New DNA sequencing ability at WINDREF aids Grenada in identifying new COVID variants

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Drawing on the strong partnership between St. George’s University and the Government of Grenada throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, new DNA sequencing capabilities at the campus-based Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF) will help to identify new variants of the virus in Grenada—and be a resource for the country and other Caribbean nations to identify additional infectious disease variants.

“The potential public health impacts of having this research tool available to Grenada and potentially for the Caribbean region is significant,” said Dr. Calum Macpherson, director of WINDREF and dean of SGU’s School of Graduate Studies. “Being able to provide findings on the variants that are circulating in Grenada, as well as those that have circulated in the past and any new variants that arise, is critical information that can be referred to when creating policies and responses to the virus as a country and region.”

With funding from SGU, WINDREF acquired two DNA sequencing machines in early December to identify pathogen variants. The process, which entails testing infected individuals’ RNA samples for viral load, and then comparing the results to global databases, was used to confirm that the Omicron variant was detected in patients in Grenada as of the end of December.

The research team at WINDREF underwent an intense six-hour online training session in order to learn how to use the sequencer. The training was provided by Dr. Nikita Shadeo, Mr. Vernie Ramkisson, and Mr. Soren Nicholls from the PAHO-WHO Reference Sequencing Lab at the UWI St. Augustine Campus located in Trinidad, which is headed by Professor Christine Carrington.

 

“The potential public health impacts of having this research tool available to Grenada and potentially for the Caribbean region is significant.”

 

Among those who are now qualified to work on the sequencing data is Vanessa Matthew-Belmar, MSc ’16, who is going to use this technique to study the evolution of the variants found in Grenada over time as part of her research work towards her PhD. Ms. Matthew-Belmar is also a member of the COVID-19 testing team that assisted in the nation’s PCR testing program. In the early stages of the pandemic, the testing program was based on the SGU campus.

“I will use the potential of the sequencing equipment to investigate important epidemiological, viral, and public health issues raised by the circulating variants over time,” said Ms. Matthew-Belmar.

Other members of the sequencing team include: Dr. Trevor Noel, deputy director of WINDREF; Clarkson University MSc student, Nandy Noel, WINDREF lab technician, Elsa Chitan, an SGU MPH graduate, and Nikita Cudjoe, WINDREF’S COVID-19 testing team manager.

Going forward, Dr. Macpherson said that any patients admitted to the Grenada General Hospital or who pass away with a diagnosis of COVID-19 will have their samples sequenced to determine the variant.

The sequencing equipment is not only available to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 variants seen in Grenada since the start of the outbreak, but it also will provide a valuable resource for regional requests for disease sequencing to be conducted for other Caribbean countries, said Minister of Health, the Hon. Nickolas Steele.

“We are proud to be able to offer this service, which reflects the close partnership between the Ministry of Health, SGU, WINDREF, UWI, CARPHA, and PAHO-WHO,” said Minister Steele. “As one of only two labs in the English-speaking Caribbean region that can conduct sequencing, we are adding to the global body of knowledge, which is important for PAHO and WHO.”

Beyond COVID, the new equipment also provides “enormous potential” for understanding the further evolution of viral, bacterial, and other infectious diseases, such as dengue and the zoonotic potential of the canine hookworm species, Dr. Macpherson noted.

“Going forward, not only can we use this equipment to sequence any SARs-CoV-2, but we can also use it to sequence all other diseases,” he said. “It’s an incredibly powerful technique that can be an important diagnostic addition in Grenada’s toolbox as we continue to fight this pandemic.”

 

-Laurie Chartorynsky

 

 

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SAS grad becomes Grenada board’s first female CEO

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Leadership has always been a strength for St. George’s University graduate Afia Joseph, from her time as a Grenada Junior Achiever to her current role—chief executive officer of the Grenada Marketing & National Importing Board (MNIB).

As the organization’s first-ever woman CEO, Ms. Joseph, BSc ’08, MBA ’14, heads up the leading purchaser, retailer, and exporter of traditional and local agro-products on the island. She is responsible for the marketing and national export of agricultural produce, and management of the importation and supply of specified commodities to Grenada. She also plays a supporting role in the development and expansion of the country’s agricultural sector.

