The Fresh Vitality Team of St. Petersburg Florida

Fresh Vitality was founded by Eddie A. Ariss, M.D. with the vision of creating a medical practice that treats every patient with dignity and first-rate care. The office staff at Fresh Vitality are highly trained and exceptionally friendly. We understand that for many people, visiting a doctor can be a stressful experience. Our comfortable surroundings and compassionate medical professionals will ease your fears.

Eddie A. Ariss, M.D.
Founder & Medical Director

Dr. Eddie Ariss earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from California State Polytechnic University in 1993. He worked full time during his schooling at University of California Irvine Medical Center in the Intensive Care Unit.

Dr. Ariss attended Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and earned his Medical Doctorate Degree in 1997. He graduated with honors in Medical Histology, Human Physiology, Medical Neuroscience, Integrative Clinical Correlations, Medical Pathology, and Internal Medicine Clerkship.

Dr. Ariss relocated to Florida in 1997. He successfully completed his Family Medicine Residency at the Bayfront Medical Center Family Practice Residency in 2000. He was elected to serve as Chief Resident by his peers and attending physicians his last year there. Dr. Ariss is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Dr. Ariss has practiced as an Emergency Department Physician since 2000 until current at the Bay Pines Medical Center. He has also covered other area Emergency Departments from 2001 to 2009, such as St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg, St. Joseph's Hospital and the James A. Haley VA Hospital, both in Tampa.

Dr. Ariss found his passion in Anti-Aging and Preventive Medicine while working at a location in Seminole, Florida. He transitioned away from his moonlighting jobs at the other hospitals and focused his extra time with the Anti-Aging and Preventive Medicine practice.

Dr. Ariss is a proud member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Society of Bariatric Physicians, and American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. He has received extensive training in cosmetic and medical procedures including Botox, Dermal Fillers, Sclerotherapy, and IV Infusion Therapy.

Eddie has received praise from fellow physicians for his work with treating patients struggling with hormone imbalances and his natural talent for administering dermal fillers and Botox. In fact, he has many clients who are physicians, nurses, or are in the medical field.

Eddie enjoys boating, fishing, skiing and spending time with his wife and two children.

Scott F. Graham, M.D.

Dr. Graham is originally from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. He attended the University of Michigan and received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He then graduated first in his class from Chicago Medical School in 2001. He relocated to St. Petersburg where he joined Bayfront Medical Center for his internship and residency. He successfully completed his Family Medicine Residency in 2004. During his final year of residency, Dr. Graham was elected to serve as Chief Resident by his peers and attending physicians. Dr. Graham then obtained his Board Certification from the American Board of Family Medicine.

Dr. Graham and his wife Carla decided to make St. Petersburg their home and established his own private family medicine practice. His practice style or motto has been “old-fashioned medicine with high-tech efficiency.” Dr. Graham created a fully computerized and paperless practice from the ground up. His focus was on family and preventive medicine. Eighteen months after opening his private practice, he and another Bayfront graduate founded Embrace Medical Spa and Wellness Center. Here they promoted preventative medicine and age management by incorporating anti-aging medicine and performing a number of non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Dr. Graham has a calm, reassuring bedside manner and has always been very passionate about teaching. This has earned him praise from both his patients and peers alike. After five years of running a successful practice, Dr. Graham was able to couple his passion for education with his clinical work when he was presented with the opportunity to teach the Family Medicine Residents at Bayfront Medical Center. He joined the faculty and now holds the Assistant Director position at Bayfront Medical Center and is an affiliate faculty for USF.

His interests in the medical field include nutrition, women’s health, preventative and integrative medicine, computers and technology in the health care field, allergies, immunology, psychiatry and sleep medicine. He currently is the residency's Director of Medical Informatics.

While Dr. Graham has a much smaller private practice due to his teaching commitments, he continues to see patients for aesthetic medicine here at Fresh Vitality. His commitment to providing quality patient care is unwavering.

Dr. Graham’s hobbies include spending time with his wife, his two boys, and friends. He is an avid sailor and once lived aboard his sailboat for 2 years. He also enjoys reading, going to concerts, and traveling.

Grace Ariss
Practice Manager & Client Consultant

Grace Ariss has extensive training in business management within small business and corporate settings. As a highly successful Vice President in Banking for over 6 years, Grace's focus is always on developing her client and team relationships. Her philosophy is to do the right thing for the client, build strong relationships, practice with ethical values, and the bottom line will always be met.

In addition to her integral role with the business functions, Grace has excelled as a medical assistant and client consultant, serving as an important liaison for Dr. Ariss and the patients. She strives to provide a superior level of care to each and every patient.

Grace is committed to developing the communities in which we live and practice. She regularly volunteers within the schools and community organizations. Grace enjoys cooking, boating, and spending time with her family and friends.

