Welcome!

CARPHA is thrilled to welcome you to our 69th CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference!

Hon. Dr. Jerome Walcott

Minister of Health and Wellness, Barbados

“
Welcome to the Annual Health Research Conference! This year’s theme, “Mental Health: The Hidden Pandemic,” tackles one of the most urgent and often overlooked challenges of our time. Mental health touches every facet of our lives—our families, workplaces, and communities. Addressing it with the urgency it deserves is essential to building a healthier, more resilient future.

This conference is a unique platform for health professionals, researchers, policymakers, and partners to engage in dynamic dialogue, share groundbreaking research, and shape evidence-based solutions tailored to the Caribbean context. As we reflect on the invaluable lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must also confront the invisible struggles it has intensified—from anxiety and depression to burnout and trauma.

I encourage each of you to seize this opportunity to exchange ideas, forge new collaborations, and advocate for policies that champion inclusion, dignity, and well-being. Let's work together to integrate mental health into primary care, break down stigma, and promote community-based care that prioritizes human rights.

I commend you for your unwavering commitment to advancing mental health in our region. The insights and innovations shared over these next few days will undoubtedly inspire lasting change for the benefit of all Caribbean people. Together, we can make a profound difference.

Welcome, and may you have a productive, enlightening, and transformative conference.

Dr. Lisa Indar

Ad Interim Executive Director, CARPHA

“
This marks one year before we the Biblical milestone of three score years and 10. What an achievement! I look forward, with anticipation, to surpassing this milestone as we continue to foster a culture of research, which will enable us as a Region to develop science /evidence-based policies, practices, and programmes that protect and promote health and well-being for all.

This year, our focus is on Mental Health: The Hidden Pandemic. Mental health is a significant and increasing public health challenge, Public health aims to promote healthy lifestyles and detect, prevent, and respond to diseases. The prevalence of mental health issues that affect individuals’ physical and social well-being makes mental health a public health issue integral to achieving community health goals .Mental health has a huge impact on how people relate to others, make decisions, and handle stress. People’s ability to live fulfilling lives often depends on their mental health. This makes protecting and restoring mental health of immediate concern to public health professionals. with increasing impact in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the mental health of adults and children, catapulting the mental health situation in countries. Many people experienced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder during the pandemic. Data suggested that people were more likely to develop mental illnesses or disorders in the months following COVID-19 infection. People with long COVID likely experienced many symptoms related to brain function and mental health .Healthcare and other frontline workers, children and young people, women, families, the homeless, people living alone, and those with pre-existing mental health conditions, were impacted. Particularly for adolescents, we are seeing rates of mental health problems and substance use increasing worldwide. The Caribbean is no exception. What is especially worrying is the rise in suicidal behaviour in this age group. High rates of non-communicable chronic diseases are also associated with a range of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety disorders, which in turn influence treatment adherence, morbidity and mortality.

Crime and violence affect mental, physical, and psychosocial health, individual families, and communities. In 2024, at the 68th Health Research Conference, Violence in the Caribbean: A Public Health Crisis, CARPHA brought together experts and participants in Saint Lucia to discuss and understand why violence is happening, and how it impacts our societies.

Increased multifaceted attention also needs to be invested in mental health and wellness, alongside better recognition and innovative intervention strategies, to improve the mental health of the Caribbean people.

This year, under the theme Mental Health: The Hidden Pandemic CARPHA continues its commitment to tackling another scourge. During the 69th Annual Health Research we will explore the latest research and evidence; discuss mental health issues in the Caribbean; and highlight what more can be done to develop practical solutions to solve real-world issues; how to invest in the quality of preventative and remedial care necessary for a healthier safer Caribbean.

We are happy to have you join us in beautiful Barbados. We warmly invite you to participate in the insightful discussions, networking, and exhibitors’ booths at the Conference, but also take some time to relax in the island sun, as you enjoy the local culture.

About the Conference

The CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference is the largest health research conference in the English-speaking Caribbean and the longest-running health research Conference in Latin America and the Caribbean region. The goal of the Conference is to facilitate and promote communication and sharing of scientific outputs among health scientists, policymakers, and related professionals in the wider Caribbean Region.

The conference seeks to:

Disseminate health research findings conducted by and for the Caribbean to the relevant stakeholders: policymakers, practitioners, health, and allied health professionals, etc.

Facilitate the uptake of current and cutting-edge research evidence to enable the development of evidence-based policies, practices, and programmes.

Foster a culture of research and build capacity among local health and allied professionals.

Facilitate the development of partnerships and collaborations among researchers, policy makers, etc.

Research Advisory Committee

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Research Advisory Committee (RAC) plays a pivotal role in advancing public health research across the Caribbean. Established in 2013, following the development of CARPHA’s Research Policy Framework, the RAC supports the development and implementation of research strategies aligned with regional health priorities.

The Committee’s key functions include advising on research policy, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and supporting the dissemination of research findings, particularly through the Annual CARPHA Research Conference. The RAC also assesses research grant applications, mentors potential researchers, and works closely with partners to address public health challenges.

Comprised of senior health researchers, the RAC promotes evidence-based decision-making and helps bridge the gap between research and public health policy across CARPHA’s member states. By focusing on priority health areas and supporting the research community, the RAC ensures that CARPHA remains at the forefront of regional public health research and policy development.