Nine months into her new role, Ms. Joseph opens up about what she hopes to accomplish at MNIB, the characteristics of a good leader, and offers advice to those seeking higher education.

St. George’s University: How does it feel to be the MNIB’s first-ever female CEO?

Afia Joseph: I feel very privileged to secure this role yet humbled by this responsibility. With great power comes great responsibility. I hope that my appointment sends a signal to the youth in Grenada to get involved in the development of our country. My appointment also confirms to women that there is a clear path to their goals once there is determination and commitment.

 

“My role has the ability to influence change and improve the agriculture sector. My aim is to facilitate further development of the agro-processing industry in Grenada and play a key role in the expansion of national exports, which will benefit many Grenadians. “

 

SGU: What excites you most about your new job? 

AJ: My role has the ability to influence change and improve the agriculture sector. My aim is to facilitate further development of the agro-processing industry in Grenada and play a key role in the expansion of national exports, which will benefit many Grenadians.

SGU: What makes you a good leader?

AJ: My capacity to manage challenging and otherwise difficult environments with a sense of calm resolve while producing results. Also, critical for leadership is the ability to manage ego, maintain humility, see the value in others, and understand that in order to lead others one must first learn to lead oneself.

SGU: How well do you feel that SGU prepared you for the next step in your journey?

AJ: I felt thoroughly prepared by SGU to enter the workforce—equipped with the soft skills, confidence, tenacity, and emotional intelligence necessary to succeed. The business management program promoted success through teamwork, which is critical to becoming a leader worth following.

Overall, my experience at SGU has had a profoundly positive impact on my career development. Along with the experience attained, both my Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in accounting have positioned me for many opportunities and will continue to do so. The principles and knowledge I acquired have supported all my leadership roles and allowed me to excel.

SGU: Was a career in business something you always wanted to pursue?

AJ: Fortunately, I did not choose my field; my field chose me. I was nurtured and nudged into the direction where I can truly give of myself by making a meaningful contribution to the world through my work.

SGU: What advice would you give someone on a similar journey?

AJ: For anyone contemplating whether it is the right time to pursue higher education, I would say that it’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. It is with this in mind that I continue to grow and learn while expecting greater things for myself and others.

 

– Ray-Donna Peters

New SVM Associate Dean Inspires Future Veterinary Researchers

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Having grown up in and around New York City, Ray Kaplan was more familiar with city and suburban life than the world he one day found in farm country. In high school, he sought more wide open spaces by spending summers working on dairy farms, a setting in which he felt right at home.

“The farm atmosphere was new to me, but I loved the physical and outdoor nature of the work,” said Dr. Kaplan, a new associate dean of graduate studies at St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine. “I also developed an appreciation of dairy cows and found them to be lovely animals to work with.”

He added to his experience by studying dairy science as an undergrad at Virginia Tech, diving deep into parasitology research at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and following that up with a PhD in veterinary parasitology from the University of Florida.

Throughout his career as a clinician, Dr. Kaplan emphasized research, including the US Army Veterinary Corps, where he worked at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in a malaria drug discovery program. Several years later, he took an assistant professor position at the University of Georgia Veterinary School, where he would spend the next 23 years developing an internationally recognized parasitology research program.

Excited to now start a new chapter at SGU, Dr. Kaplan shares how he plans to use his knowledge and expertise in research to help improve the SGU School of Veterinary Medicine program, mentor students, and help faculty succeed in their research endeavors.

St. George’s University: What led you to join SGU, and what are you looking forward to the most as an official faculty member?

Dr. Ray Kaplan: I am thrilled to be a part of the SGU family. Although I just started as professor of parasitology and associate dean for graduate studies for SVM in August, I have been coming to SGU as a visiting professor for the past 20 years, so I knew that I loved Grenada, and the community spirit of SGU. I also joined because I had reached a point in my career where I wanted to do something a little different. Though I did a considerable amount of teaching in my earlier years at UGA, over time my position evolved into being predominantly research focused, and I found that I missed the interaction with veterinary students.

