Board Members

Dr. Bertrand Fote is an emergency physician. He obtained his medical degree at Howard University in Washington DC, after getting a bachelor’s degree Magna Cum Laude in electrical engineering from the University of the District of Columbia. He is a board-certified emergency physician and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He also holds an MBA from Auburn University in Alabama. He is a certified college advisor and holds several certifications in the financial planning arena.

Dr. Fote has been a physician leader for over a decade, serving in many leadership roles across several hospital systems, as well as providing medical leadership for emergency medical services (EMS). As a leader, he has championed several initiatives to enhance growth, improve performance and optimize clinical care for patients in several emergency departments. He has earned several leadership awards for his transformational leadership style. In addition to leadership at the clinical setting, Dr. Fote has had leadership roles in professional organizations. As founding member and past president of the Association of Cameroonian Physicians in the Americas (ACPA), Dr. Fote has been instrumental in its growth and influence. He currently serves as a board member.

Dr. Fote has always felt a passion for giving back. His calling came out of a lifechanging experience when he received a scholarship for academic excellence that enabled him to complete his high school education in boarding school. This came at a time when he faced the prospect of not graduating due to his parents’ financial difficulties. That was his earliest motivation to seek to become a physician, like the alumnus who offered that scholarship, and make a difference. He has followed that calling throughout his adult life in several ways. He has offered scholarships to many students and mentored many students. He led the creation of a scholarship endowment fund for his high school alumni association to which he has been a generous contributor, helping to offer hundreds of scholarships. He has also done significant philanthropic work in Africa by organizing free health clinics to serve local communities in need. Dr. Fote is a recipient of President Joseph R. Biden’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Bertrand is also a community leader and entrepreneur. He is very active in his local community and has been instrumental in several community organizing and volunteer activities. As president of his high school alumni association, he championed an initiative to see every chapter do community service activities annually in their local communities across the United States and Canada.

Bertrand loves writing. He has published several poetry books. His poetry has also been published in several anthologies. He also enjoys writing fiction. He loves playing the keyboard, scrabble, theater, soccer, and golf. He is a lifelong Manchester United Football Club fan. He also enjoys traveling.

Dr. Emmanuel Fombu is an internationally recognized authority on the convergence of digital technologies and healthcare. He is an award-winning and best-selling author, physician, Keynote speaker, investor, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of combined experience in clinical medicine, research and discovery, pharma, medical device, digital health, and innovative healthcare business strategy. Dr Fombu’s book, The Future of Healthcare, was selected by the National Library of Medicine and the NIH’s All of Us Research Program as one of the top 3 books in digital health in 2020. Dr. Fombu has played a key role in leading digital health innovation and strategy for some of the world’s leading organizations such as Johnson and Johnson, Novartis, Bayer, Apple, Amazon, Premier Inc, and Alira Health. Most recently, he was global innovation and strategy lead for Johnson and Johnson where we played a pivotal role in partnering with Apple Watch to launch its AFib algorithm. Dr Fombu has also advised and mentored multiple digital health start ups which have since become Unicorns e.g. Biofourmis, Omada Health, Science 37, Butterfly Network, Alivecor.

Dr. Fombu did his clinical training at Emory-Crawford Long Hospital and holds an MBA from both Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business and Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business. He also earned a certification in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and Computer Science Artificial Intelligence Lab. Dr. Fombu has authored multiple research papers and abstracts in world-renowned peer-reviewed journals. He serves as an external advisory board member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MIT.nano project.  He lives in New York City.

Dr. Lance London’s journey began in January 1996 when he founded and took on the role of operator for Big City Foods. His commitment to providing a distinctive taste of Southern cuisine has not only made The Carolina Kitchen a local institution but has also set the stage for future expansion plans across multiple cities in the United States.

Educational Background

A graduate of Morgan State University with a degree in Graphic Design, Dr. London seamlessly blends his creative acumen with his passion for culinary excellence. His dedication to continuous learning and innovation is reflected in the success and longevity of The Carolina Kitchen.

Community Impact and Leadership

Beyond the realm of culinary accomplishments, Dr. Lance London is a community leader with a profound impact on the DMV community. This Thanksgiving, he continued his longstanding tradition of generosity by providing turkeys to over 1000 underprivileged families. His annual Christmas toy drive brings joy to countless children in need, exemplifying his commitment to giving back.

Gatsby Showcase Ambassador and 2023 Appreciation Award Recipient

Dr. Lance London served as the Gatsby Showcase Ambassador in the previous year, and we were privileged to witness his dedication to the foundation’s cause. His passion for philanthropy, coupled with his unwavering commitment to making a positive impact, aligns seamlessly with the values of the Gatsby Showcase.

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Dr. Shirley Ayuk-Takem is a Critical Care Medicine physician, philanthropist, published bestselling author and entrepreneur based out of the Houston, TX metro area. She is the C.E.O/C.M.O of Soleil Medical Group, Rêve Medical Solutions and C.E.O. of Lumière Business Ventures. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, AL obtaining a BS degree in Respiratory Therapy. She worked for a few years as a Registered Respiratory Therapist and continued to medical school at the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona located in Mesa, AZ.

She went on to do an Internal Medicine residency in Detroit, MI and a Critical Care Medicine fellowship in NJ. Even though she typically sees critically ill ICU patients, she tries to educate and instill health maintenance, wellness, and disease prevention tips to her ICU patients in an effort to keep them from coming back to the ICU. She is currently pursuing additional certifications in Lifestyle and Functional Medicine. Additionally, she strives every day to bring compassion and empathy to her practice of medicine. Having been educated and lived all over the US, she has a love of traveling and a passion for medicine and health care. Besides traveling, when she is not busy in the ICU, she enjoys watching movies, cooking and writing.