Thirty-Three New Doctors Take Hippocratic Oath
June 18, 2026
MBBS Class of 2026 with representatives of the Faculty of Medical Sciences.
Swapping lecture theatres for hospital halls and notes for patient charts, 33 new graduates have stepped into the medical profession ready to make their rounds where care truly begins.
The number feels familiar for a reason. Seventy-eight years ago, 33 students were The UWI’s entire medical intake, a modest beginning that now echoes in a much larger story.
The graduates from Cave Hill’s Faculty of Medical Sciences officially entered the profession after taking the Hippocratic Oath at a ceremony held June 15, as proud family members, friends and well-wishers filled the room with loud cheers and applause.
This full-circle moment underscores both how far the programme has come and how firmly it continues to stand.
The new doctors, all from the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme, included eight men and represent the culmination of years of rigorous training, long nights and unwavering determination.
Service and integrity
Addressing the ceremony, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Dr. Damian Cohall, reminded the graduates that reciting the Hippocratic Oath signified far more than tradition. He noted the responsibility that comes with the profession and said that medicine demands service and integrity.
“Patient care is the priority at all times, and it’s a central reason, the basis for you spending the last five years of your life studying every other week for an exam. At all times, you should be guided by empathy.”
He also urged the new doctors to uphold ethics and accountability in their practice.
“We expect you to live up to those attributes, not just being UWI graduates, but to understand that medicine requires you to be ethical, law-abiding, people-centered citizens of the world. Your performance in the just concluded MBBS exam is an ultimate illustrator of the quality that presides over the programme.”
Distinction and honours
Among the cohort, three graduates achieved passes with distinction and five earned honours.
Dr. Joshua Grant-Desir secured the highest grade point average (GPA) in the programme. He was also awarded the prestigious Professor Harley Moseley Award for the best performance in anaesthesia and intensive care end of clerkship (EOC) examination and the MPS Prize for the highest degree GPA.
Dr. Kaia Moseley received the Dr. Harry Bayley and Anne Bayley Prize for best performance in the medicine section of the clinical component of the unified MBBS exit examination, as well as the Merck Sharp and Dohme Prize for achieving the highest aggregate mark in internal medicine in the EOC examination and the clinical component of the exit examination.
Among the other standout graduates, Dr. Pritika Kandamaran was presented with the Lionel Stuart Prize for highest aggregate mark in surgery in the EOC exam and clinical component of the exit examination, while Dr. Rheanna Walcott earned the Barbados Association of Psychiatrists Sharon Harvey Prize for achieving the highest mark in psychiatry in the clinical component of the exit examination.
Head of the Department of Clinical Sciences, Dr. Maisha Emmanuel delivered the Sending Forth Speech and led the recitation of the Hippocratic Oath.
In her speech, she reminded the graduates that medicine “demands more than competence, it demands character,” she said, and added that patients look to doctors not only for expertise but also for reassurance, honesty, and compassion.
Lifelong commitment
She encouraged the graduates to view the oath as a lifelong commitment rather than a ceremonial formality and to measure their success not by titles but by impact.
“Your true legacy will be measured by the lives you touch, the patients who felt heard, and the communities you served.”
In a joint response on behalf of the class, Dr. Grant-Desir and Dr. Jameca Thompson reflected on the journey to become MBBS graduates, which they described as one marked by perseverance and shared resilience.
They also spoke of the challenges overcome during their studies. “We survived an entire pandemic… natural disasters… and the demands of medical training. Most importantly… we survived together.”
