News Releases

Inventor of the Year Award for UWI School of Veterinary Medicine alumna

For Release Upon Receipt - May 6, 2022

St. Augustine


Professor Naola Ferguson-Noel

 The University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine Campus, May 6, 2022 - The University of the West Indies (The UWI) St. Augustine Campus proudly celebrates that an alumna of The UWI School Veterinary Medicine (UWI-SVM) Professor Naola Ferguson-Noel is the recipient of the prestigious Inventor of the Year Award 2022 from the University of Georgia (UGA). 

The Inventor of the Year Award recognizes an inventor for a unique and innovative discovery which has made an impact on the community. Professor Ferguson-Noel received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The UWI St. Augustine Campus, and her Master’s in Avian Medicine and Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology from UGA. The UGA notes that Professor Ferguson-Noel’s research has led to new approaches for combatting mycoplasma strains in poultry. Five invention disclosures from her research have resulted in two U.S. patents and an array of foreign patents.”

“I would like to extend heartfelt congratulations to Professor Naola Ferguson-Noel UWI-SVM (D.V.M.) Class of 1996 for being a trail blazer for excellence and an inspiration to current and future students of the UWI-SVM to live out their potential,” said Dr. Karla Georges, Director, UWI-SVM.

Professor Ferguson-Noel’s expertise focuses on the differing ways to manage avian mycoplasmosis which is an infectious respiratory disease which affects poultry. She has employed surveillance techniques, diagnostics and new vaccines, generating new approaches to combatting mycoplasma strains including Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) in chickens and turkeys.

“Professor Ferguson-Noel has built an international reputation as an expert in her area of mycoplasma vaccines bit by bit and brick by brick while attending to family life as a mother to two sons and a wife to Dr Richard Noel,” said Dr Georges.

The UWI St. Augustine Campus congratulates Professor Ferguson-Noel on her remarkable achievement and notes that she was also recognized as one of 24 distinguished alumni by the UWI Alumni Association in 2014.

To learn more about The UWI-SVM please visit https://sta.uwi.edu/fms/vet/

Flashback: Dr Naola Ferguson-Noel (center) and her parents Professor Theo and Mrs Gloria Ferguson at the Veterinarian’s Oath taking ceremony , Amphitheatre A, Faculty of Medical Sciences , 1996. 

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About The UWI 

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region. 

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. 

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world. 

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). In the latest World University Rankings 2022, released in September 2021, The UWI moved up an impressive 94 places from last year. In the current global field of some 30,000 universities and elite research institutes, The UWI stands among the top 1.5%. 

The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean, it is also in the top 20 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action. 

For more, visit 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.) 

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