Medical school partners with major health charities

The American University of Barbados has teamed up with three of the island’s leading health charities, strengthening its outreach network and giving medical students new opportunities for clinical experience and community work.

 

The American University of Barbados (AUB) on Monday signed three cooperation agreements with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, the Barbados Diabetes Association and the Barbados Cancer Society. 

 

In a midday ceremony at the AUB campus in Wildey, university executives and foundation representatives formalised student placements, collaborative outreach and shared research efforts, ahead of expanded community programmes expected later this year.  

 

Dean of AUB, Dr Syed Kazmi, said the partnerships align directly with the university’s philosophy of service-based medical training.  

 

“As far as our students are concerned, it is basically related to giving back to the community,” he said. “We have introduced an early clinical immersion programme. That means we want to introduce students to clinical experience at the start of their medical career.”  

 

The students will complete two years of training in Barbados, followed by two years in Guyana or the US, with mandatory community work before graduation.  

 

Dr Kazmi said: “For that, AUB has collaborations and contracts with different associations. Our students go there, usually to health fairs and other activities, and they learn how doctors treat patients, how they deal with relatives, paramedical staff and communication.”  

 

He also highlighted the university’s free clinic, located on campus, which serves residents in surrounding communities and beyond.  

 

“It’s totally free,” he said. “We have three doctors working in the clinic, five days a week. People living around the university come, and others from different parts of Barbados also come.”  

 

Reflecting on the institution’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said graduates were widely deployed at national testing centres.  

 

“Our graduates were on the front line during COVID-19,” he said. “They were everywhere the government set up testing centres, and that was appreciated by the ministers and the Chief Medical Officer.”  

 

Chief executive of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, Greta Yearwood, said the agreement allows for deeper collaboration and much-needed support across the foundation’s programmes.  

 

“We are very happy to be here today at the American University of Barbados, signing this memorandum of understanding where their students can work with the foundation in a more collaborative way,” she said.  

 

She noted that students will assist across several areas, including rehabilitation services, youth fitness initiatives and training programmes.  

 

“We have our cardiac rehab gym, our youth gym, and we also conduct ECC courses along with our childhood obesity programme,” she said. “The students can use their skills and help us in the areas where we have patients who are either referred to the foundation or come privately from their doctors.”  

 

She added that the partnership would also support research and outreach, providing “that extra hand where it’s needed”. 

 

AUB chief executive Anita Bhat described the signings as part of a wider strategy to expand the university’s community footprint.  

 

“Today we have witnessed the MOU signing from Heart and Stroke, the Cancer Society and the Diabetes Foundation,” she said. “We are very thrilled because we want to collaborate with many more to serve the community.”  

 

She stressed that AUB is more than a teaching institution.  

 

“We are not just a medical school,” she said. “We also have a free clinic for community people to come and take treatment, and we are always looking for more collaborations to work with the community.”  

 

Representing the Barbados Cancer Society, acting administrative director Sharifa Yard said the agreement formalises work already happening between both organisations.  

 

“This partnership is a formalisation step where we can work together to achieve common goals,” she said. “It encourages students to continue to learn and grow and give back, while we achieve our goals in research, education and raising awareness in the community.”  

 

During discussions following the signing, attention also turned to upcoming fundraising activities, including events planned to support diabetes care and cancer services.  

 

One fundraiser, scheduled for March 28 at Open Kitchen, was described as critical to sustaining services for underprivileged patients.  

 

“Our annual fundraiser is very important,” one speaker said. “We serve underprivileged people, and the funds also help us keep going.”  

 

The event, now in its third year, was described as “a night of celebration, nutrition and fun”, featuring local musicians and aimed at raising funds for equipment upgrades, much of which has already been donated.  

 

University officials indicated that additional MOUs with other organisations are expected, as AUB continues to expand its community engagement initiatives.