At SGU, I am looking forward to returning to doing more teaching and engaging with students, including establishing a vet student parasitology club, as well as conducting some new areas of research, such as parasites of aquatic animals. And in my role as associate dean of graduate studies, I look forward to building and improving the SVM graduate program.

 

“I firmly believe that learning the scientific process by participating in research builds critical thinking skills, which are essential to practicing evidence-based medicine, and can be applied in so many aspects of life.”

 

SGU: What do you consider to be some of the benefits to students participating in research?

RK: The field of veterinary medicine is dynamic and ever changing, and the amount of information is increasing too fast for anyone to keep up with everything. However, experience in research gives students a better foundation to critically evaluate what they read and hear, and thus provides a step up in maintaining the highest standards of practice. I firmly believe that learning the scientific process by participating in research builds critical thinking skills, which are essential to practicing evidence-based medicine, and can be applied in so many aspects of life.

SGU: Why is research so important, especially now with COVID-19?

RK: Understanding research and science in general is essential to controlling COVID-19, as well as many other of society’s current concerns. Veterinary researchers play a large and critical role in the animal-based research that provides benefits to both animal and human health. These researchers and healthcare professionals played an important role in responding to this pandemic, and they will continue to play an important role in helping to prevent the next one. Hence, the world needs more veterinary researchers.

SGU: What future research topics and projects would you like to see covered at SGU?

RK: As a large university in the Caribbean, SGU is uniquely positioned to address research on topics relevant to this region, such as aquatic animal medicine and conservation, and sustainable control of parasites in tropical environments. For instance, SGU is the perfect place for developing a major center for aquatic animal health, and the achievements of such an institute could provide valuable international recognition for the school.

SGU: How would you describe the student journey and what will help make students successful here at SGU?

RK: Students of veterinary medicine are a fairly unique group in their level of passion and dedication to their pursuit. This intense pursuit to become veterinarians involves a lot of emotional and economic investment. Veterinary students tend to be high-achieving idealists who have chosen the profession because they want to help animals.

Over the years of coming to SGU as a visiting professor, I have been impressed with the academic skills and enthusiasm of SGU students. I think building on those core strengths through increasing opportunities for pre-professional groups and professor-student interactions will aid in their success. I also believe that the geographic location of Grenada and being away from their homes creates a stronger student community, which creates an environment where students help other students be successful.

— Ray-Donna Peters

 

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India consulate recognizes SGU faculty members for excellence in medicine and medical education

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In honor of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, the Office of the Honorary Consul of India to Grenada honored two longtime St. George’s University faculty members—Drs. Vishnu Rao and Narasimhan Prabhakar—for their commitment to medicine and medical education.

Each was feted at a ceremony at the Botanical Gardens in Tanteen, St. George’s, on August 15. Awardees received the accolades from the Honorary Consul of India to Grenada Shadel Nyack Compton, as well as the Honorable Minister Oliver Joseph.

“An honor like this would have been unimaginable to me as a little boy growing up in India,” said Dr. Rao, who recently was appointed dean of university alumni affairs. “To end up in a beautiful country such as Grenada and have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of so many students and so many Grenadians is just wonderful. All the while, I have made lifelong friendships with Grenadian people and families, who are so kind and intelligent, and I thoroughly enjoy the everyday living and beauty here on the island.”

Dr. Rao has taught and mentored SGU students for more than 40 years, having joined as an assistant professor in the School of Medicine in January 1977. He is the embodiment of SGU’s commitment to student support, serving as assistant dean of students from 1977 to 1997 before assuming the role of dean of students from 1997 to April 2021. With his help, more than 300 Grenadians have earned their MDs from SGU, and thousands more have graduated from the Schools of Veterinary Medicine, Arts and Sciences, and Graduate Studies.