Whitney Sich
Licensed Massage Therapist
Medical Assistant & Weight Loss Coach

Whitney is a Florida resident who loves her family, her 2 dogs, the beach, yoga, sushi, traveling, and just life in general. One thing that Whitney believes is crucial to maintaining balance in one's life is a positive attitude. She tries to instill this positivity in every person she encounters, by sharing her favorite saying with them, ”It’s important to make the most of every day!” Clients describe Whitney as personable, professional, reliable, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to be around.

Helping people is Whitney’s true passion. She decided to become a Massage Therapist after experiencing the amazing power of touch while she was providing support to ailing family members. She desperately wanted to provide relief and support during their illness and asked doctors what she could do to help. She quickly learned that she was able to provide something that brought noticeable relief, and that was Massage Therapy and other Holistic Therapies.

Whitney found that she had the ability to relax, soothe and dramatically improve discomfort, pain, swelling, and stress with Holistic Therapy and Massage. Whitney felt that she had a gift and a purpose, so she continued her education in Massage Therapy and other Holistic Therapies and has now dealt with all kinds of cases, including (but not limited to): Fibromyalgia, Back Injuries, Pre/Post Natal (Pregnancy) Massage, Palliative Care, Soft Tissue Injuries, Surgical Recovery and more.

While working with Dr. Ariss at Fresh Vitality, Whitney discovered that she really enjoyed assisting him with his patients. The patients thoroughly enjoyed their interactions with Whitney and she’s quickly become involved in multiple areas of the practice. She now coaches our patients with Hormone Replacement Therapy and our Physician Assisted Weight Loss Program. Please contact Whitney if she can be of assistance to you and yours!
 
License # MA53457 
Facility License #MM19192

Janet Martin
Lead Esthetician
Licensed Medical Esthetician
Board Certified Medical Electrologist

Janet serves as our Lead Medical Esthetician with over twenty years of experience in the field of Esthetics. She is a Licensed Medical Esthetician, Board Certified Medical Electrologist, Master Makeup Artist and a Certified Lavish Lash Stylist.. Over the years she has been a trainer, a consultant and a liaison for Estheticians and Medical Spas. Many have called her an Esthetics Coach.

Janet provides a wide range of advanced skincare services. She has developed a loyal following with her techniques and compassion for her clients. In a word, you can describe Janet Martin as a “friend.” She becomes a friend to every client she meets. With an esthetic career spanning twenty years, she brings her professional knowledge and help to her clients with a smile.

She feels blessed to have been around to actually experience two worlds colliding, Esthetics and Medicine. She had the honor of being trained by some of the best in the industry—Dr. Murad, Jan Marini and many others as they came on the scene. She has worked in every area of Esthetics and loved them all. She ran one of the first day spas in Bellaire and has started skincare programs within cosmetic surgeons' offices. She continues to expand her knowledge with skincare.

Janet has taught advanced esthetics to other estheticians in procedures and protocols from high-end French product lines to cutting edge medical esthetic procedures. When asked what sets her apart in this field her first response is always “relationships and results.” Building relationships with her clients is the most important key to her success. Clients become friends, not a number or percentage. She looks forward to seeing her clients and they trust her experienced suggestions. In-depth Skincare Consultation is a cornerstone of that relationship; it all begins there. To truly listen to her clients and help them to achieve results is the most rewarding part of her job.

When you first meet Janet she will greet you with a smile, give you the best results-driven treatment and always say goodbye with a hug. Janet takes great pride in delivering friendly, personalized and professional service. We are glad to have her as part of our team!

License # FS4073
License # EOT2402

Renee Kraf
Licensed Medical Esthetician
Board Certified Medical Electrologist

Renee is a true skin care professional with her advanced training in skincare and the use of lasers for hair removal, vascular lesions, pigmented lesions, and non-ablative skin therapy. She had the pleasure of working alongside a plastic surgeon as she obtained her formal training. Her dedication to her training is reflected with her current certifications as a Licensed Esthetician and Board Certified Medical Electrologist. In order to bring her clients the most advanced skin care treatments; Renee participates in additional continued medical education regularly and follows the lead of our senior esthetician Janet Martin.
 
Her primary goal is to deliver the highest quality skin care and hair removal techniques to her clients, in order to improve the skin’s health/appearance and, as a result, the client’s outlook on how they look and feel. After identifying a suspicious skin lesion on a client’s forehead and getting her immediate medical attention, Renee felt the gratification of her professional career choice when she discovered the outcome was a serious skin cancer that was caught in time for treatment. She said there was no looking back at that point, as she knew she was doing exactly what she wanted!

Renee is a Pinellas County, Florida native. She is married and has a beautiful little girl. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with all her family.
 
License # E02323
License # FB9731732

Karen Scheideman
Certified Micropigmentation Artist