Dr. Sam Heastie | Psychologist — Helpful Heastie, Inc. (USA) |
| Closing Remark | Dr. Shamanique Bodie-Williams | Consultant Obstetrics & Gynecology; GBHS Medical Chief of Staff; Vice President, GBMDA |
| 11:00–11:30 a.m. | Break | |
| General Practice — Part I (Moderator: Dr. Ferdinand Fermo) | ||
| 11:30–11:50 a.m. | The Approach to Menopause in 2025 | Dr. Shamanique Bodie-Williams — GB Health Services / The Medical Pavilion |
| 11:50 a.m.–12:10 p.m. | How to Assess the Impaired & Aging Physician | Dr. Winston Forbes — GB Health Services / The Medical Pavilion |
| 12:10–12:30 p.m. | The Role of Nutrition in Chronic Diseases | Dr. Paul Ward — St. Jude Medical Center |
| 12:30–12:40 p.m. | Q & A | |
| 12:45–1:45 p.m. | Sponsored Lunch — The Modernization of Hospital-Based Medicine | Dr. Jason Thompson — Doctors Hospital Health System |
| Transforming Neurocare: From Surgical Frontiers to Mental Wellness (Moderator: Dr. Terel Humes) | ||
| 2:00–2:20 p.m. | Advancing Outcomes in Brain Tumor Surgery through Translation — Neuro-Oncology (Virtual) | Dr. Ashish Shah — University of Miami Miller School of Medicine |
| 2:20–2:40 p.m. | The Mental Health Crisis in Primary Care: Screening & Management | Dr. Dawn Gallagher — Family Medicine, Doctors Hospital Health System |
| 2:40–2:45 p.m. | Q & A | |
| 2:45–3:00 p.m. | Break | |
| Dental Health (Moderator: Dr. Tanya Bethel) | ||
| 3:00–3:20 p.m. | Dentistry and the Early Detection of Sleep Apnea (Virtual) | Dr. Soumi SenGupta — The Dental Centre, Antigua |
| 3:20–3:40 p.m. | Oral-Systemic Health Connection: Why Every Physician Should Care | Dr. Charlene Reid — Easy Dental Care |
| 3:40–3:45 p.m. | Q & A | |
| 3:45–4:00 p.m. | Break | |
| General Practice — Part II (Moderator: Dr. Tiadra Johnson) | ||
| 4:00–4:20 p.m. | Integrating New Technology into Medical Education | Dr. Joretta Roberts-Carey — Western Atlantic University Medical School |
| 4:20–4:40 p.m. | The Role of AI in Virtual Medicine in Our Clinical Practice | Dr. Scott Ross — Cleveland Clinic Florida |
| 4:40–5:00 p.m. | Panel: Challenges Facing Primary Care Providers in Grand Bahama | Dr. Kevin Bethel; Dr. Renee Lockhart; Dr. Levicticus Rolle |
| 5:00–5:10 p.m. | Q & A | |
| 5:15 p.m. | Closing for the Day | |
| Friday, November 7 | ||
| 8:00–9:00 a.m. | Registration | |
| Modernizing Medical Practices — Part 1 (Moderator: Dr. Tanya Bethel) | ||
| 9:00–9:50 a.m. | AI in Anaesthesia | Dr. Alexandria Foulkes-Beneby — Rand Memorial Hospital |
| 9:50–10:10 a.m. | Point-of-Care Ultrasound in the Office: Practical Use | Dr. Rebekah Flowers — Rand Memorial Hospital |
| 10:10–10:30 a.m. | Innovations in Emergency Response | Dr. Latoya Storr — Rand Memorial Hospital |
| 10:30–10:40 a.m. | Q & A | |
| 10:40–10:55 a.m. | Break | |
| Modernizing Medical Practices — Part 2 (Moderator: Dr. Karis Major) | ||
| 11:00–11:20 a.m. | Pediatric Pearls: Common Outpatient Pediatric Conditions | Dr. Tamara Moss (Virtual) |
| 11:20–11:40 a.m. | Obesity & Nutrition: Practical Tools for the Busy Practitioner | Dr. Zenobia Cooper (Virtual) |
| 11:40 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Why Hearing Health Matters in Modern Medicine | Dr. Fredericka Clarke |
| 12:00–12:10 p.m. | Q & A | |
| 12:20–1:20 p.m. | Lunch (sponsored by Doctors Hospital Health System): AI in Radiology: Governance and Implementation | Dr. Muneesh Sharma — Doctors Hospital Health System |
| Innovations in Chronic Disease Management (Moderator: Dr. Winston Forbes) | ||
| 1:30–1:50 p.m. | Current Trends in Autism | Dr. Romeo Fernandez — Vanguard Biosystems |
| 1:50–2:10 p.m. | The Future of Collaborative Care in The Bahamas | Dr. Vincent Burton — Rand Memorial Hospital / Lucayan Medical Centre |
| 2:10–2:20 p.m. | Q & A | |
| 2:20–2:30 p.m. | Break | |
| Junior Doctor Presentations (Moderators: Dr. Alex Foulkes-Beneby & Dr. Maria Bouffard) | ||
| 2:45–3:00 p.m. | Atypical Presentation of Endometrial Cancer | Dr. Jana Moncur Morley — Obstetrics & Gynecology, Rand Memorial Hospital |
| 3:00–3:15 p.m. | Audit of the Management & Documentation of Hypertension in Hospitalized Adults | Dr. Lyvan Gardiner — Internal Medicine, Rand Memorial Hospital |
| 3:15–3:30 p.m. | Ureterovaginal Fistula as a Surgical Complication in Advanced Uterine Carcinosarcoma with Vaginal Metastasis in a Low-Resource Setting | Dr. Sheryl Miranda — Obstetrics & Gynecology, Rand Memorial Hospital |
| 3:30–3:45 p.m. | A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Barriers to Family Planning among Junior Physicians in the Public Hospitals, The Bahamas | Dr. Charles Virgil — Family Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital / Public Health |
| 3:45–4:00 p.m. | Q & A | |
| Junior Doctor Presentations (continued) | ||
| 4:00–4:15 p.m. | “Caught Between a Clot and a Hard Place” — Meningitis and Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis | Dr. Aaryanna Brown — Internal Medicine, Rand Memorial Hospital |
| 4:15–4:30 p.m. | An Audit of Miscarriage and Its Management in a Public Hospital in Freeport, Grand Bahama | Dr. Lissette Fernander — Obstetrics & Gynecology, Rand Memorial Hospital |
| 4:30–4:45 p.m. | A Clinical Case of Ankylosing Spondylitis with Ulcerative Colitis | Dr. Mykayah Nixon — Internal Medicine, Rand Memorial Hospital |
| 4:45–4:55 p.m. | Q & A | |
| 5:00 p.m. | Closing of Scientific Conference | |
| 7:30–9:30 p.m. | Sunset Boat Cruise | |