News Releases

CAAM-HP extends UWI Accreditation with commendations

For Release Upon Receipt - June 18, 2009

St. Augustine


Two medical teaching programmes at The University of the West Indies (UWI) have been extended accreditation status from the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) 2009. The UWI Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Veterinary Medicine programmes both received accreditation and commendation from CAAM-HP.

In extending the accreditation status of the UWI MBBS to 2012, CAAM-HP commended the University on the progress made in the governance of the Faculty of Medicine across campuses. CAAM-Hp also congratulated the leadership of the School of Veterinary Medicine for the successes evident in the programme.CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programmes of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM. On its official website (www.caam-hp.org), CAAM-HP defines “accreditation” as “an objective peer review process designed to attest to the educational quality of new, developing and established educational programmes.”The CAAM-HP accreditation process aims to certify that a medical education programme meets prescribed standards, and to promote institutional self-evaluation and improvement. Acting independently of the participating countries, the CAAM-HP makes periodic evaluations of the medical, dental and veterinary education programmes in CARICOM countries. In preparation for the upcoming full survey visit by CAAM-HP to the UWI campuses in 2012, the University is now preparing to conduct an institutional self-study from the medical teaching programme during the year 2011.

ABOUT CAAM-HP

CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programmes of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM. The accreditation process assures that medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions schools meet standards of structure, function, and performance and assures society and the health professions that graduates of accredited schools meet the education requirements for further training and the health care needs of the people in the Caribbean. Through accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical, dental and veterinary students, graduates, professionals, institutions and the public that undergraduate programmes leading to qualifications in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience. For more information about CAAM-HP, please visit www.caam-hp.org.

ABOUT UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with over 50 physical site locations across the region, serving over 20 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences.

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