THE AUA CAMPUS UPDATE DECEMBER 2021
AUA and Project LIFEPLAN Pg 9
Dr. Prasanna Honnavar ASM Country Ambassador Pg 14
| ISSUE 19 |
CONTENTS 3 From the Provost 4 From the Editor 5-12 AUA in the Community
AUASGA & Seeds of Hope Breast Cancer Fundraiser AUA and Project LIFEPLAN Soup Kitchen Donations & Helping Hands The Salvation Army Kettle Launch
14-18 Campus News
Dr. Prasanna Honnavar Appointed Country Ambassador Staying Well Through Difficult Times Research Present & Future GTF Awards Ceremony
18 Faculty Spotlight Dr. Leslie Walwyn 20 Faculty Publications Bookshelf 22 Student Club Activities 23 Caught on Camera
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From the Provost The Gift that Keeps on Giving Of course, I am talking about COVID, that evolutionarily slippery virus that continues to evolve while we try to wipe it out. Normally, I do not consider myself a friend of pharmaceutical companies, but I must admit, their immediate and continued response to this virus has been amazing. I am old enough to remember the polio epidemic that struck in the 1950s. The death toll of over 6,000 consisted of mostly children, at a time when our population in the US was 150, 697, 361. The Polio vaccine was developed in the early 1950s by Jonas Salk, but it would not begin to be distributed until 1954. Years instead of months. By this time another 3,145 deaths were recorded from the disease, and still mostly children. Thousands more were left with permanent neurologic deficits. By 1955 the disease was under control. The ability of our society to get behind the vaccine was spectacular and saved many lives. I think it is appropriate to ask ourselves, what has happened to our society that we cannot seem to get on the same page regarding these amazing vaccines? At this writing 778,876 of our fellow citizens have died from the Coronavirus. We argue about the safety of the vaccines. Clearly, these vaccines are both the safest, as well as most efficacious of any we have known. We argue about wearing masks, even though the data clearly shows how it prevents infection. People often congregate and create super-spreader events and accuse governments of fascism when protocols are mandated.
The purpose of medical education is to give you the ability to use what you have learned to properly evaluate changes in the science of medicine. In addition to learning the most basic tenets of Basic Medical Science, the most important thing you can learn as a medical student is how to evaluate the science that informs our care of patients. In addition to learning that you must develop the habit of reviewing the literature relevant to your specialty of medicine and apply the information that passes evaluation to save lives and reduce suffering. This is your job. It is not easy and in essence, you will be a student of medicine for the rest of your life. Your patients’ welfare becomes your final exam, over, and over again. The first two years of Medical School are arduous lectures, reading assignments, etc. As you transition to the clinical years, please remember what one of my heroes of medical education had to say about this. William Osler (the Canadian trained physician who helped start Johns Hopkins School of Medicine), is quoted as saying; “He who studies medicine without books sails an uncharted sea, but he who studies medicine without patients does not go to sea at all.” Best of luck to all of you.
ROBERT MALLIN, MD UNIVERSITY PROVOST
I attended medical school at a time when no one questioned the scientific method as the pathway to the truth. We poured over printed textbooks and journal articles, to arm ourselves with the latest scientific data to help us treat our patients. Now those same textbooks and journal articles are digitally available online. Anyone can read them. In order to carefully evaluate them, however, one needs an education in the scientific methods and the means to properly evaluate that information. THE CAMPUS UPDATE
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From the Editor Happy Holidays! The year 2021 is almost over and despite the bleak shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, spirits are lifted. Everyone is eagerly looking forward to the holidays this year more than ever before. People who have never traveled abroad previously, are bravely making their first journey to be with family and loved ones. Some who live abroad are returning to their homeland for the first time in years. As expected at this time of the year, the muchdebated greetings ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays’ are making a successful comeback. According to a poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in 2016, 66 percent of Democrats said that stores and businesses should greet customers with “Happy Holidays,” “Season’s Greetings” or some other general greeting, rather than “Merry Christmas,” as a show of respect for different religious faiths; only 28 percent of Republicans felt the same. What are your thoughts on this? It may be best to follow the Democrats and say "Happy Holidays". I find that this works from November 22nd to January 1st because it includes Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas, Kwanza, and New Year - all celebrated between those dates.
