 |
 |
 |
|
April 2015 |
JH: Professor Ramsawak, what was your journey to the Faculty of Medical Sciences? SR: It’s Samuel, but most of my colleagues call me Sam. I started at Mt Hope Maternity in 1984 after I became a specialist and came back to Trinidad (from the UK). I left Trinidad again in 1989 and when I came back, I began working at Mt Hope once more. In 1991 I joined the faculty. I have always shown an interest in research so I was appointed as a senior lecturer. Then I did my further thesis and was appointed to the Chair, Professor, in 2001. The Chair was called Professor of Reproductive Medicine because you have to have a name of your Chair. Essentially what I did was work at Mt Hope as the Professor, and continued with my research. Around 2000, I became the Head of Gynaecology, and then I became Head of the Department of Surgical Sciences. I sat two terms as Head of Department, became the Deputy and then Dean JH: So that’s over two decades of academic activity. SR: Yes, and administration. So you see basically I went through the various platforms. I became Dean in 2007. JH: What has it been like? What have you experienced? SR: It’s a privilege. You have a situation where you have so many well-educated and professional academic persons with good research agendas, people who are experts in their field and I was able to be leader of that group. It’s something that I cherish and respect. There were so many students who depend on the Dean’s Office and the Dean as an individual. Students would often appeal to the Dean, not as office but person. I’ll meet them in the corridor, or on the quadrangle and they would come to me to tell me about their particular issues. What I wanted to do, which I think I managed to do, was to be very accessible. It’s a very important attribute, I think, that allows one to actually feel the pulse of the people around you. JH: Would you say you have a personal goal for the faculty? SR: When I became Dean, I wrote out a mission. Number one on it was that I would be seen as leader who was fair. Fairness is a critical element in leadership because you are dealing with human relations and career development. We are in a system where you can feel that you are being wronged by the person in authority. I wanted to ensure that no one felt that they were being kept back out of a personal agenda or something else. We have to face the fact that the university community is a microcosm of the community of the island. Because of our diversity of individuals and cultures, one could easily be caught up in the discrimination tagline. And that was what I did not want to be part of. I feel I have achieved that. I felt that unless I got the support and the trust of the people around me, then I was a failing leader. We have applications far in excess of spaces in the faculty. We get over 1,100 applications for Medicine; we have approximately 150 to maximum 180 spaces. If we put the strict criteria on who is eligible according to our prospectus we come down to about 450. So there is still an excess of 200. It’s a challenging process and we get all kinds of reasons why somebody should get in, and someone else not. It happens no other way but by pure meritocracy. The other important goal I set myself was developing graduate studies within the faculty. We have a very good product but we haven’t had a major impact in terms of people becoming specialists. For example, when I became Dean, we had about 50 graduate students a year. Now, it’s close to 400. So it has really developed. The other quality issue is professionalism and ethics. We have embarked upon a course that is called Professionalism and Ethics. This is the first such course in The UWI. It takes students from Year 1, 2, 3 and they have to pass. The other thing we did is become more relevant in our research agenda. A number of my faculty have been successful in the RDI funding from the Government, receiving about $1 million from the Research and Development Impact Fund. We have a (research grant) committee which is chaired by the Campus Principal, and in that committee the key principle we apply in selecting research is relevance to the community. What I did two years ago was look back at that mission statement to see what I have accomplished compared to my projection. And I felt comfortable. I’m not the person to judge, but I use it as my benchmark. JH: Why is this 25th anniversary particularly significant to you? SR: When one thinks about what 25 years of teaching and research would have done, and how it would have impacted on people’s lives, not just students who became doctors, doctors who became specialists, but the patients, the community, I felt that it was important. I want this to be a celebration for everybody, particularly those who were there from the beginning. It is important to reiterate the contribution of all these people who have kept this faculty going, from the technical staff to the administrative staff. I also feel that the students who came in the early years, what they had there was a level of trust and faith, because prior to the opening, we had never taught the first three years of the course. That pioneering class, and that pioneering set of administrative and support staff, we are very grateful to them. JH: What are some of the activities you have planned? SR: We thought we would do a week of observances. We will kick it off with a Health Fair which is really meant to be a giving back to the society. People can access screening, check-ups and certain tests. What is different about this is that we will be doing it for your physical health, your dental health, for your pharmaceutical needs, for your pets and finally, for your eyes. I don’t think such a holistic approach to health has been done in Trinidad, and perhaps the Caribbean. Then we will have a day for a number of activities for posterity. We will be installing a time capsule on the compound of the Medical Sciences Complex, formally hoisting a flag, doing a mural and having a Students’ Day. We are producing a special edition of our newsletter, FMS Highlights. To culminate it all, we are having a cocktail and recognition ceremony at the Principal’s Office at which we will be recognising the faculty’s pioneers. The Vice-Chancellor will be there and other senior university personnel. (FMS@25 took place from March 15 to 23). JH: Is there anything you would like to add, particularly as this is your final year as Dean? SR: It was demanding but it was a refreshing difference for me. I have no regrets. I felt I was able to be part of the machinery of the university. I am grateful to the university, and to my colleagues and students. I leave with very fond memories. At this level, your interaction is not just here, but regional and international as well. I have made some really good friends, at the level of administration. It helped me really understand the Caribbean perspective. JH: What’s the next step? SR: I really want to contribute specifically to graduate training. If I am given the opportunity that would be my niche because we have a lot of people who are in the programme and we have a shortage of staff. I could dedicate some time to that. The first thing I’d probably do, though, is take a break (laughter). |
It’s an eventful time for Professor Samuel Ramsawak, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences. In a few days the faculty will kick off a week of activities to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Faced with a mountain of tasks related to the event (dubbed FMS@25), the Dean decided to be interviewed at my office rather than his own. It was an extraordinarily mission-focused, no-frills approach from such an accomplished man, and a testament to one who clearly places the responsibilities of leadership above its prestige. It’s no wonder he has served two fruitful terms, steering the faculty through a period of growth. 2015 however is Professor Ramsawak’s final year as Dean. UWI Today spoke with the professor on his tenure and the Faculty of Medical Sciences at 25.