Members

Anastasia (Stacey) Tsamasiros
Stacey graduated with a BS in Nursing from the College of Staten Island and later completed her FNP degree from PACE University in NYC.  She is currently working on a cardiac unit in Brooklyn, NY.  Born in Greece and migrated to the United States at 8yrs old, and has been living in Brooklyn since then.  She has traveled to many countries and participated in medical missions with organizations such as Operation Smile, Project Hope and went to Guyana with a heart program to perform the first Angioplast/Stent procedure in that country.  She has been a board member of Medical Mission Called to Serve since it was founded and now serves as president.  For the future she hopes to fulfill and aspire to the dream of helping and supporting the impoverished and those in need through medical and non-medical ways.  “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” Albert Einstein

Dr. Juana E Hernandez, MD, FAAFP
Dr. Hernandez completed a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at SUNY Stony Brook, NY and a Doctor degree in Medicine at PUCMM in Santiago, Dominican Republic.  Dr.  Hernandez went on to complete a Family Medicine residency training at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York and an OB/GYN and Women Health fellowship at Jonesboro, Arkansas in affiliation with University of Arkansas. Dr. Hernandez is a diplomat of the American Board of Family Medicine and American Board of Physician Subspecialty.  After training, Dr. Hernandez has dedicated her career to providing primary care and women’s health to a diverse group of patients. She participated in several medical mission trips to South America since 2004 and has led several other mission trips to the Dominican Republic.  She is a founder member of Medical Mission Called to Serve and an active board member.

Dr. Balichand Permashwar
Dr. Balichand Permashwar, a native of London, England, spent his formative years in Guyana and Jamaica. His journey in medicine began at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica,where he earned his medical degree. He then honed his skills during an internship and a Senior House Officer role at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas. He furthered his training with a family medicine residency at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. He completed a fellowship in geriatric medicine and faculty development at East Carolina University in North Carolina. Dr. Permashwar has een associated with his organization for about 15 years and is a past board member. He has actively participated in numerous medical missions to the Dominican Republic and spearheads various projects in Guyana. His efforts in fundraising and recruiting new members have been instrumental to the organization’s success. Dr. Permashwar’s passion for serving underserved communities is matched only by his commitment to education. He has a particular interest in sports, especially cricket, and even represented the Bahamas National team in 1997. Currently, he serves as a hospitalist physician and holds a clinical faculty position at Campbell School of Osteopathic Medicine in North Carolina. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Permashwar founded the Internal Medicine Learning Collaborative, an online lecture series in collaboration with Southern Regional AHEC and the UWI Medical Alumni Association, Jamaica. This initiative delivers monthly lectures to Caribbean physicians and has been highly successful. He recently published a work titled “An Internal Medicine Learning Collaborative Facilitating a Virtual Continuing Medical Education Program in Guyana and the Wider Caribbean During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Dr. Permashwar’s dedication to medical missions and his commitment to improving health outcomes in underserved communities continue to make a significant impact.

Anu Permashwar
Anu is a clinical pharmacist who has practiced for 25 years in Jamaica, Bahamas, Bermuda and the United States of America.  She has worked full time for the last 12 years with HCA hospital system in West Palm Beach Florida, USA and also per diem at Baptist Health System hospital when her schedule allows. Anu obtained her Bachelors of Pharmacy degree from the University of Technology In Jamaica and then went on to graduate with her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Florida in 2015. She has served on the board of medical missions for the last 5 years where she assisted in raising funds, procuring and  distributing necessary supplies to those in need post hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019. She has a passion for doing mission work, both for evangelism and using her training as a pharmacist for medical missions which she was able to do in Haiti and the Dominican Republic on numerous occasions before and after the earthquake in 2010.  Anu has a love for travel, learning about different cultures, food and history and has been ticking off her bucket list that includes the 7 wonders of the ancient world, of which she has seen 5 of the 7.

Satyan Persaud
Satyan has been in the Information Technology field for the financial sector for over 20 years. He joined the Medical Mission team in 2015 for the mission to Cevicos and Nagua. Satyan also serves his local community volunteering in different capacities such as being a mentor in the iMentor program in NYC to help guide underprivileged students from the transition from high school to college.. He is also an active member of the Boy Scouts of America where he is an Assistant Scout Master.