News Releases

The link between diet and mental health is becoming harder to ignore, according to new research emerging from the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.

Public Health PhD candidate Catherine Brown says what people eat may be influencing more than physical health outcomes such as obesity and chronic disease. Her work suggests that diet also has a measurable impact on emotional wellbeing across the Caribbean.

The road to recovery from diabetic foot, a condition involving infection, ulceration or destruction of foot tissue in a person living with diabetes, may be less about income and education than previously believed.

A recent study found no measurable socio-economic influence on healing outcomes, while identifying hypertension as a significant predictor of readmission and recurrence.

The research, conducted under the Barbados Diabetic Foot Study (BDFS), was co-authored by Dr. Laura Lovell, Dr. Peter Chami, Professor Nachiappan Chockalingam, Nina Davies and Dr. Natalie Greaves. The wider BDFS initiative has already informed the development of a diabetic foot ulceration guide for primary care, along with a learning module. Both were piloted within the public primary healthcare system in 2025 to address gaps in clinical management and practitioner knowledge.

At the 13th Annual Faculty of Medical Sciences Graduate Symposium in January, Dr. Lovell, who is pursuing a PhD in Public Health, presented findings from a component of the research titled The Use of Machine Learning to Evaluate Risk Factors of a Cohort of Diabetic Foot Ulceration.

Last week, the Caribbean and Africa struck another high note in their ongoing bridge‑building agenda. A team of 20 recently appointed Vice-Chancellors arrived at The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Headquarters in Jamaica from Nigeria, hosted by Vice‑Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles.

The initiative originated in a request from the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) as part of its plan to expose emerging university leaders to The UWI’s success and legacy in dealing with the relations between national and global issues. All universities, especially in the Global South, are forging survival and sustainable strategies in the international higher education sector.

Nigeria has some 140 public universities and a similar number of private institutions. The UWI is recognised as a highly successful and respected brand, ranked by the Times Higher Education (THE) among the top 3.6% of the world’s 33,000 universities.

PhD student Shamelle Rice has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Award for Excellence in the category of Public and Civic Contributions.

Shamelle is a fierce and vibrant leader who exemplifies feminist transformational leadership. She founded and directs Jabez House, Barbados’ flagship organisation which serves women sex workers and their families, one of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in Barbados who disproportionately experience gendered and sexual violence, poverty and social and economic marginality.

From economic empowerment to psychosocial support, community building to skills training, Jabez House prioritises the needs of sex-working women from across the Caribbean, affirming their right to be, their right to a good life and to decent work.  This is life-giving and sustaining work to which Shamelle has been committed since 2012, and which has reached over 800 women from several Caribbean countries.

As Barbados joins the rest of the world in marking World Cancer Day, new national data reveal that nearly 1,000 Barbadians are diagnosed with cancer each year, with too many cases still being identified at a late stage—when treatment is more difficult and survival rates are lower.

According to the latest findings from the Barbados National Registry (BNR), covering the years 2013 to 2022, cancer incidence in Barbados remains higher than the global average. In 2022 alone, 983 new cancer cases were recorded, affecting approximately one in every 300 people on the island.

The report shows that breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers continue to be the most common and the deadliest. Prostate cancer accounts for nearly half of all cancers diagnosed among men, while breast cancer remains the leading cancer among women. Colorectal cancer affects both sexes and continues to be a major cause of illness and death.  Although slightly more women are diagnosed with cancer overall, men experience higher cancer rates, largely driven by prostate cancer.

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) begins 2026 with excellent news. Times Higher Education (THE), the gold standard in global higher education rankings, announced that it has risen among the 33,000+ universities and higher degree‑granting institutions in the world.

In the 2025 year-end release of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, which assess institutional performance across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook, only 2,191 universities from 115 countries qualified to be ranked. The UWI continues to rise relatively as the number of universities also increases. It is selected and ranked annually based on criteria of academic excellence. It now stands in the top 3.6% of these 33,000+ institutions.

The Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) joins our regional and global communities in marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (November 25 – December 10, 2025). This year, our priority actions focus on:

• Confronting technology-facilitated sexual and gender-based violence in line with the UN theme “UNiTe to End Digital Violence against Women and Girls.”
• Embedding gender and social inclusion in disaster preparedness and recovery, especially in the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating impact across the Caribbean.

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is set to continue its tradition of recognising exceptional individuals who have made significant contributions to their fields. During the 2025 graduation ceremonies, 11 distinguished graduates will be awarded honorary degrees. These ceremonies are scheduled to take place from October 11 to November 8, 2025, across the five UWI campuses.

The University of the West Indies Press (UWI Press) is pleased to announce that two of its publications have received distinguished Caribbean awards. these are: “Near a Plantation: Free Villages of Barbados, 1840-1945” by Professor Emeritus Sir Woodville Marshall, and “Politics in an Island State: Wills O. Isaacs and Jamaica’s Struggle for Development” by Professor Emerita Diane Austin-Broos.

The School for Graduate Studies and Research of The UWI Cave Hill Campus has been officially renamed in honour of Emerita Professor, the Most Honourable V. Eudine Barriteau.