Hibiscus Health Caribbean Inc. is a health communications and health events company based in Barbados. Founded by young entrepreneurs and critical thinkers Marianne Burnham and Nicole Alleyne, its goal is to coordinate and create quality health and medical events to strengthen the network and capacity of healthcare practitioners, of all types, to ultimately improve healthcare in Barbados and the Caribbean. The organization also caters to corporate and sector patient sectors, providing programmes and solutions to empower employees and patients to improve their health with a strong prevention focus.
Most recently, Hibiscus Health has collaborated with the JIPA Network to host the Multi-Disciplinary Conference on Traumatic Brain Injury and Stroke Prevention at the Barbados Hilton as well as the 1st Annual Multi-Disciplinary Conference on Diabetes in association with the Diabetes Foundation of Barbados. Both Conferences provided CME credits and also paved the way for health care workers in all disciplines to network, share information, watch and hear informative presentations and strategize as to how best to offer patient care that addresses not only the medical needs of a patient but the patient’s social, cultural, psychological, nutritional , physical and other requirements.
Marianne Burnham
Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Marrianne Burnham is a Nutritionist and has worked in the healthcare food service management industry in Canada and the pharmaceutical industry in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, the latter involving a special emphasis on cancer care and infection. She holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Health Services Management from the University of the West Indies and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Acadia University in Canada. More recently, Ms. Burnham has been focused on aspects of health communications and health education for both health professionals and patients. Development of continuing medical education programmes and patient education programmes are just part of her expertise. Burnham has also been active in the local, regional and international NGOs community, in the areas gender and development. She has experience in NGO management and Gender Based Violence and continues to make a significant contribution in these areas.
Nicole Alleyne
Nicole Alleyne, co-founder of Hibiscus Health Caribbean Inc. has a wealth of experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry that has exposed her to the need for health communications and education for both patients and healthcare practitioners.
This led to the formation of Hibiscus Health Caribbean Inc. Nicole started her journey in the healthcare industry eleven years ago by gaining her Associate Degree in Rehabilitation Therapy from the Barbados Community College. Working in St. Kitts as the Rehabilitation Therapist at the JNF Hospital, Cardin Home and the Special Education School, she helped her clients recognize their various skills and abilities, by inspiring them to extend beyond their best efforts by enabling them to transition into a more comfortable environment in which they could thrive.
This passion has led her to pursue a Certificate in Health Coaching from Emory University in Atlanta, allowing her to combine the knowledge of rehabilitation therapy with the skill of health coaching to effectively empower her clients to unearth their own answers, while encouraging and supporting them on their path of self discovery and awareness by assisting with constructing important sustainable choices.
Much of Nicole’s time is spent volunteering with the Business and Professional Women’s Club where she serves as Vice President. She is currently pursuing a Certificate in NGO Management. The two young women intend to take Hibiscus Health to higher levels as they explore ways to bring more education, events planning and awareness to the Barbadian public while providing the platform for health care workers of all disciplines to not only network but gain CME credits while enjoying new and exciting information from the medical and quasi-medical frontier.
