Awards for UWI Caribbean Climate Change and Health Leaders

The UWI St Augustine Campus, Friday, May 27, 2022—Health systems in the Caribbean remain highly vulnerable to impacts from climate change, both on the quality and the capacity of services, as well as on the socio-economic and environmental determinants of health. These impacts have been well documented: extreme weather conditions; heat waves; more frequent strong and devastating hurricanes; recurring and extended periods of drought followed by excessive rainfall; increased levels of air pollution and sea-level rise.

As part of a European Union-funded and Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) coordinated project entitled “Strengthening Climate Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean”, The University of the West Indies (The UWI), through its Climate Change and Health Leaders Fellowship program, will award six Caribbean nationals from across the region, who have demonstrated great leadership potential of becoming change agents in areas of Climate Change and Health.

The Fellows include Dr. Kenzy Jean-Pierre from Haiti; Dr. Kim Newton-James from Saint Lucia; Ms. Shanika John from St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Ms. Stephanie Cheuk-Alam from Suriname; Mr. Steve Daniel from Barbados and Dr. William Hamilton from The Bahamas. They will graduate at an event entitled CARICOM Professionals Leading Climate and Health Actions scheduled for Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 10 am. The public is invited to view this ceremony live on The UWI St. Augustine YouTube page at www.youtube.com/user/uwistaugustine.

The UWI-led Climate Change and Health Leaders fellowship initiative has partnered with international organisations, CARICOM institutes, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and government ministries from across the region to implement its multidisciplinary programme. Partners include the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CMIH), The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), The Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF) and the NGO EarthMedic/EarthNurse.

The Climate Change and Health Leaders Fellowship is a part-time, 12 months, blended learning, curriculum-directed program, targeting early/mid-career professionals from 16 Caribbean countries. “This fellowship will create a cohort of inter-sectorial, multidisciplinary Caribbean leaders with the necessary skills to turn plans and policy into action. It will also develop strong, effective Climate Change leadership amongst Caribbean Professionals while championing the One Health approach,” said Professor Christopher Oura, Project Lead for the Climate Change and Health Leaders Fellowship Programme, and Professor of Veterinary Virology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The UWI St. Augustine Campus. “Fellows will be furnished with the knowledge and skills to enable them to support national Caribbean governments in the inclusion of health elements in the national adaptation plans (NAPs) for Climate Change and will be able to support the development and implementation of these plans,” he added.

Note to the Editor: Photos of the UWI Caribbean Climate Change and Health Leaders.

About The University of the West Indies

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global 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 its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). In the latest World University Rankings 2022, released in September 2021, The UWI moved up an impressive 94 places from last year. In the current global field of some 30,000 universities and elite research institutes, The UWI stands among the top 1.5%.

The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean, it is also in the top 20 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old). The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

For more, visit www.uwi.edu.