Cave Hill again celebrates top medical student

For the second time in three years, a Cave Hill Campus student has claimed top honours in the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) final examinations, reinforcing the campus’ tradition of excellence.

In the November/December 2025 examinations, Barbadian Liyee Su achieved the highest programme grade point average (GPA) among candidates from across The University of the West Indies. She topped both the written papers and clinical performance – Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) – securing the best overall score and graduating with distinction.

Her achievement follows the success of Nathan Lovell in 2023, who emerged as the highest-performing graduate among the May/June cohort. He also graduated with distinction based on his overall GPA.

The 2025 Cave Hill cohort, which comprised around a dozen students from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, further impressed with their collective performance. They achieved the highest aggregate score in both the written papers and the OSCE, and earned the top GPA among all exam takers across the university campuses.

The cohort’s success was particularly notable given that the clinical component was completed at the St Augustine Campus in Trinidad, unfamiliar surroundings for the students.

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Clive Landis, highlighted the outstanding performance of Su and her classmates, all of whom have since earned the title of doctor, during his recent report to the Campus Council. He noted the continued importance of fostering academic excellence as the Caribbean invests in strengthening its healthcare workforce.

These achievements come at a time when Caribbean nations continue to navigate evolving geopolitical challenges and emphasise the value of strong, homegrown medical training.

The five-year MBBS programme at Cave Hill remains central to training the region’s future doctors, and equipping graduates like Dr. Su with the knowledge and skills to make a meaningful impact both locally and internationally.

Since 1967, the Cave Hill Campus has trained medical graduates in partnership with the state-run Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the sole training hospital in Barbados.

A 3+3 medical degree programme is also offered in collaboration with the University of Ghana. Under this arrangement, students complete a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Preclinical Sciences at Cave Hill before progressing to the University of Ghana for three years of clinical training. The accredited programme enables graduates to earn a BSc from UWI and an MB ChB from the University of Ghana, which allows them to practise professionally in either country. (PR)