FMCA Community Impact Scholarship Recipients For March 2026 Announced

Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, in partnership with The Institute for Functional Medicine, is proud to introduce the recipients of our FMCA Community Impact Scholarships for March 2026.

Thanks to a generous grant from VoLo Foundation, we’re able to offer full tuition scholarships to three individuals joining our March 2026 Health Coach Certification Program.

This year, we received over 700 applications, each one filled with heart, purpose, and a vision to make a difference. As we read through the submissions, we were deeply moved by the stories shared, the commitment to community well-being, and the meaningful work already taking place. Choosing just three recipients was not easy, and we are honored to introduce those who stood out for their impact and their readiness to create lasting change.

These future health coaches are widening access to wellness in communities that are too often overlooked, breaking down barriers to care, and showing up with empathy, understanding, and purpose. With FMCA’s training in functional health, nutrition, mind-body medicine, and behavior change, they will be equipped to deepen their reach and amplify their impact.

At FMCA, we believe health and healing should be within reach for everyone. These three changemakers remind us that when we invest in people who serve others, we strengthen the fabric of our communities. We are honored to support their journey and welcome them into the FMCA family.

Meet our scholarship recipients below.

Sonja Brink

Sonja works with children and adults with learning, behavior and postural movement challenges. She focuses on an integrated approach to human functioning and educates individuals and families about the importance of movement to improve functioning. The reasons that bring her to FMHC are the limited access to health care for people in rural areas of South Africa, and the high suicide rate for youth in the country. Her extensive experience (20+ years) as community development practitioner has shown her the positive impact which access to information and skills training has on empowering people in resource poor communities to improve their lives.

Sonja’s Community Impact:

Sonja aims to expand her offering to the individuals and families that she works with in her practice, to encompass more than only movement prescriptions. She is also involved with teacher development and training and strongly believes that schools could be effectively utilized as hubs of information for the communities they serve. She intends to use her Functional Medicine Health Coach Certification to address the interface between physical health, lifestyle and mental health to help young people suffering from depression and to make a meaningful contribution to the wellbeing of her clients as well as the people in the rural community where she lives.

Watch Sonja’s Interview With Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum, FMCA’s Founder and CEO, and see full interview notes here.

Debra Lewis

Dr. Debra Lewis is committed to health equity and community empowerment, bringing a wealth of experience from a career dedicated to higher education and non-profit organizations. She serves as the Director of Philanthropy for a new startup where her primary focus is building out the non-profit arm to serve underserved youth. Inspired by her own successful personal health transformation, she is now pursuing the FMCA Health Coach Certification to integrate practical, root-cause strategies into her community work. Her vision is to leverage her background and new coaching skills to empower individuals and bridge the health gap in her current community, ensuring that holistic well-being is accessible to all.

Debra’s Community Impact:

Debra is committed to advancing health and well-being in Tulsa’s BIPOC communities, including unhoused veterans and residents of the historic Greenwood district. Her work is deeply personal. She lives downtown, volunteers regularly, and has built relationships through The H.A.L.O. Project, Justice for Greenwood, and the Terence Crutcher Foundation.

Having witnessed the loss of local health resources and the ongoing effects of systemic inequities, Debra believes functional medicine can help address root causes and restore community trust. Her vision is to offer culturally responsive education and coaching, grounded in accessibility, respect, and connection. For Debra, healing is not only about improving health outcomes. It is about strengthening community resilience and belonging.

Gema Ortiz

As an Advocacy & Leadership Program Manager at a California based nonprofit, Gema Ortiz designs and leads initiatives that empower women of color to advocate for themselves around issues such as low wages, healthcare access, and workplace equity. With extensive experience in program management, strategic planning, and workforce development, she has a proven record of driving operational efficiency, leading remote teams, and building partnerships across sectors including education, healthcare, and community organizations. Her work centers on developing leadership among women at the margins of economic and healthcare systems, creating spaces for healing, storytelling, and civic engagement.

Gema’s journey with type 2 diabetes and hormonal imbalance led her to functional medicine, where she discovered the importance of addressing root causes rather than symptoms. This experience deepened her commitment to bridging advocacy and holistic health, ensuring that women of color not only gain the tools to lead but also access pathways to wellness and systemic change. For her, this work is more than a career, it’s a calling to transform both personal and collective health outcomes through education, empowerment, and equity.

Gema’s Community Impact:

Gema is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of women of color in underserved Latino communities, where she has seen the effects of limited access to care, cultural stigma, and rising rates of chronic metabolic conditions. Her personal and professional experiences have shaped her mission to bridge functional medicine with the communities often left out of wellness spaces.

She plans to offer culturally grounded coaching and education that incorporates traditional foods, community support, and accessible lifestyle strategies. Her approach centers trust, relevance, and empowerment. For Gema, wellness is a right, and her goal is to help her community reclaim its health with dignity and confidence.

Watch Gema’s Interview With Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum, FMCA’s Founder and CEO, and see full interview notes here.

Our Community Is Growing

We are thrilled to welcome Sonja, Debra, and Gema to FMCA’s growing student body. As they complete our Health Coach Certification Program and become FMCA Alumni, their impact on the health and wellness of their communities will only increase.

If you’re wondering if now’s the time to start making an impact with functional medicine and health coaching, let this be your invitation to join us. Let’s break down barriers to accessible functional medicine health coaching together. Who knows, you might even see one of our three scholarship recipients in your Live Training Sessions each week…

Learn More

About VoLo Foundation

VoLo Foundation is a private nonprofit organization with a mission “to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health” and a vision for a “planet where all beings are ensured access to a sustainable and clean environment, health services, and education.”

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