Dr. Rao and colleagues at the 2015 Orphans and Elderly Gala

“You cannot measure the positive impact that Dr. Rao has had on this university, our students, and people all around the world who have indirectly benefited from the wisdom, values, and commitment to educational excellence,” said Dr. Charles Modica, chancellor of St. George’s University. “SGU would not be where it is today without Dr. Rao, and I’m forever grateful for all he’s done for the island of Grenada and for our students.”

Additionally, Dr. Rao was instrumental in establishing the Orphans and Elderly Fund, which has raised more than $1.8 million to support caregiver programs throughout Grenada since 1991. He also helped build the Grenada Association of Retired Persons (GARP).

As dean of university alumni affairs, Dr. Rao is supporting the Alumni Association by staying connected with SGU’s more than 24,000 graduates. “I have greatly enjoyed speaking with our alumni, finding out how they’re doing, how they can stay involved, and how they can promote the spirit of SGU,” he said.

 

“To end up in a beautiful country such as Grenada and have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of so many students and so many Grenadians is just wonderful.”

 

The Consul also recognized Dr. Narasimhan Prabhakar, a psychiatrist who has been affiliated with SGU for more than 30 years, including presently as a professor in the clinical teaching unit at Grenada General Hospital and in a clinic within SGU’s Health Services department. He also teaches SGU’s Term 5 students as a psychiatrist at Mount Gay Psychiatric Hospital, and meets with patients the Richmond Home for the Elderly. Dr. Prabhakar was honored for his contributions to mental health, psychiatry, and medicine in Grenada and sister islands Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

“I am very humbled by this honor bestowed upon me by the Consul of India,” Dr. Prabhakar said. “I am also indebted to the administration of SGU, the Ministry of Health, and the Government of Grenada for making the person I am today. Teaching communication skills and psychiatric interviewing skills to young and enthusiastic students gives me great pleasure, as does keeping in touch with my patients in the community, which I have been involved in for 40 years. I am proud to be an Indian and an adopted Grenadian.”

Dr. Marios Loukas, dean of the School of Medicine, praised Dr. Prabhakar’s contributions to SGU. “We are thankful for the invaluable contributions that Dr. Prabhakar has made to the University and our student body,” he said. “He has played a crucial role in their growth and well-being, both on campus and in the field, and has long been a pillar of psychiatric care for the wider Grenadian community.”

– Brett Mauser

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SAS and SGS grads encouraged to “profoundly impact the world”

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On June 12, students from 44 countries came together with family, friends, and well-wishers for their last virtual meetup and to celebrate their academic achievements at the annual School of Arts and Sciences/School of Graduate Studies commencement ceremony.  

Over 420 graduates were encouraged to achieve outside the box as they start their new journey into the workplace around the world.  Degrees were conferred to the SAS and SGS Class of 2021, as well as the SAS Class of 2020, which could not hold its ceremony last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a profound keynote address, Dessima Williams, ambassador for Grenada and permanent representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013, challenged SGU’s newest alumni to live a life of service and to commit to doing something special and impactful.  

“Go from SGU into the world and help to transform everything that you can—make it better,” said Ambassador Williams. “You are graduating, so you must have gotten some good marks. Go now and make good marks on the world.” 

Jonathan Silwanes, BSc ’20, class speaker for the SAS Class of 2020, added that success is not only about achieving your goals, but about being triumphant when faced with hardships. 

 

“As we embark on our respective paths, there will be harder challenges to come, but as long as you persevere, you will be an unstoppable force.“

 

“As we celebrate our successes together today, I challenge all my fellow graduates to appreciate the journey you’ve been through, applaud yourselves for your accomplishments, and remember the adversity you’ve overcome to reach this point,” he said. “Continue to believe in yourself amidst the challenges that await you in the future. Continue your quest to your dreams and continue to succeed every day.” 

Namratha Guruvaiah Sridhara, BSc ’20, class speaker for the School of Arts and Sciences Class of 2021, shared a short story that alluded to the importance of turning one’s struggles into positive learning outcomes.  

