The UWI adds Psycho-Social experts to its COVID-19 Task Force
Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. March 17, 2020—Recognising the science associated with post trauma stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has taken the additional step of establishing a special operational unit within its regional UWI COVID-19 Task Force.
The University notes that its students and staff are already showing evidence of extreme stress, driven by the radical, transformational and unprecedented actions within the teaching, learning and living culture of the institution. To provide support in addressing these concerns, experts in the disciplines of psychology and psychiatry have been added to the Task Force.
Commenting on the need for the expanded team, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles stated, “This development is consistent with global best practice which shows that lasting and damaging consequences can be associated with such deep-rooted disruption that creates unimaginable insecurity in some. The mental aspects are as important as the material and social dimension.”
The four new experts on the Task Force are Professor Wendel Abel, Professor of Mental Health Policy, Consultant Psychiatrist/Public Health, and Head of the Department of Community Health & Psychiatry at The UWI Mona Campus; Dr. Katija Khan, Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Clinical Medical Sciences at The UWI St. Augustine Campus; Mrs. Ceceile Minott, trained Counsellor, Director of the Consortium for Social Development & Research at The UWI Open Campus and Head of its Caribbean Child Development Centre; and Professor Donna-Maria B. Maynard, Professor of Psychology, Clinical & Counselling Psychology and Registered Psychologist at The UWI Cave Hill Campus. Together they will function as a new Pyscho-Social unit within the Task Force, and will interact with campus management teams to help extend counselling services to students and staff, predominantly via distance counselling.
The unit will also have a major role to play in society to help bring calm and expert guidance to affected populations on ways to cope with the pandemic. Professor Clive Landis, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of the UWI COVID-19 Task Force noted, “We are witnessing a number of anxiety-related behaviours in our communities, which is only natural, but we must guard against negative reactions on an individual and on a societal level towards those who are sick or isolated by this disease.” Emphasizing the wider regional community response, he said, “It is our sense of Caribbean solidarity and community that will get us through this.”
The new Task Force members will also have visible roles in public discourse including an upcoming Vice-Chancellor’s Forum scheduled for Friday, March 20, 2020. This third forum to be hosted since the COVID-19 risk emanated, is themed Sickness, Science, and Sovereignty: Caribbean Unity or Plurality. A panel of medical and social scientists will explore the implementation of various national policies across the region in dealing with the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
Two previous Vice-Chancellor’s forums were held on January 30 and March 9 respectively, themed Demystifying the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Partnering in the Caribbean’s Response. These conversations are part of the regional University’s response to the threat of COVID-19. Recorded broadcasts of these forums are available for viewing on UWItv’s cable channels and website www.uwitv.org.
End.
Related News
The UWI establishes COVID-19 Task Force
The UWI hosts public forum on Coronavirus
UWI Task Force Chair: COVID-19 could serve as an opportunity for the Caribbean
About The UWI
For over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); The UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies; the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ); The UWI-University of Havana Centre for Sustainable Development; The UWI-Coventry Institute for Industry-Academic Partnership with the University of Coventry and the Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research with the University of Glasgow.
The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport.
As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. The world’s most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, has ranked The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for 2019 and 2020, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018 and 2019. The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. For more, visit www.uwi.edu.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)
