Jocelyn H. Bruce

JOCELYN H. BRUCE, M.D.

Dr. Joy Bruce has served the social needs of elders, effectively
bridged the intergenerational gap, addressed multicultural and
multi-ethnic diversity, developed leaders, crossed geographic
boundaries, formed a strong coalition of cultural, business,
health, educational and service organizations in Florida,
assisted the impoverished families in the Philippines, and
provided an educational tool for many students and schools in
the Philippines.

In 1992, Dr. Bruce formed the Philippine Charities Foundation in
Miami to help families that were affected by the Mt. Pinatubo
eruption in the Philippines. The provision of an artesian well to
the Aetas, micro-loans to 40 poor families, assistance to

typhoon victims, and a soup kitchen in Manila were among her accomplishments as PCF president.

In 1994, she founded NANAY, Inc., an acronym that stands for National Alliance to Nurture the Aged
and the Youth, as a 501(c)(3) community-based charitable organization to promote the health, welfare
and well being of elders and youth. In January 2000, she formally opened the NANAY Community
Center that now provides free counseling, recreational activities, arts and crafts, conversational
English lessons, health sessions, educational seminars, and computer classes to more than 500
elders. She also instituted an intergenerational program that combined youth mentorship with service
to elders.

In 1998, she formed the Philippine American Federation of South Florida to unite 20 Filipino-American
associations in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

In March 1999, she pioneered the first NaFFAA Southern Regional Convention in West Palm Beach,
attended by Filipino-American leaders from Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia,
and Alabama. She served as the Southern Regional Chair for the Washington-based National
Federation of Filipino American Associations from 1998-2001.

In 2001, she formed the Miami-Dade Asian Pacific American Community Partnership with ten local
organizations from the Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Japanese, and Ismaili Muslim communities
that, under NANAY’s leadership, worked together as a group to address cultural diversity and social
issues affecting their communities. This partnership was later expanded to include leaders from the
Caribbean and Hispanic communities.

In 2003, Dr. Bruce co-founded the Filipino American Coalition of Florida made up of Filam community
leaders from South, Central and North Florida interested in social and economic empowerment. In
2006, Dr. Bruce also facilitated the formation of the Fil-Am Political Alliance of Florida, for the purpose
of political empowerment.

She incorporated the NANAY Health Center, Inc. as a non-profit affiliate organization of NANAY, Inc in
March 2003 to provide primary health care to the underserved and uninsured, and established the
NANAY Community Development Corporation (NANAY-CDC) in June 2003 to provide housing
assistance to low-income families. In 2007, NANAY & NANAY-CDC formed the Housing Partnership
of North Miami with Neighborhood Housing Services and Little Haiti Housing Partnership and signed
the contract with North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (North Miami CRA) to provide
homebuyer counseling at the NANAY Housing Resource Center and assist low-moderate income
first-time homebuyers in getting government subsidy for affordable housing.

Dr. Bruce is a dedicated and committed leader who inspires others by her own example of hard work,
and encourages people to assume leadership roles in the various projects that they undertake. Her
excellent organizational, entrepreneurial and interpersonal skills have enabled her to successfully
implement solutions to problems and obstacles that come in the way of NANAY’s program
development. Perhaps, her greatest asset is her ability to foster close alliances and partnerships with
diverse communities, to improve intercultural relationships, and to facilitate “community change”
through effective teambuilding.

In 2005, Dr. Joy Bruce established the Advocates for Children and Elders (ACE) International-
Philippines that successfully lobbied for the amendment of the Philippine Juvenile Justice Bill to
protect the children from being incarcerated with adult prisoners, and currently provides supportive
services to Philippine children in conflict with the law. As President of ACE International-Philippines,
she coordinates activities in the two regional chapters (NCR and Cagayan de Oro) that are now
providing periodic checkup, weekly arts lessons, computer sessions and values formation to the
Children in Conflict with the law (in collaboration with CRADLE). In partnership with KIWANIS, ACE-
International Philippines also has recently launched a feeding program to address malnutrition of
children in Cagayan de Oro.

All of Dr. Joy Bruce’s community-related activities were carried out while also performing her
professional duties as a board-certified neuropathologist in Jackson Memorial Hospital and full
professor at the Department of Pathology, University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine. She has
written 8 book chapters, given 38 scientific presentations and published 60 medical articles. From
1995-1999, she edited and published “Current Medical News”, a bimonthly health magazine that
provided medical updates for the public, written in layman’s term.

The second edition of her book, “Histopathologic Techniques”, published in 2006, is currently being
used as an official textbook by Medical Technology schools in the Philippines.