KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Executive Chairman of the LASCO Affiliated Companies, Lascelles Chin OJ CD, has charged the inaugural graduating class of the Caribbean School of Medical Sciences Jamaica (CSMSJ) to become ambassadors; to fly the flag of the institution high, and impact lives while building their own careers.

At a commencement ceremony held at Shortwood Teachers College on Sunday, November 21, 2021, the 13 graduates, which comprised four medical doctors and nine holders of Associate Degrees in Natural and Applied Sciences, were encouraged by Mr Chin to reach for the highest ideals.

“This graduation is indeed a historic milestone, in the annals of the Caribbean School for the Medical Sciences in Jamaica. It will always resound in the hearts of the first graduates here, and in the history and legacy of this institution. This is a moment to treasure, with great pride and joy. Congratulations to faculty and graduates of CSMSJ, on this outstanding achievement, which is a testimony to the awesome power of dreams,” said Mr Chin as he shared with the audience inside the Marjorie Myers Auditorium.

Dr Jamila McFarlane is greeted by Keynote Speaker, the Honourable Lascelles Chin after she received her doctoral award at the graduation ceremony on Sunday, November 21, 2021. Dr McFarlane is one of four medical doctors who matriculated.

Speaking also at the ceremony, the Honourable Fayval Williams, minister of education, youth and information echoed the uniqueness of the group. “You have been well-prepared to enter the specific areas of your career interests and I wish you well. I wish all of you the best. At the same time I want to encourage you to continue to look for opportunities for further training. We never stop learning and I trust you will embrace the idea of lifelong learning.”

“You’re graduating at a time when COVID has significantly increased the acceptance of technology in all facets of our lives. We have become used to getting many services online, including health services, and I want to encourage you to embrace technology in the offerings so that all our citizens can have access to healthcare,” she added. 

The CSMSJ though still in the stage of infancy has a big vision for its contribution to the country and humanity.
The CSMSJ is the brainchild of general consultant and laparoscopic surgeon Dr Neville Graham and his team with the aim of providing world-class training, while developing a quality workforce of professionals, ready to confront and conquer the challenges of 21st-century medicine.

“Our students are bonded to work in Jamaica for two years after graduating. Imagine that, giving back. Instead of four, we’d like to graduate 50. We want to support what UWI is doing as well, and what other institutions are doing. We want to graduate 100 nurses. We want to graduate 40 dentists but we have to talk. We need some help because when this becomes what we want it to be, we will be helping Jamaica even more. Now we’re helping our patients, we’re helping our community, we’re doing research but we want to be a bigger help for our people, and a bigger contribution to humanity,” expressed Executive Dean and Founder of the CSMSJ, Dr Neville Graham.

Speaking specifically to the medical doctors, the Executive Chairman encouraged them even further to make a difference  in the workplace, contributing to society and helping to save lives.

“I will remind you that in Jamaica there is the sad ratio of one medical doctor, to every five thousand persons in rural areas, and one per every one thousand four hundred persons, in urban areas.  These ratios, graduates, fall well below the World Health Organisation’s standard of one doctor, per two hundred and fifty persons. As you embark on your life in the medical sciences field, I would also like you to understand that it will be risky and it will have disappointments along with unspeakable joy.  But this is one of the best jobs in the world. You will have the opportunity to save lives and touch the lives of people at their most vulnerable times,” the philanthropist encouraged.  

The founders of the institution were also on the receiving end of commendations from LASCO’s Visionary. Mr Chin openly congratulated them on their vision to establish the CSMSJ, and the tenacity which has been displayed to keep it afloat during the testing times of its burgeoning years.

“This graduation ceremony is testimony of your deep and abiding commitment to the Caribbean region. Patriotism at its finest.  You saw supremely qualified students across the Caribbean, who are unable to be accommodated in the limited spaces at our traditional Universities for the Medical Sciences.”

About the Caribbean School of Medical Sciences (CSMSJ)

CSMSJ became a chartered institute of Jamaica on June 30, 2017 and is also registered by the Jamaica Tertiary Education Commission (JTEC) and listed on the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) and the World Directory of Medical Schools. The institution has been registered by the University Council of Jamaica since 2018 and its Associate of Science degree in Natural and Applied Sciences has been fully accredited since August 2021.

The institution was formed by leading medical professionals. Students receive an education from the best tutors and lecturers, hailing from Jamaica, Cuba, USA, and India. These practitioners are dedicated to imparting their knowledge to the next generation.

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The school, established in 2014, and officially became a chartered institute of Jamaica on June 30, 2017, proudly saw four students graduating with doctor of medicine degrees and nine other students graduating with associate degrees in natural and applied science. 

CSMSJ’s Chancellor, Professor Earl Taylor, said in his remarks at the ceremony that it was a “mammoth task” to establish the institution.   

“It’s a project that has had many turns, many challenges, and has passed many hurdles, but it has overcome all of them. And as we struggle like the rest of the economy in a pandemic era, you can imagine the struggle and sacrifice that our students have had,” Taylor said. 

Commending the lecturers and staff for their efforts placed in running the school, Taylor also stated, “Our students are also deserving of our commendations because they have persisted and persevered through difficult times and when all things were low they had to remain high. I believe that is what we require of our future generation, we want young men and women who know what they want and who are willing to sacrifice and to put in the energy and the work to accomplish their missions.”

Meanwhile, CSMSJ’s Board Chair, Richard Jones, confirmed that the Executive Dean and founder, Dr Neville Graham had dreamed of opening a first-class medical college in Jamaica, which was owned not by “foreign interests” but by Caribbean nationals. 

“Turning his [Graham] gaze to the Caribbean landscape he was struck by the absence of medical schools owned by nationals, despite the presence of some 40 off-shore medical colleges in the region,” he noted, adding that the college faced countless criticism but they were able to prevail nonetheless. 

“The CSMSJ, owned by Caribbean nationals and open to the sons and daughters of ordinary working people from the Caribbean, Africa, North America and beyond, was born,” Jones continued.  

 At the same time, while giving his dean’s report, Graham applauded the graduating class saying,  “As doctors and health science professionals the staff, the parents, your family and your friends have seen you grow and mature. We have seen the sacrifices, the sleepless nights, the tears and now the joy of success.” 

“…We are proud of the reports that we have received from institutions you have attended. Your knowledge and conduct have made us proud,” Graham stated. 

The CSMSJ is the third medical school in Jamaica, and it offers an associate degree in natural and applied sciences that prepares students to sit the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) or allows them to matriculate to the four-year doctor of medicine degree programme, which prepares them to sit the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

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