Omitting the word "Christmas" really does not solve the problem because according to history.com it turns out that “Happy Holidays” has Christian religious roots! ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays’ are both derived from Old English: Christmas comes from “Cristes Maesse,” or the Mass of Christ, the first usage of which (in 1038) described the mass held to commemorate Christ’s birth. As for “holiday,” the word emerged in the 1500s as a replacement of the earlier medieval word “haliday,” which itself had supplanted the Old English “haligdæg,” meaning holy day. Hence, even if your intention is to remove all Christian religious connotations from the greeting, saying ‘Happy Holidays’ defeats the purpose! Regardless of what you choose to say, the intention is to express good wishes. My wish is that you enjoy the holidays, have a merry Christmas, and a happy new year! I hope that 2022 will be an auspicious year for us all.
SHARON BRUSCH EDITOR
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AUA in the Community
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AUA SGA Supports Seeds of Hope AUA and the AUA Student Government Association (SGA) recently made a $50,000 donation to the Halo Foundation Generation Y’s new project “Seeds of Hope”. The donation is intended to assist with the project startup costs. At the official handover ceremony on November 3rd, Her Excellency, Lady Sandra Williams principal of the Halo Foundation expressed her sincere appreciation for the donation and the continuous support the foundation has received from AUA. The Generation Y Project was designed to encourage youths to be humanitarians in their own right and to engage in community development activities that benefit the Antigua and Barbuda society. Public Relations Officer for Generation Y, Cuthbert Forbes explained that the non-profit has led several successful projects in the past including a recently launched environmental campaign.
The recent campaign aims to address Sustainable Development Goals for the United Nations climate action for life on land and sea. Campaign activities include shoreline cleanup activities in several parts of the island and the erection of 5 garbage collection bins along Shell Beach. The group has also played an active role in the worldwide anti-bullying campaign to bring awareness to bullying, depression, and other mental health issues among youths. In addition, Generation Y collaborates with other community groups, including Street Pastors, and the Soup Kitchen, to provide hot meals to the less fortunate. (Continued on Pg 8).
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Mrs. Heather Destin hands over the cheque to Ms. Eunetta Bird
The AUA Lobby was once again decked out in pink this October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Although the annual Pink Heart fundraiser was not as well supported as in previous years. Management chipped in to donate a total of $1000 to the local cancer awareness and support group, Breast Friends. The funds were handed over by Administrative Assistant Mrs. Heather Destin, who was instrumental in organizing the event this year.
The Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser
Ms. Eunetta Bird, president of the support group expressed her sincere appreciation for the contribution. She explained that the funds will support on-going efforts to provide much-needed assistance to the community.
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(Continued from pg 5)
The group also delivers gifts and helps spread Christmas cheer to vulnerable families in the community each year. In response to the difficulties faced by many in the community to maintain a stable income during the COVID pandemic, the Seeds of Hope agricultural project was born. The aim is to provide skills training for the group while developing a sustainable project which can provide produce for the local market and other programs that aid the less fortunate. To this end, an acre of land has been acquired from the Ministry of Agriculture and members of the Generation Y Group will be trained in farming techniques by the Ministry of Agriculture extension office. No doubt this vibrant group will soon be celebrating yet another successful venture.
