Research HIGHLIGHTS
Many of the research projects conducted at the St Augustine Campus have short-term impacts on individuals and communities nationally and regionally. Others, when shared with esteemed peers from around the world in journals and at conferences, add to the global store of knowledge, with potential impact in the medium to long term. Featured in this section are a few examples of the research undertaken at the St Augustine Campus during the review period. For a detailed look at the research being conducted across the Campus, and lists of peer-reviewed articles, books, book chapters and conference proceedings produced during the period, please see the accompanying Faculty Reports 2021/2022 online.
Public Health Agency (CARPHA). To date, over 5,000 samples have been sequenced and 138 distinct SARS-CoV-2 lineages were identified including five variants of concern (VOC). The rapid detection and reporting of VOC by the project helped inform public health policy and decision-making for economic reopening, international travel restrictions and work policies.
Beyond COVID-19 IMPACT: Establishing a sustained capacity for genomic surveillance in Trinidad & Tobago
This project sought to enhance capacity for pathogen genomic sequencing in order to better support public health bodies. It facilitated the purchase of equipment that doubled The UWI’s capacity for high-throughput whole genome sequencing and the capacity built has been applied to other pathogens of public health importance.
COVID-19 Research Medical Sciences
Health Economics The Caribbean Community of Practice for COVID-19 Study
Over the past year, the Faculty of Medical Sciences has published 206 papers on COVID-19 in peer-reviewed journals, with national, regional and international impacts. Members of the Faculty attracted handsome amounts of grant funding and donations — roughly half a million dollars in US currency, over 800,000 euros and more than 17 million in Trinidad & Tobago dollars. Additionally, selected publications have emanated from these grant fundings. Among the projects completed this year were: COVID-19: Infectious Disease Molecular Epidemiology for Pathogen Control & Tracking (COVID-19 IMPACT) This UWI-led collaborative study established national capacity for rapid SARS-CoV-2 whole genomes sequencing, and carried out genomic surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern to Trinidad & Tobago and 16 other member states of the Caribbean
The HEU, Centre for Health Economics conducted workshops and studies to identify, adapt, and scale up best practices to improve the regional response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). The COVID-19 Caribbean Community of Practice (CCOP) allowed participants from Jamaica, The Bahamas and Trinidad & Tobago to share their best practices across six thematic areas:
• The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers;
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