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Meet Dr. Santiago

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Lourdes T. Santiago, MD, is a board-certified general surgeon and fellowship-trained colorectal surgeon at Colon and Rectal Clinic of Tampa Bay in Clearwater, Florida. Dr. Santiago specializes in the treatment of colon and rectal cancers, as well as pelvic floor disorders.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and serving as a major in the United States Army, Dr. Santiago relocated to Tampa Bay, Florida, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Science and Chemistry at the University of South Florida.

Dr. Santiago returned to Puerto Rico, graduating with her Doctor of Medicine from the Ponce School of Medicine. She completed her general surgery residency and colon and rectal surgery fellowship training at the University of South Florida.  

She is a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and the Florida Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (FLSCRS). 

Dr. Santiago has an affiliation with many area hospitals, including St. Petersburg General Hospital in St. Petersburg, Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Largo Medical Center in Largo, and Belleair Surgery Center in Largo. 

An advocate for education, Dr. Santiago gives regular presentations in English and Spanish about colon and rectal cancer throughout the Tampa Bay area. 

In her free time, Dr. Santiago enjoys giving back to the community she serves. In addition to her lectures and presentations, she volunteers at the Health Department, provides care at local free medical clinics, and participates in local toy drives during the holidays. 

 

 

     

About Us

The Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research (FSCDR) is a renowned organization solely focused on medical care and clinical research opportunities for those living with Sickle Cell Disease. FSCDR has locations across the State of Florida. Its Flagship is in Hollywood, Florida.

As the only organization in the United States with standalone sickle cell Centers of Excellence, The Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research welcomes patients from all over the world. The team of physicians, specialists, care coordinators, case managers, and social work professionals combine to provide all-inclusive care for children and adults with sickle cell disease.

Their stated mission is to tirelessly research, inform, hear, respect, treat, and support all individuals with sickle cell disease, and to make the disease a livable, non-threatening condition. In addition, they do innovative diagnostic testing, such as transcranial Doppler ultrasounds, X-rays, and medical treatments, including infusion services.

The team at The Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research works with other medical and education professionals to ensure that their patients of all ages receive the care and support they need to thrive, ranging from vaccinations to medication management and social work services.

Along with school individualized educational plan (IEP) support, disability application assistance, and case management, they help patients work through the social determinants of health to ensure patients receive the proper support they need.

To schedule an appointment with The Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research, call or book online today.

Gershwin Blyden, MD, PhD, FCP, FACP, is a board-certified hematologist-oncologist and medical director of The Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research, with locations in Homestead, Orlando, Lakeland, Jacksonville, Belle Glade, Tallahassee, and Hollywood, Florida. With more than 40 years of diverse experience, Dr. Blyden is an esteemed physician in his field.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in plant science from the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1967, Dr. Blyden earned a PhD in pharmacology from prestigious Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1976. Just three years later, he also earned his medical doctorate cum laude from Yale University.

In 1985, Dr. Blyden completed an internal medicine internship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. That same year, he also finished his hematology/oncology and clinical pharmacology fellowship at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. 

After graduating and completing his training, Dr. Blyden worked as an adjunct professor for the Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine in Miami Shores, Florida, an associate clinical professor of hematology and oncology at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida, and as an associate professor of clinical pharmacy and director of the Clinical Pharmacology Research Unit at Florida A&M University’s Miami location.

Today, Dr. Blyden is a leader in the field of sickle cell treatment, case management, and research. He provides comprehensive care for chronic diseases, with a special emphasis on sickle cell anemia. 

Dr. Blyden offers a variety of infusion services, school individualized education program (IEP) support, transcranial Doppler ultrasounds, and more.

Dr. Ronoel Penalver is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician serving patients at FSCDR’s Hollywood, Florida location. He provides comprehensive care focused on prevention, chronic disease management, and improving long-term health outcomes for individuals living with sickle cell disease.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Penalver contributes to clinical research efforts that support the advancement of treatment options and patient care. He is committed to delivering compassionate, evidence-based care while helping expand access to innovative therapies and medical resources for the communities FSCDR serves.

Dr. Kennessa Hugger is a physician serving patients across FSCDR’s North Florida locations, including Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Pensacola, and Panama City. She is dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered care to individuals living with sickle cell disease, with a focus on improving health outcomes through education, prevention, and comprehensive treatment support. Dr. Hugger is committed to ensuring patients throughout North Florida have access to quality care and resources close to home.

Dr. Farago is a family medicine trained, board certified physician. His experience includes general family medicine as well as addiction and non-interventional pain medicine. He has expertise using both buprenorphine and methadone for the treatment of chronic opioid dependency. He is licensed in the both the USA as well as Canada to practice medicine. His DEA exemption allows him to prescribe Suboxone in the US for substance abuse. He is a licensed MRO for urine drug screening and is currently consulted for opioid management.

Dr. Nhat T. Nguyen, D.O., M.S. is a board-certified Family Medicine physician with over 15 years of clinical experience in urgent care, primary care, and wellness medicine. She earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Master’s in Biomedical Sciences from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and completed her Family Medicine Residency at St. Petersburg General Hospital. She has served as teaching faculty at Nova Southeastern University and St. Petersburg General Hospital, where she trains and mentors nurse practitioner students, physician assistant students, and resident physicians. Dr. Nguyen is passionate about teaching clinical excellence — helping trainees refine diagnostic reasoning, master procedural skills, and deliver compassionate, patient-centered care.

Dr. Matthew Rodgers trained at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and joins the practice after retiring from the Army after a 27-year career.  He is board certified in family medicine and sleep medicine with a focus on sleep medicine for the past 10 years.   He was the Army medical director for the virtual medical center for two years focusing on providing synchronous and asynchronous virtual health care throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Dr. Rodgers created virtual sleep medicine clinics to provide sleep testing and treatment to sites in four countries and eight sites, throughout Europe. Professionally he enjoys narcolepsy, sleep apnea and the complex interactions between sleep and PTSD.  Dr. Rodgers likes football, basketball, and baseball.  But ironically wasn’t good at any of them, so he played rugby for eight years and wrestled for fourteen and coached wrestling for five years.

Dr. Amy Meoli has been practicing sleep medicine for over 20 years. She trained at the University of Missouri-Kansas City prior to her sleep fellowship at Allegheny University in Philadelphia. She is board-certified in sleep medicine. Dr. Meoli says she recognized the changes in patient needs related to sleep issues, and the growing time constraint people have to manage. She believes Sliiip is a progressive move to accommodate patient needs. Dr.Meoli is excited to be a part of this organization. Besides work, she enjoys time with her puppies. She loves to travel and cook.

Recognizing the shortcomings of the U.S. healthcare system and the opportunities made possible by advances in mobile technology, Dr. Avinesh Bhar left his office-based practice in 2019 to focus on establishing a telemedicine practice founded on high-value and personalized, convenient and cost-effective sleep and pulmonary care. Dr. Bhar is a fellowship-trained and board-certified in sleep and pulmonary medicine. He has been in practice for over seven years following the completion of his fellowships at Washington University in St Louis and the University of Tennessee (Memphis). He also holds a MBA from the University of Chicago. Dr. Bhar loves soccer, plays tennis and is active on Twitter (@AviBhar).

Graduated of Doctor in Medicine in Cuba 1996 Graduated of Autonomous Advanced Registered Nurse USA 2013 Practice medicine for 25 years