The Generation Y Team proudly showcase their cleanup efforts
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AUA and Project LIFEPLAN by Dr. Joseph Cross
In 2020 AUA in partnership with the Antigua and Barbuda Department of the Environment, was successful in a joint proposal to join Project LIFEPLAN, which is funded and managed by the EU and the University of Helsinki. Lifeplan brings together the key expertise needed to generate and interpret Big Ecological Data. This provides a global synthesis of biotic patterning across our planet uniting community ecology, methods for automated species recognition, and Bayesian statistics for immense data. Lifeplan will generate well-standardized global data for a substantial proportion of all species. Such standardization is achieved through semi-automated methods, producing comparable data independent of the exact expertise of the person or team conducting the sampling. It is based on a recent revolution in sampling methodology. Since August 2021, AUA students have been assisting with data collection for the Barbuda Department of Environment (DOE) Project LIFEPLAN. This involves traveling to the rainforest site to download camera trap, audio trap, and insect trap data then transferring that data to our colleagues at the DOE, for eventual transfer to Helsinki. We thank our student volunteers Marian Osimen, Tahreem Rajput, Alexandra Lorca, Monica Pevida, Danielle Rowe, Jewelle Burton, James Gainous, Aastha Jain, Mayowa Odugunwa, Brittany Dickinson, Jose Orta, and Paraskeva Bruton for their fantastic efforts to help preserve Antigua’s biodiversity. Being part of Project LIFEPLAN allows Antigua and Barbuda to fulfill its biodiversity monitoring obligations under the UN Biodiversity Agreement, to which Antigua is a signatory. In addition, AUA will be incorporating its successful DNA barcoding project into the plan to allow mapping and monitoring of plant life at the site.
Links: https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/projects/lifeplan http://aua-dna-barcoding.weebly.com Need more information about this project? Email Dr. Joseph Cross at: jcross@auamed.net THE CAMPUS UPDATE
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(l-r) Mr. Veldon Ragguette, Sharon Brusch, Dr. Samantha Colucci, Dr. Karron James, Dr. Sherida Philip & Dr. Nikhilesh Annand
The Soup Kitchen Receives Donations and Helping Hands
Five AUA volunteers assisted with food preparation and distribution of over 160 hot meals at the Soup Kitchen in St. John’s on Saturday December 4th. Face masks, hand sanitizer, and grocery items including beans, rice, pasta, and chicken were also donated. Mr. Veldon Ragguette expressed his appreciation to AUA for the unwavering support of the Soup Kitchen. He also thanked the volunteers for taking time out of their weekend to assist and extended an open invitation for them to visit again soon. The initiative was organized by the Community Outreach Committee.
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AUA Counted Among Salvation Army Kettle Launchers
District Officer Major Jean Miller Cantave address the gathering at the Kettle Launch
The American University of Antigua College of Medicine (AUA) helped kickstart the Salvation Army’s annual Christmas Kettle appeal on November 12th with a EC$1000 donation. AUA was among the three corporate entities that contributed to this year’s kettle launch.
Ms. Sharon Brusch who presented the cheque on behalf of the university at the televised event thanked the Salvation Army for including AUA among the entities invited to contribute to this year's Christmas Kettle. In her brief remarks, Ms. Brusch conveyed the institution's appreciation for all of the good work the Salvation Army does throughout the year and especially during the Christmas season to assist the less fortunate in Antigua and Barbuda. She added that she hopes the donation will offer some measure of assistance in this regard.
Members of the Salvation Army Advisory Board and the Salvation Army band
Sharon Brusch makes brief remarks during the presentation
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Campus News
Dr. Prasanna Honnavar - Newly Appointed ASM Country Ambassador The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has appointed AUA’s Dr. Prasanna Honnavar as Country Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda. Dr. Honnavar, an assistant professor of Microbiology & Immunology was formally appointed on November 3rd this year. His tenure commences on January 1, 2022, and ends on December 31, 2024, with the possibility of a three-year extension. ASM is the ideal forum to share expertise, learn and collaborate in scientific or related disciplines. Society members publish in ASM’s leading scientific journals and attend events at reduced rates. Membership includes exclusive members-only educational webinars, virtual journal clubs, and more.
Prasanna Honnavar PhD Assistant Professor, Microbiology & Immunology
In a recent message to members and supporters Steven Finkel, ASM President noted the following; "Over the last 122 years, we benefited from revolutionary technological advances that enhanced our work. In that time, we also witnessed scientific discoveries—and emerging threats and epidemics. However, throughout the decades our dedication to promoting and advancing microbial sciences has persevered."