“Standing here today, our perseverance and willpower to endure has proven to be stronger than any obstacle. Hence, I urge you all to remember this time, not just as a period of difficulty, but look at it as a way to see what you have achieved and what you have overcome. As we embark on our respective paths, there will be harder challenges to come, but as long as you persevere, you will be an unstoppable force.” 

Samantha Antoine-Purcell, MEd ’21, class speaker for the School of Graduate Studies, thanked her predecessors for paving the way and implored her fellow classmates to think beyond the assignments and projects and step into alumni roles to pay it forward. 

“Today, our graduation is not just the end of the journey,” she said. “Indeed, it is the beginning of our commitment to learning and growing, our commitment to leading lives of purpose and intent. It is our commitment to embracing that which we are—the embodiment of phenomenal thought and action. We have a responsibility to use our collective experiences to profoundly impact our world and positively do so as change agents.”

– Istra Bell

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SGU, WINDREF co-host climate intervention webinar with UN, WHO, and PAHO

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Continuing its longstanding collaboration with national, regional, and global organizations that drive discussion and improvements related to climate change, St. George’s University co-hosted an interactive webinar to address the importance of climate intervention in the Caribbean and how the region can benefit from increased data collection.

The webinar, titled “Calculating the Health Co-Benefits of Climate Interventions Using the CaRBonH tool in the Caribbean,” was co-organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Regional Collaboration Centre at St. George’s, SGU’s Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPHPM), the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Small Island Developing States, which include the islands in the Caribbean, have a high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change despite the region’s low contribution to greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dr. Calum Macpherson, SGU’s dean of the School of Graduate Studies and director and vice president of WINDREF. “These impacts include more frequent and increasingly severe storms; unpredictable weather patterns, which impact agriculture and the incidence of vector borne diseases; increasing sea levels; and increasing temperatures, all of which adversely affect human and animal health.”

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The April 28 webinar introduced the current status of the data collection process in the Caribbean and explored the potential advantages of adapting the WHO’s Carbon Reductions Benefits on Health Tool (CarbonH) tool to assist in calculating the health benefits of climate interventions.

“Ultimately the data collected in the region will be part of the discussions at the Global Climate Change, COP26 meeting to be held in Glasgow in November 2021,” Dr. Macpherson said.

The CaRBonH tool was initially developed by WHO to quantify the potential health and economic benefits that could be achieved by climate policy implementation in Europe. RCC St. George’s, WINDREF, PAHO, WHO, and SGU have been working in collaboration to apply the CaRBonH tool in the Caribbean by conducting a preliminary analysis of data availability in the region.

 

“Small Island Developing States, which include the islands in the Caribbean, have a high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change despite the region’s low contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.”

 

Webinar participants included 24 representatives of the UNFCCC National Focal Points, and chief environmental health officers and national statistical officers from 16 Caribbean countries. The session was moderated by Dr. Lindonne Glasgow, SGU’s deputy chair and assistant professor of the DPHPM.

Presenters included Dr. Vintura Silva, regional lead of UNFCCC RCC St. George’s; Jonell Benjamin, consultant of UNFCCC RCC St. George’s; and Dr. Daniel Buss, advisor for climate change and health in PAHO, with opening remarks given by Dr. Macpherson,

St. George’s University hosts the UNFCCC RCC in the DPHPM, one of six global Research Collaborating Centers in the world. In an effort to assist in the development of clean development mechanism (CDM) projects in the region, the UNFCCC secretariat created a partnership agreement with WINDREF, which is based on the SGU campus, as well as St. George’s University to establish a regional collaboration center in St. George’s, Grenada. The RCC St. George’s is available to support countries interested in applying the CaRBonH tool to calculate the health co-benefits of climate interventions.

The group plans to reconvene on June 1 and 2 for a virtual conference titled, “Making the Case for Health Co-Benefits of Climate Change Mitigation in the Caribbean.”

SGS Grad Wins Coveted Fulbright Scholarship Award

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To make strides in improving public health at home, Grenadian Larissa Mark, MPH ’18, has gone almost three thousand miles away to make it happen.

