St. George’s University (SGU) has formalized a new five-year partnership with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), advancing collaborative research, training, and innovation aimed at strengthening public health systems across the Caribbean.
Signed on April 21 in Georgetown, Guyana, the MOU establishes a strategic framework for joint efforts to address the region’s most pressing health challenges, including communicable and noncommunicable diseases as well as environmental health issues.
Through the agreement, SGU and CARPHA will work together on a range of initiatives, including public health research, student training and workforce development, capacity building in epidemiology and analytics, and digital innovation to support stronger health systems. The collaboration also includes data sharing, One Health initiatives, and joint execution of CARPHA’s Annual Health Research Conference.
“This MOU concretizes the well-established, long-standing relationship with CARPHA and SGU,” said Dr. Lisa Indar, executive director of CARPHA. “It will also position CARPHA and SGU as key regional leaders in public health research and practice across the Caribbean and support the translation of research findings into evidence-informed policy recommendations for our Member States. This also exemplifies CARPHA’s innovations in partnerships to collectively address public health in the Region.”
Representing SGU, Dr. Marios Loukas, SGU president and dean of the School of Medicine, emphasized the broader impact of the collaboration. “By aligning SGU’s academic and research strength with CARPHA’s regional leadership, we are building an integrated platform to drive innovation, expand research capacity, and accelerate the translation of evidence into policy and practice. This collaboration strengthens a more resilient, equitable, and healthier Caribbean, positioning the region as a global leader in public health innovation.”
The agreement builds on a longstanding relationship between the two institutions. SGU students have previously participated in internships with CARPHA, gaining hands-on experience in regional public health initiatives, while faculty have collaborated on research and contributed to regional stakeholder networks. In 2015, SGU also hosted CARPHA’s Annual Health Research Conference on its Grenada campus, further demonstrating its commitment to advancing public health research in the region.
The partnership will continue to foster collaboration among regional stakeholders, with the next CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference scheduled to be held in Grenada in April 2027.
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