The Research Advisory Committee Members are:

Prof. Minerva Thame, MB,BS; DCH; DM(Paeds); PhD; FAcadMEd
CHAIR

Minerva Thame is a Professor of Perinatal and Paediatric Medicine and a Consultant Paediatrician, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, at The UWI/ UHWI. She is presently the Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences, at the University of the West Indies, Mona. The first woman to hold this position. She is involved in active clinical neonatology, administration and research. She is presently the Chair of the Research Advisory Committee at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)

Her research involves the roles of maternal anthropometry and body composition on fetal growth in pregnant women with Sickle Cell Disease and pregnant adolescents comparing them to the mature pregnant women. She has published on the relationship between maternal nutritional status and pregnancy outcome using stable isotope techniques demonstrating the way in which the adolescent uses nutrients in pregnancy compared to the mature pregnant adult.

Clinically, she is one of the Consultants in charge of the Special Care Nursery/ Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies, where she receive “Long Service Award for 30 years” in 2018 for service to the Hospital. Her clinical role involves caring for the neonate and teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students in paediatrics.

Administratively she was previously the Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Health and the Deputy Dean for Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Mona. She was the Director, Graduate Students and Research for the Mona Campus.

In 2007 and 2009 she received the Principal’s Award for the Most Outstanding Researcher in the Faculty of Medical Sciences receiving also the Principal’s Award for Best Research Publication for three publications in 2009. She was recognized by the Rotary Club and received the Paul Harris Fellow Award in 2009 for recognition of her work in clinical medicine in Jamaica. Also in 2009 she received an award from the Jamaica Medical Foundation for outstanding contribution in the field of Child Health. In 2011 she received the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in the Category of Research. In 2021 she received “Long Service Award 30 years”, to the University of the West Indies and in 2023 she was recognized for her contribution as an assessor to for the University Council of Jamaica, Quality Assurance process.

Prof. Dan Ramdath BSc., MSc., PhD, FACN

Prof. Dan Ramdath BSc., MSc., PhD, FACN is Human Nutrition Scientist with postdoctoral training in Clinical Biochemistry. His research focuses on clinical trials for regulatory approval of health claims and knowledge translation for health policy formulation.

Dan’s early research led to the development of F100 therapeutic feed for severe malnutrition children; he also contributed to a standardized method for measuring glycemic index of foods. He was involved in preparing clinical practice guidelines for diabetes and hypertension, and drafted the current WHO/PAHO Caribbean DRI Guidelines. Dan has served on several WHO/PAHO Technical Committees for healthy eating, and is currently a member of the WHO guideline development group on consumption of tropical oils.

He a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the Caribbean Public Health Agency and was Vice Chair of WHO/PAHO Expert Committee to establish a Nutrient Profiling Model for the Americas. This policy document has served as the basis for development and implementation of front of pack labelling in the Americas. He was a Commonwealth Medical Fellow and is recognized as a University of the West Indies Distinguished Alumni.

Prof. Saran Stewart, PhD

Saran Stewart, PhD is an Associate Professor of Higher Education and serves as the Director of Academic Affairs for the Hartford campus at the University of Connecticut. She is also the co-lead for the Intersectional and Comparative Advancement of Racial Equity for Social Justice. Her areas of specialization are in international and comparative higher education; the experiences of racially and ethnically minoritized students, faculty and staff in education utilizing intersectionality, critical race theory, postcolonial, decolonial and (post)diasporic theories; and teaching and learning in local and global contexts, with regional foci in postcolonial Caribbean countries and their respective ex-colonial European countries. She is proficient in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies having taught and published across multiple research domains. She also uses She was recently appointed as the Co-Editor for the American Education Research Journal, the flagship journal for the American Educational Research Association. She was formally the Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. She also serves on the Research Advisory Council for the Caribbean Public Health Agency for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

She is a Salzburg Global Fellow and the recipient of multiple awards including the 2019 Vice Chancellor Award for Excellence from the University of the West Indies and the 2018 African Diaspora Emerging Scholar award by the Comparative and International Education Society. She has written many books, peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She is editor of Decolonizing Qualitative Methodologies for and by the Caribbean and co-editor of, Race, Equity and the Learning Environment: The Global Relevance of Critical and Inclusive Pedagogies in Higher Education.

Prof. Calum Macpherson

Calum Macpherson is Professor and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Director of Research at St. George’s University (SGU). He is the Founding Director and Vice President of the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation. He completed his PhD at Imperial College, London, joined AMREF in Kenya and then the Swiss Tropical Institute in Tanzania followed by a year at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He moved to the University of the West Indies in 1990 as Professor of Veterinary Parasitology. He has supervised over 100 MSc and PhD students in Kenya, Tanzania, India, the UK, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada. He has served on many WHO, PAHO and other international committees, including the Research Advisory Committee of CARPHA. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and edited or written 5 books and over 30 book chapters. His research focuses on human behaviour, epidemiology and public health importance of zoonoses.

Prof. Marvin Reid

Prof Reid is a consultant with the Office of the Deputy Principal, University of the West Indies (UWI) with special responsibility for the Global Health Portfolio. As a Family Physician as well as Professor of Community Medicine and Human Nutrition, he teaches clinical nutrition, research methods, Family Medicine at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and has supervised several doctoral students to completion. An accomplished researcher, Prof Reid’s research spans public health, metabolism, and clinical trials. He has co-authored over 150 peer-reviewed articles (ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4005-9384), several book chapters and Co-chairs the Essential National Research Committee of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica, which oversees the health research agenda of Jamaica.

CARPHA Head office

16-18 Jamaica Blvd,
Federation Park,
Port of Spain,
Trinidad & Tobago
+1-868: 299-0820; 299-0895; 622-4261

CARPHA Jamaica

Hope Gardens,
Kingston 6,
Jamaica
+1-876: 977-3540; 702-4235
+1-876: 977-0974

CARPHA St. Lucia

P.O. Box 1111,
The Morne, Castries,
Saint Lucia
+1-758:452-2501; 452-1087
+1-758: 453-2721