With an already enhanced understanding of the promotion and protection of community health, the St. George’s University graduate has taken it even further in 2021, now working toward a Master of Public Health in epidemiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Ms. Mark is doing so as a recent recipient of the Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship Award, a program that allows awardees to explore professional opportunities abroad.

“I was beyond excited to venture into this new territory,” she said. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime to grow both professionally and personally. This award also came at an opportune time with the spotlight on public health due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ms. Mark was nominated for the award in part due to her research collaboration with her SGU professors on the Bush Burning Practice And Related Respiratory Symptoms Among Households In Grenada, The Caribbean. She also made significant contributions to public health as an environment, health, and safety manager at Sandals Grenada Beach Resort and Spa.

“SGU has played an integral role in my foundation both as a professional and an individual,” Ms. Mark said. “It is where I found my passion for public health and made long-lasting friendships. I could always depend on my professors for advice on my career development. However, the support did not stop when I completed my degree—there was continued mentoring support both professional and personal well after I graduated.”

On track to graduate in May 2022, Ms. Mark plans to spend her summer working with the Department of Human Health and Services Nebraska. As part of her Applied Practical Experience (APEx), she will be assisting on a study on the health outcomes associated with COVID-19 and pregnant women. She envisions herself completing a PhD in epidemiology or environmental epidemiology before returning to Grenada.

“I have always felt most fulfilled when I am helping other people and making a difference,” she said. “There’s no better way to do so than with service to the community by improving public health.”

 

— Ray-Donna Peters

 

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MD Grad Is Addressing Another Major Public Health Issue—HIV

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Jeremy Aguinaldo, MD ’17, looks at disease not only from up close—with each individual patient—but from a bird’s eye view. A board-certified public health physician for Compass Care in the Georgia Department of Public Health, Dr. Aguinaldo identifies risk factors and problem areas for large populations, and implements programs to improve community health.

“The improvement of an individual’s health also requires improving the entire healthcare system,” said Dr. Aguinaldo, who recently completed his public health and preventive medicine residency at Morehouse School of Medicine.

While countries around the world deal with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Dr. Aguinaldo is addressing a problem that continues to plague his community—the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

How serious is the current HIV problem in the United States?

More than a million people in the United States are living with HIV, and in 2018, there were about 36,000 new cases. Contracting HIV is no longer considered a death sentence as it was before. With the continued advancements of antiretroviral drugs to manage the virus, HIV had become a chronic illness, similar to how diabetes and blood pressure are managed.

Interested in public health? Learn more about the MPH program

What measures are you taking to help prevent the spread of HIV in your community?

When a patient initially tests positive for HIV, he or she is immediately sent to the clinic where they are linked to care and started on antiretroviral treatments. Patients who start on medication soon after diagnosis have shown to have better outcomes compared to those start much later. By taking the prescribed medications, the viral load (the amount of HIV in the body) is reduced. By reducing the viral load to such a level, it becomes undetectable by standard blood tests.

Patients who maintain an undetectable status will continue to be healthy and prevent transmission, which is referred to as “treatment as prevention.” This is key in preventing HIV spread in the community. The clinic also promotes the use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), which, when taken daily, is successful in preventing infection with HIV, greatly reducing the risk. It’s also important to raise awareness and educate the community on the benefits of using PrEP.

Dr. Aguinaldo as a medical student in Grenada

What social or economic trends are tied to HIV cases and transmissions?

There is a significant risk of HIV infection in those with mental health illnesses. The common conditions include depression, anxiety, bipolarity, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and dementia. These issues make drug adherence much more difficult to comply with and increase high-risk behaviors such as illicit substance use and unprotected sexual activities.

Many individuals in the community I serve are homeless, unemployed, or lack health insurance and thus struggle to make ends meet. They consider their HIV status less of a priority until their own basic needs are met. This is where addressing those social factors, as well as managing them, clinically come into play.

Why has public health become the focus of your career?

When I was getting my master’s degree in public health, I learned from nurses, doctors, statisticians, researchers, engineers, and others who all shared a common goal: to improve the health of the population. Healing is more than just prescribing a simple pill but also collaborating with a team of multiple disciplines to help the patient.

