Susie Ellis Scholarship
for Equity in Wellness

Apply for the 2025 Scholarship Starting April 1, 2025

The Susie Ellis Scholarship for Equity in Wellness aims to create more inclusivity at the annual Global Wellness Summit (GWS) by providing financial assistance to members of an underserved population to join the conference each year, ultimately empowering recipients to return to their local communities and become leaders in the wellness industry. The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) scholarship includes:

GWS registration fee ($5,790). The 19th Annual Global Wellness Summit will be held at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi on November 18-21, 2025.
Airfare and transfers to the Summit ($1,500+)
Hotel accommodations during Summit ($1,800)
One-year Global Wellness Institute (GWI) Ambassadorship ($1,000)
Four days of insights from top global wellness experts
Meaningful networking opportunities

The scholarship is named for Susie Ellis, GWI & GWS Chair & CEO, in honor of her longstanding commitment to bringing more equity to the wellness industry. This fund offers invaluable opportunities for deserving individuals to participate in the GWS, GWI’s esteemed counterpart and the foremost conference on the wellness industry. This program serves as a bridge, granting access to individuals who may not have had the means to attend the Summit independently.

The establishment of the scholarship fund was made possible by the initial generous contributions of Katrine and Bill Formby, Rick Stollmeyer, Lynne and Victor Brick, and the Szekely Family Foundation. Since its inception, the fund has experienced remarkable growth through the annual live auction held during the GWS gala event.

Meet the 2024 Recipients

Resonating with the global movement for equality and inclusion, the third year of the Global Wellness Institute’s (GWI’s) Susie Ellis Scholarship for Equity in Wellness welcomed an astounding 300+ applications from over 60 countries according to the fund’s creator, Executive Director and Chief Creative Officer  Nancy Davis.

Cida Ghosn, Australia
Cida is a Brazilian-Lebanese architect who leads projects in affordable housing, sustainable design and informal settlements. Currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Melbourne, her research focuses on decision-making processes for implementing health and wellbeing strategies along with ESG practices within the real estate market. With exposure across Brazil, USA and Australia markets, Cida is constantly bridging the gap between academia and public and private practice.

Linda Kirk, UK
Linda Kirk is founder of the Just for Women Centre in the UK, supporting the mental and physical health of women and young girls who have experienced trauma or have been affected by abuse through this safe place for counseling, support, wellbeing workshops and healing. She has received the British Citizen Award presented by the House of Lords in January 2019 and the Queens Award in 2022 for outstanding service in her community.

Anna Petrova, Ukraine
Impact entrepreneur, business advisor and inspiring speaker, Anna Petrova is a pioneer in creating an entrepreneurial culture in Ukraine. Listed on Forbes “30 Under 30,” she is an SME ecosystem builder, a Ukraine ideologist and a visionary of projects like StartUp Ukraine, SelfMade Woman Community, and WakeUp Call. She is passionate about personal development, mental health, wellbeing, mediation, and sustainability.

Michelle Saudan, Dubai/Zimbabwe
Founder of Amanzi Wellbeing, Michelle Saudan works at the intersection of wellness and community empowerment and is devoted to raising awareness of Africa’s unique wellness assets. Intently heart-led on creating safe healing spaces for the local Southern African community, her business offers accessible, trauma-informed wellness programs, workshops and retreats. Michelle is the vice-chair for the Global Wellness Institute’s Africa Wellness Initiative.