Partnership Profile

The University of the West Indies (UWI) is a dynamic, international institution serving the 16 countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Of this network of UWI schools and centers, the UWI Mona campus in Kingston, Jamaica is home to the medical, nursing, and public health programs, which enroll students from the entire English-speaking Caribbean region. There is a strong emphasis on Caribbean issues, making UWI the ideal educational institution for local and international students with an interest in Caribbean region, which has helped leverage the MPH program at UWI Mona in making a regional impact.

Accomplishments

Partnership with the Sparkman Center for Global Health was formalized in 1985; the Center collaborated with UWI in the development of an MPH program that continues to serve the entire English speaking Caribbean. More recently, the partnership has evolved with the aim of creating subspecialty tracks in the existing MPH program at UWI, starting with Health Promotion and Environmental Health Sciences. To this end, Sparkman visiting scholars and UAB faculty have been engaged in Jamaica in curriculum development and reform efforts. The first class of students entered the MPH in Health Promotion track in 2003. Short-term faculty development visits and exchanges between UWI and UAB faculty have continued the advancement of Health Promotion and Health Behavior Programs on both sides, respectively.UAB faculty, working with the Alabama Department of Public Health, have also conducted short courses in Environmental Health & Occupational Safety on-site at UWI since 2002. The Center also supports continuing faculty development at UWI by sponsoring a UWI lecturer to pursue Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree in Environmental Health Sciences at UAB.

Another collaborative UAB-UWI venture, which also includes two other U.S. schools (San Diego State and Rice Universities), is the Infectious Disease Surveillance & Control Field Course in Jamaica. Now in its seventh year, the Jamaica field course enjoys the continued Center sponsorship of 15 Caribbean-region students, as well as officials in the Jamaican Ministry of Health, to attend this field-based course. The course brings Caribbean region students with 15 US-based students in shared laboratory and field experiences which aims to foster problem-solving skills for infectious disease ecology, surveillance and control.