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GRAND TURK, Turks and Caicos Islands; Monday, December 8th, 2008 - The thirteen recipients of the prestigious Global Health Leadership Awards were honoured at the recently concluded Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health held in Bamako, Mali. Representatives attended this meeting from Ministries of Health, Science and Technology, Education, Foreign Affairs, and International Cooperation from 53 countries.
Grand Turk native, Dr. Terese Maitland was the only Caribbean recipient of a Global Health Leadership Awards (GHLA). Dr. Maitland was also one of four awardees invited to make a presentation entitled, "Translating research into practice: The Caribbean experience," which was well received at the awardees meeting held in Bamako, November 15 – 20, 2008.
The GHLAs are offered as a part of the Global Health Research Initiative (GHRI) which is a partnership formed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Health Canada and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and promotes the conduct and use of health research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
A total of 140 persons globally applied for this coveted award; however, there were only 13 recipients from the following 12 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, India, Republic of Georgia, Senegal, Turk and Caicos Islands, and Uganda.
In a brochure, which was widely circulated at the Bamako meeting, the GHLA sponsors explained that the awards "have given 13 extraordinary individuals from 12 countries the support they need to pursue individualized professional development programs. Over the next 4 years, the awardees will build their technical expertise, leadership abilities and partnership skills while addressing priority health systems and priority issues."
Dr. Maitland's award winning submission entitled "Strengthening the Public Health Delivery System in the Turks and Caicos Islands," outlines the importance of conducting epidemiological surveys to investigate seafood poisoning and seafood consumption practices, developing disease registries and also examining fishing and resource management policies in an effort to ensure the viability of the fishing industry which is not only the most important local food source but also the mainstay of the Turks and Caicos economy.
The title of Dr. Maitland's award winning submission is consistent with the theme of the Global Ministerial Forum held in Bamako, which was "Strengthening research for health, development, and equity." It is envisioned that GHLA recipients and the cadre of researchers globally will continue to be leaders and mentors of future generations who will continue to promote health equity and development globally.
This award is an acknowledgement of Dr. Maitland's scholastic and professional achievements in the areas of academia and research, and recognises her potential to continue to excel and provide leadership, and mentorship not only to future generations of researchers and scholars from TCI, and the Caribbean region but also to the entire world. At the regional level, Dr. Maitland continues to lend her expertise to the Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC) as a facilitator of various research workshops CHRC conducts for countries, including TCI and throughout the Caribbean.
In the coming months Dr. Maitland and NERU will collaborate with local stakeholders as well as regional and international partners to conduct activities related to the award as well as other research and epidemiological activities consistent with the mission of NERU. This is in keeping with the global focus on research for health, articulated in the Bamako Call for Action, which emphasizes the pivotal role research plays in promoting health, equity, and national development of human capital in the 21st Century.
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