UWI Launches the Caribbean Institute for Health Research

The University of the West Indies on Thursday, February 9 officially unveiled the Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR) to the public at a special event held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston. The Institute, which health professionals and policymakers were familiar with as the Tropical Medicine Research Institute (TMRI) at the University of the West Indies, was granted its name change on May 27, 2016, at a meeting of the University Finance and General Purposes Committee. The committee also approved CAIHR as the official acronym for the Institute.

"TMRI has an excellent record in conducting world class research that addresses regional and global health priorities," said Professor Susan Walker, director of CAIHR, which operates under the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. "CAIHR will build on this and expand our work on effective health interventions."

The entity's mandate, originally established on October 1, 1999, was to increase the output of research in the major areas affecting the health of people across the region. It continues to execute this mandate through its four constituent units: The Chronic Disease Research Centre (CDRC) at UWI Cave Hill, and the other three at the UWI Mona -The Epidemiology Research Unit (ERU), The Sickle Cell Unit (SCU), and the Tropical Metabolism Research Unit (TMRU).

Over the decades, the CAIHR staff, many of whom have won, university, national and international awards, have participated in landmark and groundbreaking research that has informed and influenced many policies and processes not just regionally but across the world. Research findings have led to the shaping of treatment guidelines for sickle cell anaemia and childhood malnutrition. Jamaica’s School Feeding Programme, and the National Health Fund are two examples of policy influenced by this research. There is even a “Reach Up Training Package” to promote better young child development which was created by the ERU which is being used in Brazil, Zimbabwe, Guatemala and has influenced programmes as far as Bangladesh, India and China.

"This name change signifies a re-intensification of focus”, said Professor Marvin Reid, Acting Director of the Institute. “We plan to not only build on our successes to date, but are exploring new relationships and new ways of making our services available to the public."

Inaugural CAIHR Award

An inaugural CAIHR award was given to local fast-food chain Island Grill.in recognition of its actions in 2016 to adjust its menu to provide healthier cuisine and to give caloric counts of its meals so customers can make informed decisions. It has also moved to the use of more environmentally friendly meal packaging.