American Society for Microbiology Country Ambassador to Antigua & Barbuda
Dr. Honnavar joins a growing network of over 90 Country Ambassadors at the center of ASM’s efforts to foster the dissemination and development of microbiological knowledge around the world. In addition to strengthening ASM’s connection within the local scientific community, Dr. Honnavar will have the opportunity to foster collaboration at a global level through fellowship with other ASM Country Ambassadors. Heartiest of congratulations and best wishes to Dr. Honnavar on his prestigious appointment.
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Hiking to Pillars of Hercules
AUA students, faculty, and staff have endured a tough two years. Lockdowns, curfews, remote learning, and the loss of loved ones have contributed to elevated stress levels and blood pressures. Most were separated from loved ones during this stressful time but through it all the AUA Wellness and Inclusion team provided opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to stay well and stay connected.
Staying Well Through
Difficult Times by Dawn Roberts
The AUA community was encouraged to participate in activities that promote wellbeing and provided an opportunity to bond despite social distancing. Recent activities included visits from PAAWS Antigua for the everpopular Puppy Play Day. The walking and running club, the Art classes for those who wanted to explore their creative side, and the hike of the famous Pillars of Hercules followed by a swim in the Mermaid Pool. The annual Wellness and Inclusion toy drive provided hundreds of toys to the children at the Victory Center school for children with special needs. Current students were afforded the opportunity to meet with AUA Alumni who shared their experiences of working on the frontlines and discussed racial tensions faced in America.
(Continued on Pg. 17)
Pillars of Hercules: Priotush Talukder, Grace Sommers, Stephanie Noel, Christina Pierre, Kayla Hall THE CAMPUS UPDATE 15
Research: Present and Future by Maria Elena Villamil PhD
American University of Antigua College of Medicine and the Center for Research and Evaluation (CRE) are working together to deliver increasing opportunities in research to our students, fellows, and faculty. With the introduction of the CRE Research Academy Research Skills courses in 2021, students have participated in ongoing research projects and designed the basis of their own research projects under the supervision of our faculty. Participation in research demands an open and curious mind coupled with discipline and organization. The CRE can help take students through the basic steps “of research while improving their research and critical thinking skills which are essential to their future as physicians. Apart from basic research management skills, communication skills are important to the success of any project. Presentation skills, poster preparation, and publication preparation are among the courses that the CRE will offer in 2022. In addition, students, fellows, and faculty can participate in Research Days and students’ research events so do keep an eye out for upcoming events and opportunities.
Semester 2, 3, and 4 students who are interested in participating in research courses and projects are encouraged to contact Maria Elena Villamil to discuss the possibilities that the CRE can offer.
Maria Elena Villamil PhD Director of the Center for Research & Evaluation Email: evillamil@auamed.net Tel: 268-484-8900 Ext: 1109
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(Continued from pg. 15)
Faculty and future doctors courageously joined the front lines to volunteer during the national vaccination drives. Among the many activities were opportunities to attend private screenings of recent movies at the Caribbean Cinemas including Greenland, Tenet, Godzilla vs. Kong, and 007. There were deep discussions about the films, however, the consensus was that what we enjoyed most was each other’s company. Throughout this challenging time, we realized how much we’ve missed being greeted by the many unmasked smiles of the outstanding faculty, students, and staff members at AUA. As a community, we plan to continue to focus on activities that promote well-being and healthy habits. We are proud of how we handled the trials we have faced during the pandemic, and we look forward to providing more wellness and inclusion activities during the upcoming semester.
Vaccination Volunteers: Azmy Samer and Dylan Chudoff
Movie Night: Dirk Patterson, William Patterson, Dr. Sebastian, Dr. Joshua and their daughter
Puppy Play Day: Shonette Sobers & Micah
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F2021 GTF Award Ceremony by Helena Winston MD
The Graduate Teaching Fellows (GFT) Award Ceremony was hosted in the tranquil campus courtyard on December 15th. The award ceremony is intended to acknowledge and congratulate Fellows on their tremendous efforts in medical education. This Fall, a total of twentyfive dedicated and enthusiastic Fellows went above and beyond in the administration of the Basic Science Program. The ceremony was attended by the Provost and Vice President for Global Medical Education Dr. Peter Bell, Vice President for Administration and Community Affairs, Mr. Vernon Solomon, and Associate Vice President for Administration Mr. Marlon Destin.
