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, MB,BS; DCH; DM(Paeds); PhD; FAcadMEd
Scientific Secretary – 2011 - 2012
Research Advisory Committee 2013-present
Chair of the Research Advisory Committee 2015 – present

Minerva Thame is Emerita Professor of Perinatal and Paediatric Medicine and Consultant Paediatrician, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, at The UWI. She is the former Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS), at the University of the West Indies, Mona (2021-2025). The first woman to hold this position. She was Head, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, Deputy Dean and Chair for the Committee of Graduate Studies (FMS) and Director of Graduate Studies and Research, Mona Campus.

She is the Chair of the Research Advisory Committee at CARPHA and is a member of the Regional Eminent Persons Panel of the ANSA McAL Foundation, responsible for administering the prestigious Anthony Sagba Awards.

Her research involves investigating maternal anthropometry and body composition on fetal growth in pregnant women including adolescents using stable isotope techniques and pregnant women with Sickle Cell Disease. She is involved in teaching and training medical students, nurses and postgraduate paediatric students for Jamaica and the Caribbean region.

In 2007 and 2009 she received the Principal’s Award for the Most Outstanding Researcher in FMS and the Principal’s Award for three Best Research Publication. She was recognized by the Rotary Club and received the Paul Harris Fellow Award for her work in clinical medicine in Jamaica, and an award from the Jamaica Medical Foundation for outstanding contribution in the field of Child Health. She is a recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in the Category of Research.

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

Dr. Dan Ramdath is a globally respected nutrition scientist dedicated to improving health and shaping food policies that benefit millions. An Honorary Professor at the University of the West Indies, Dr. Ramdath bridges science, education, and public health to turn evidence into action. His research has contributed to life-saving therapeutic foods for children with severe malnutrition and advanced understanding of how everyday foods influence health. He has guided generations of students and young professionals toward meaningful careers, and for over two decades he has helped organize the CARPHA annual health research conference and building a vibrant regional research culture. Dr. Ramdath has shaped nutrition and public health policy in the region. He led the development of the Caribbean Dietary Guidelines and regional strategies to reduce salt intake. As Vice-Chair of the WHO/PAHO expert committee, he helped develop the Nutrient Profiling Model for the Americas: an important tool now guiding healthier food environments across the region. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of the West Indies, and a Fellow of Distinction of the Canadian Nutrition Society.

Prof. Saran Stewart, PhD

Dr. Saran Stewart is an Associate Professor of Higher Education and Director of Academic Affairs at the Hartford campus of the University of Connecticut, where she also serves as Co-Lead of the Intersectional and Comparative Advancement of Racial Equity for Social Justice initiative. Her scholarship centers on international and comparative higher education, with particular emphasis on the social determinants of access and equity in global contexts, especially within postcolonial Caribbean societies and their former colonial metropoles. Grounded in intersectionality, critical race theory, postcolonial, decolonial, and diasporic frameworks, her work bridges local and global perspectives on higher education.

Methodologically, Dr. Stewart employs quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches and was recognized as a 2022 Qualitative Lab Faculty Fellow at The Ohio State University. She has held significant academic leadership roles, including Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, and currently contributes to regional policy as a member of the Research Advisory Committee of CARPHA.

Dr. Stewart is Co-Editor of the American Educational Research Journal and Co-Chair of the Higher Education Special Interest Group of the Comparative and International Education Society. A Salzburg Global Fellow, she has received multiple awards for excellence in teaching and scholarship. She has authored and edited more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, including six books.

Prof. Calum Macpherson

Professor Calum Macpherson

Born and raised in Kenya. Tertiary education at Sheffield University and Imperial College. His research focuses on global One Health issues including socio-economics, human behaviour, zoonotic parasitic and viral infections. Supervised over 100 MSc, MtropMed, MPH and more than 10 PhD students. Organized tropical medicine selectives in Kenya, Uganda, Morocco, Peru, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada and Guyana and currently takes medical and veterinary students annually to Kenya. Substantive work posts have been at Imperial College, AMREF (the Flying Doctors) in East Africa, the Swiss Tropical Public Health Institute, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UWI, Trinidad & Tobago and St. George’s University, Grenada. He is the Founding Director and Vice President of the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation, a 501 c 3 charitable foundation registered in New York, and London, and is an NGO registered in Grenada. Written/edited 5 books, 20 book chapters and over 160 papers on studies conducted in more than 50 countries. Served on numerous WHO, PAHO, and other international organization committees and delivered plenary, invited lectures, and conference presentations at over 120 conferences.

Prof. Marvin Reid

Prof Reid is the Principal Director, Office of Research, Innovation & Partnership, 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.

He is passionate about physician professional development and has been involved in development of clinical guidelines for Sickle Cell Disease, Diabetes and hypertension for Caribbean physicians as well as organizing CME contents for the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) and Caribbean College of Family Physicians (CCFP). He is past president of the Caribbean College of Family Physician and current president (2025-7) of the MAJ.

Prof. Gerard Hutchinson

Professor Gerard Hutchinson is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, University of London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

He is currently the Professor Emeritus and Ag. Unit Lead in Psychiatry, at the School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS), University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine, Trinidad. He also serves as the Coordinator of the Post Graduate training programme in Psychiatry, St Augustine campus.

He functions as the Head of Psychiatry and Mental Health Services at the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA), where he directs and coordinates the in-patient and outpatient mental health services of the NCRHA inclusive of the Stress Relief Centre and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinic.

He has authored or co-authored over 150 peer reviewed academic publications. He is the Trinidad and Tobago national representative of the International Association of Suicide Prevention. He serves on the Research Advisory Committee of the Caribbean Public Health Agency. He is a co-Principal Investigator of the INTREPID project which compares the epidemiology of untreated mental illness in India, Nigeria and Trinidad. He is a director on the board of the ADHD Foundation, Trinidad and a former Independent Senator in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.