Dr Akshai Mansingh has been appointed as Dean of the new Faculty of Sport at The University of the West Indies (The UWI). Dr Mansingh was selected following a search for candidates which concluded in June 2017. His appointment is effective from August 1, 2017.

He is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Physician who has looked after elite athletes throughout the region. A graduate of The UWI, Dr Mansingh earned his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and his Doctor of Medicine, Orthopaedics degrees at the Mona campus. He also holds a Master’s in Sports Medicine from the University of New South Wales in Australia.

Dr Mansingh has been a lecturer in the Department of Surgery, Sports Medicine in Radiology, Anaesthetics and Intensive Care at The UWI, Mona since 2007, as well as the Programme Director and Course Author for the campus’ MSc Sports Medicine degrees (for Physicians and Physiotherapists) since 2006. He is also the author of numerous publications in his various specialisations and has written on Methods for Injury Surveillance in International Cricket among many other cricket and sport science themes.

Outside his academic pursuits, Dr Mansingh is Chief Medical Officer of both the West Indies Cricket Board and the Caribbean Premier League. He was a member of the inaugural International Cricket Council Medial Committee and is a member of its Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee. He has been a cricket analyst and commentator for over 20 years. He also serves as a member of several regional and international societies including The Caribbean Orthopaedic Association, Jamaican Orthopaedic Association, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

As Dean of the new Faculty of Sport, Dr Mansingh is responsible for its overall academic and administrative management, including its financial affairs. He is also expected to represent the Faculty on all relevant Campus and University Boards and Committees as well as with external stakeholders.

The Faculty of Sport marks the first faculty to be established at The UWI in 40 years. The University Council approved its recommendation at the Council’s annual meeting in April this year. Since then, a task force was convened to implement its structure. The task force has determined that the Faculty will be a University faculty comprising four Academies of Sport, one on each of the four campuses. The academies will be made up of three units, namely: an academic programme and activity unit; a professional programmes, outreach and projects unit and a co-curricular and intramural-activity unit. The Faculty, which becomes operational in the 2017-2018 academic year will offer certificate, bachelor and master’s degrees in Sports Business, Sports Management, Sports Science and the Art and Science of Coaching.

Through this Faculty, The UWI has undertaken the responsibility to ensure the enhancement of the sporting excellence which characterizes the Caribbean nations and will build upon this reputation to become an internationally-recognized teaching, research and training centre in sport and sports-related disciplines. All four campuses of The UWI currently offer sporting programmes including training from certificate to masters in the pedagogy of sport, so the new Faculty will consolidate these programmes under a ‘One UWI’ umbrella of knowledge.

Speaking on the appointment of the new Dean and the establishment of the Faculty of Sport, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles said, “This is a seminal moment for our university and its region. We are fortunate to have in Dr Mansingh, a colleague who possesses the ability to lead this new initiative on multiple fronts—teaching and research, industry partnerships, and professional development.  Students, entrepreneurs, professionals and athletes will find in him a competent and charismatic leader.”

An official launch of The UWI Faculty of Sport takes place on Wednesday 26 July 2017 at The UWI Regional Headquarters in Jamaica. Proceedings was livestreamed via www.uwitv.org, beginning at 10:00 am (Jamaica time). 

About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)