Jamaica Center for Infectious Diseases Research
Touring UWI's facilities
Collaborating to keep infectious diseases under control in Jamaica
The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Jamaica Ministry of Health have led planning, decision-making and development meetings with UB's Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences (CIGBS) to establish the Jamaica Center for Infectious Diseases Research. It will start as a national center with operations based at the UWI Mona Campus, eventually becoming a shared program for the Caribbean region. The goal is to include the 16 additional English-speaking Caribbean countries now served by the regional UWI.
The center will train basic, translational and clinical scientists through the Jamaica Global Infectious Diseases Research Training Program, designed by the CIGBS. The Jamaican center will use the UWI network to build capacity throughout the Caribbean.
The Emerging Virus Unit is unique to the center, created in response to the outbreaks of Zika virus, Chikungunya virus and dengue fever that occurred in that region.