Award-winning paper "Stigma and Illness Uncertainty in Sickle Cell Disease"

The multicenter study is a collaborative effort between CAIHR and Salem State University in the USA. The study is being conducted in Sickle Cell Disease patients in Jamaica, the United States of America and Nigeria and aims to compare the outcomes under different geographic and cultural settings to further understand factors which may be implied in the development of stigma and illness uncertainty in patients with Sickle Cell Disease.

The Dean's Prize for "Best Oral Presentation"

Data collected at the local site were analysed and initial results were presented at the Faculty of Medical Sciences Annual Research Conference held at Mona, UWI in 2016. The presentation was made by the first two authors: Alphanso Blake, a medical social worker at the Sickle Cell Unit and Vikram Asnani, a first-year medical student at UWI Mona. The paper won the Dean's prize for best oral presentation.

CARPHA Student Prize

The prize included a trip to present the paper at the 62nd Caribbean Public Health Agency annual conference held in Guyana in April 2017. The paper was again accepted for an oral presentation and the Dean's Office, FMS, Mona and CAIHR facilitated the trip for both presenters. They were awarded ‘Student’s Prize’ for best presentation.