UWI Caribbean Institute for Health Research

UWI Caribbean Institute for Health Research
Name	UWI Caribbean Institute for Health Research
Formation	2005
Type	Research institute
Headquarters	Mona, Jamaica
Location	Kingston, Jamaica
Leader title	Director
Parent organization	The University of the West Indies

UWI Caribbean Institute for Health Research is a multidisciplinary research institute based at Mona focused on health research in the Caribbean region. The institute engages scholars and practitioners from across Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Guyana, Belize, Suriname and Haiti to address regional health priorities. It collaborates with international agencies, regional governments and academic partners to translate research into policy and practice.

History

The institute was established in 2005 at The University of the West Indies, building on earlier efforts by the Tropical Medicine Research Institute and units at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Mona; it drew on collaborations with Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization, Caribbean Public Health Agency and the Caribbean Community. Founding activities linked investigators from Johns Hopkins University, McMaster University, Imperial College London, University College London, Harvard University, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Yale University. Early initiatives involved partnerships with Ministry of Health and Wellness (Jamaica), Ministry of Health, Trinidad and Tobago, Ministry of Health and Wellness (Barbados), Caribbean Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. Over time the institute expanded research programs aligned with priorities identified by World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and regional policy forums such as Caricom Heads of Government meetings.

Mission and Objectives

The institute's mission aligns with mandates from The University of the West Indies and regional bodies to improve population health across CARICOM members. Objectives include advancing translational research in infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, and environmental health, with links to Global Fund, United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Environment Programme. The institute promotes evidence uptake among stakeholders including Ministry of Health (Bahamas), Ministry of Health, Belize, Ministry of Health and Population (Haiti), PAHO/WHO Representative Office Jamaica and parliamentary health committees across the Caribbean.

Research Programs and Centers

Research themes have included HIV/AIDS, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, malaria, tuberculosis, diabetes, hypertension, cancer epidemiology, maternal and neonatal health, mental health, injury prevention, and climate-related health risks with collaborations involving Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Rockefeller Foundation, Federal Ministry of Health (Germany), Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Japan International Cooperation Agency. Specialized centers and programs have worked with Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, Global Health Security Agenda, Stop TB Partnership, Roll Back Malaria Partnership, NCD Alliance, Pan American Health and Education Foundation and PATH. Laboratory and field research connected to Scripps Research, Institut Pasteur, Karolinska Institutet, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, McGill University Faculty of Medicine and University of the West of England.

Education, Training and Capacity Building

The institute delivers postgraduate supervision and short courses in partnership with faculties across The University of the West Indies campuses at Cave Hill, St. Augustine and Mona and partners such as University of the West Indies Open Campus, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and University of the West Indies School of Clinical Medicine and Research. Training initiatives have engaged clinicians and public health professionals from Trinidad and Tobago Regional Health Authority, Jamaica Hospital Services, Barbados Ministry of Health and Wellness, Guyana Ministry of Public Health, and NGOs such as Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition and Red Cross societies in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. Fellowships and capacity-building awards came via Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, Fulbright Program, Chevening, Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Programme and regional scholarships from Organization of American States.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Strategic collaborations include academic partners like Brown University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Australian National University, National University of Singapore and Seoul National University, as well as multilateral partners United Nations Population Fund, World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund (health financing work), Caribbean Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and bilateral partners from United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Germany, Japan and China. The institute has engaged civil society organizations including PAHO Foundation, Pan American Health and Education Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, Plan International, CARE International, United Way Worldwide and faith-based organizations like Catholic Relief Services in community-based research and implementation science.

Notable Projects and Impact

Major projects have included regional surveillance networks for arboviruses in collaboration with PAHO, CDC Foundation, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, University of the West Indies School of Clinical Medicine and Research and Caribbean Public Health Agency, randomized trials of HIV prevention with partners such as UNAIDS, PEPFAR, AVAC and Médecins Sans Frontières, and trials on hypertension and diabetes management funded by Wellcome Trust, NIH Fogarty International Center and Global Challenges Research Fund. Environmental health projects linked to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations, island resilience programs with Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, and maternal health initiatives supported by UNICEF and USAID have informed policy revisions across CARICOM ministries. The institute's outputs have influenced clinical guidelines adopted by Ministry of Health and Wellness (Jamaica), Caribbean Regulatory System, and membership in regional consortia such as Caribbean Clinical Trials Network.

Governance and Funding

Governance is aligned with statutory structures at The University of the West Indies with oversight from academic boards and advisory councils involving representatives from Ministry of Health, Jamaica, Caribbean Public Health Agency, Pan American Health Organization, and donor partners such as Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institutes of Health, European Commission Horizon 2020, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and private sector partners including pharmaceutical companies and philanthropic trusts. Funding streams combine competitive grants from NIH, Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, multilateral loans and grants from World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, and regional allocations through Caribbean Development Bank and national ministries.

Category:Medical research institutes Category:The University of the West Indies