Sandosh West Indies

Prof Padmanabhan, Dr McCallum and Ms du Toit have returned from a visit to the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Barbados to develop partnerships, joint programs, and student/faculty exchanges between the SCMH and UWI. The visit followed a series of four online workshops between SCMH colleagues and counterparts at UWI, the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, Barbados and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) conducted in March and April 2023.

The team met with Dean Adams (Faculty of Medicine), Dean Badenock (Faculty of Science & Technology) and Deputy Principal Moore to discuss collaborative research and joint postgraduate degree supervision. They discussed with the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Kenneth George, public health priorities and challenges in hypertension management and screening between the Caribbean and the UK. A tour of the Hypertension Clinic and A&E unit of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown with Dr Kenneth Connell provided practical context for cardiovascular condition management. The team visited the Hassell & Symmonds Cardiac Care Centre, which offers post-MI/stroke rehabilitation and preventive care (e.g. weight reduction and blood pressure monitoring) with an emphasis on community outreach and youth engagement. A highlight was bumping into one Mr Hugh Grant on the return flight to Glasgow.


First published: 25 May 2023