Get to Know Our Presenting Experts

  • Merna Armanious, MD

    Merna Armanious, MD

    A cardiologist and cardio-oncologist, Dr. Armanious is board-certified in cardiovascular disease, internal medicine, adult echocardiography and cardiac nuclear medicine. She provides cardiovascular care, including non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic stress testing, cardiac imaging, preventive cardiac care and risk factor identification. She is also fellowship-trained and certified in cardio-oncology from Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr. Armanious believes a physician must be multi-faceted, grasp global and local health issues, and understand cultural, gender, racial and socioeconomic barriers. She strives to break through these barriers here in our community.

  • Rachel Burke, MD

    Rachel Burke, MD

    Dr. Burke is a board-certified radiologist with fellowship training in breast imaging. At the Kay Meyer Breast Center at AdventHealth Tampa, she provides comprehensive diagnostic services and performs minimally invasive biopsies under all modalities, including ultrasound, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). She is passionate about the patient experience and works closely with a multidisciplinary team of physicians caring for breast cancer patients. She is an active member of the American College of Radiology, the Society of Breast Imaging and the American Board of Radiology.

  • Carol Cox, MD, FACOG

    Carol Cox, MD, FACOG

    Dr. Cox is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and brings more than 20 years of experience in advanced gynecological care to Tampa. She serves as chair of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the Tampa Bay region and is an assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of South Florida. She believes in getting to know her patients and establishing trust, enabling her to give them the knowledge and empowerment they need to find wellness.

  • Leila I. Durr, PhD Director of Provider Well-Being & Licensed Psychologist

    Leila I. Durr, PhD

    Dr. Durr is a licensed psychologist and the Director of Provider Well-Being for the West Florida Division. She is passionate about promoting wellness, self care and resilience by offering individual counseling, consultations and workshops/trainings. As a psychologist, she approaches therapy from a strength-based lens and believes in the power of the individual to make changes in their lives once they have taken the time to reflect and gain self-awareness. As director, Dr. Durr is committed to creating a safe place for every provider to be heard and understood, to reconnect to the meaning in their work, to connect more effectively with colleagues and to find ways to improve the quality of their personal and professional lives.

  • Lisa Marie Ferreira, MD

    Lisa Marie Ferreira, MD

    Dr. Ferreira, who is double board-certified in obesity and family medicine, delivers personalized weight-management programs to help her patients meet their goals. With more than 20 years of experience, she offers a thorough, well-rounded perspective focusing on helping patients improve weight-related chronic issues like high blood pressure, diabetes and joint pain. In addition, Dr. Ferreira offers metabolic testing, body composition analysis and diet and lifestyle recommendations as part of a highly individualized program. She is a member of the Obesity Medicine Association, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

  • Christine Jokisch, MD

    Christine Jokisch, MD

    Christine Jokisch, MD, is a board-eligible vascular surgeon. Dr. Jokisch is deeply committed to the care of all her patients and honored by the privilege to help them restore their whole health through expert surgical care. She treats patients ages 18 and up and spends extra time with each to ensure they are well-informed and involved in their unique care plan.

  • Kim-Phung Nguyen, MD

    Kim-Phung T. Nguyen, MD, PhD

    Dr. Nguyen is a board-certified colon and rectal surgeon. She performs minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery to treat colon and rectal disorders. Dr. Nguyen provides care for diseases that affect the lower gastrointestinal tract, focusing on colorectal cancers and benign conditions like ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and anorectal disorders.

  • Maya Niewiadomska, PA

    Maya Niewiadomska, PA

    Maya Niewiadomska, PA, a certified physician assistant, earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University and her master’s from South University. Fluent in English and Polish, her clinical interests are the outpatient treatment of anorectal disorders, including hemorrhoids, perianal infections and fecal incontinence. She believes in spending time with patients and their families, carefully explaining the risks and benefits of different medical options, and treating her patients with compassionate, whole-person care.

  • Glenda Parker, MD

    Glenda Parker, MD

    Dr. Parker is a board-certified internal medicine physician specializing in primary and preventive care for adults ages 18 and up. She focuses on preventing, diagnosing and treating chronic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, depression, obesity and thyroid disorders. Dr. Parker graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, and completed her internal medicine residency at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

  • Isabel Cristina Prieto, MD

    Isabel Prieto, MD

    Dr. Prieto is a fellowship-trained urogynecologist who treats complex pelvic floor disorders using non-surgical and surgical options, including vaginal, laparoscopic and robotic-assisted pelvic reconstructive procedures with the da Vinci® Surgical System. Dr. Prieto has always been inspired to help other women understand what is happening in their bodies throughout their lives. She dedicates time to get to know her patients so she can provide personalized, comprehensive care for a happier, healthier life.

  • Headshot of Sharona Ross.

    Sharona B. Ross, MD, FACS

    Dr. Ross is an advanced foregut, biliary and pancreatic surgeon specializing in robotic-assisted and single-incision laparoscopic operations for disorders of the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, pancreas, gallbladder and liver. Dr. Ross is a professor of surgery at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and the director of minimally invasive surgery and surgical endoscopy. She is also director of the advanced GI and HPB surgery fellowship, the GERD and Esophageal Cancer Center director, the Pancreatic Cancer Center and the Women in Surgery Career Symposium at AdventHealth Tampa.

  • Lara Witten

    Lara M. Wittine, MD, FCCP

    Dr. Wittine is a fellowship-trained physician with board certifications in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. She provides a wide array of consultative, diagnostic and therapeutic services for adult sleep-related disorders. She is passionate about the benefits of sleep and serves in a leadership role at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). As medical director of the AASM-accredited AdventHealth Tampa Sleep Center, Dr. Wittine provides compassionate care through her evidence-based practice.