Dr. Aguinaldo’s cancer research presentation as an SGU student

SGU Public Health Professor Appointed To Serve On The ASPPH Board Of Directors

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Although Professor Martin Forde’s career begun as an engineer in 1987, it has been his two decades in the field of public health that has proved most rewarding to him.  Dr. Forde is  a professor within the School of Graduate Studies Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. He also serves as director for St. George’s University’s Medical Student Research Institute and track director for the environmental and occupational health concentrations within the Master of Public Health degree program.

His latest appointment to the board of directors of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) makes him the first representative from SGU to serve in that capacity.  Professor Forde explains to SGU News what his appointment to the ASPPH board means to him, what he hopes to achieve as director, and how he plans to balance his responsibilities between SGU and ASPPH.

St. George’s University: How does it feel to be recently appointed to serve as director for ASPPH?

Professor Martin Forde: I feel honored. I have the privilege to be the voice that represents SGU’s public health program and others from non-US territories on various issues. I am also grateful that ASPPH has proactively reached out to non-US programs to ensure that these schools and programs are represented on their board.

SGU: What are you hoping to achieve during your appointment?

Professor Forde: I am hoping to introduce the way in which non-US-based public health programs operate with less resources as compared to the US counterparts, as well as related issues and concerns that impact us, and how public health solutions can be tailored to meet our unique needs.

SGU: What does your additional responsibilities within the University entail?

Professor Forde: As a professor within the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, I am presently the longest serving faculty member having been with the department now for more than 20 years teaching both environmental and occupational health. Further, I am the track director for the environmental and occupational health concentrations within the Master of Public Health degree program. I’m also the director of the Medical Student Research Institute, which offers honors students in term 2 the opportunity to engage in research projects with an assigned faculty mentor.

SGU: How do you balance those responsibilities?

Professor Forde: All the above appointments are to a large degree synergistic in that they are related and complement each other. My new appointment as an at-large ASPPH board member will allow me to share my teaching and research experiences from a non-US based public health program with the leading association for public health schools and programs in the US.

SGU: What’s next Professor Forde?

Professor Forde: To continue to be of service to all in bringing the skills and knowledge I have in my personal toolbox to address and help solve the global public health challenges we currently face.

 

–Tornia Charles

World Health Organization redesignates collaborating center at SGU

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As public health has become even more of a focus with the emergence of COVID-19 worldwide, St. George’s University continues to be a beacon for education, research, and service collaboration in the Caribbean. The World Health Organization (WHO), together with its regional representative, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), recently re-designated SGU’s Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPHPM) as a Collaborating Center (WHO CC) on Environmental and Occupational Health through August 2023.

Such centers are established to support global health initiatives implemented by the WHO, for the benefit of all member countries. The designation provides a foundation for collaborating centers to develop partnerships with national and international authorities, as well as to generate resources from funding partners.

Dr. Christine Richards

“The continued efforts by faculty and students as well as civil society, governmental and international partnerships demonstrate the benefit of collaboration in public health, which the WHO CC symbolizes,” said Dr. Christine Richards, DPHPM interim chair, who leads the Collaborating Center with SGU faculty member Odran Nigel Edwards.

The WHO CC was originally established on the SGU campus in 2012. The DPHPM, together with the Windward Island Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF), also located on SGU’s campus, are uniquely positioned to lend support, having collaborated on several environmental research programs that addressed occupational health among nutmeg workers and health care workers, renewable energy, land degradation, food and water borne diseases, and zoonotic diseases and presently the response to COVID-19.

SGU’s DPHPM, along with WINDREF, also serves as the Caribbean’s only United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Regional Collaborating Centre (RCC) since 2013. The UNFCCC RCC’s primary goal is to work with public and private sector organizations, as well as government agencies, to enhance the implementation of clear technology activities for the Caribbean the region in order to achieve carbon reduction targets to mitigate climate change.

– Brett Mauser

Interested in public health? Learn more about the MPH program at SGU