Aretha N. Makia, MD, OB/GYN

Dr. Aretha Makia currently practices in Obstetrics and Gynecology with Kaiser Permanente. She lives in Maryland with her husband Dr. Asek Makia, and their two sons Ebot and Tanyi. As a former Beauty Queen, she is also a fashion icon in her community. Her dedication to community development and female education led to the birth of The Aretha Makia Scholarship Fund (AMSF). Dr. Makia founded the scholarship fund to provide educational support to qualifying young women needing financial assistance through college. AMSF is also awarded once a year to the winner of the Miss Africa USA Pageant which focuses on empowering young African women currently residing in the U.S. for leader roles and humanitarian service in their respective communities here in the U.S. and Africa. She currently serves as an Honorary Patron of the pageant. According to Dr. Makia, an educated woman is an empowered woman. Dr. Makia also supports several community initiatives and international missions such as the Cameroon Medical Mission. As a global ambassador, she also travelled to Haiti to offer ground support to the victims of the earthquake which separated several families and took many lives. In 2010, Dr Makia was recognized with the Woman of Valor Award for her dedication to community development and female education.When she is not at work putting a smile on the faces of families by bringing new babies to the face of the earth, on a humanitarian mission, or looking very fashionable, she is at home attending to her first calling—family.