Invited guests included Deputy Chair of the Education Enhancement Department, Dr. Trevor Ngorosha, Dawn Roberts of Wellness and Inclusion, Coordinator for Student Affairs Brianne Schwartz and Dara George-John, Executive Assistant. The ceremony commenced with the national anthems of Antigua and Barbuda, the United States of America and India. Brief welcome remarks by Lead Fellow Dr. Helena Winston were followed by a message from the Provost and VP for Global Medical Education Dr. Peter Bell. Dr. Bell reiterated the importance of the Graduate Teaching Fellows to AUA, and the positive impact they continue to have on students.
Dr. Sherida Philip, Director of the GTF Program, gave a brief history and origin of the program and highlighted significant improvements since its inception. Former Lead Fellow Dr. Ann-Marie Browne applauded the hard work the Fellows do behind the scenes. Dr. Brown mentioned donations to the less fortunate, additional review sessions, supplemental advising sessions, student advocacy, as well as participation in volunteer activities. (Continued on Pg. 21)
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Faculty Spotlight Dr. Leslie Walwyn Dr. Leslie Walwyn is among the most accomplished and outstanding Public Health specialists in the region. She is known for being passionate about transforming communities through preventive health measures. Dr. Walwyn is the current ViceChair of the Antigua and Barbuda Medical Council. She has served on a number of national boards as President, VicePresident, or board member including the Antigua and Barbuda Medical Association. She was Head of the Prevention Unit of the Medical Benefits Scheme from 2009 - 2013 and is a current board member of the Medical Benefits Scheme Board of Control. Dr. Walwyn’s medical career choice was influenced by her father Dr. Walwyn who is touted as Antigua and Barbuda’s longest practicing physician. She still remembers watching her dad at work in his office ‘dispensary’ and was impacted by the respect and appreciation with which he was regarded. As a familyoriented graduate, her choice of Public Health as a specialty was born of her reluctance to commit to the relentless pace of a hospital environment. In later years she developed a genuine interest and love for the field which led to her tenure as a consultant with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in 2013. In addition to being a practicing Family Physician at Stapleton Lane Medical Clinic, Dr. Walwyn co-founded the non-profit Integrated Health Outreach (IHO). IHO has a mission to promote and facilitate community, ecological and socialemotional well-being. Since 2013, on-going IHO programs has promoted education, research, and community capacity building for improved individual, social and ecological health. Dr. Walwyn joined AUA as an Associate Professor in February 2015 and has enjoyed an illustrious career in the Clinical Medicine department. She was integral in the development of the Global MD Program which later evolved into what is now known as the Global Health Track. She subsequently became acting Chair of the Department of Clinical Medicine in May 2017 and in January 2019 Dr. Walwyn was named Chairperson of the Global Health Track.
Dr. Leslie Walwyn MBBS, MPH Associate Dean Global Health
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT DR. LESLIE WALWYN She is a 'flexatarian' - mostly vegan but on odd occasions eats fish or eggs Her hobbies are traveling, swimming and aqua aerobics She recently discovered a love for cooking & Yoga She is most grateful for the responsibility and joys of raising her 2 sons. Quote: "If you do good, the universe will channel good through you"
As the current Associated Dean of Global Medicine, Dr. Walwyn has certainly proven her worth. The Global Health Track exposes students to some of the world’s leading specialists in biomedical sciences, nanotechnology, public health, health care legislation and financing and a variety of other specialties integral to a career in modern medicine. THE CAMPUS UPDATE
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Faculty Publications
What's on Dr. Rice's Reading List ?
Noha Hussien, MD, MSc, PhD 1. N Attia, YH Khalifa, DM Rostom, M Mashal. Mesenchymal stem cells versus their extracellular vesicles in treatment of liver fibrosis: Is it possible to compare? Medical Research Archives 9 (2), 2021. 1. S Marzouk, N Attia, M Mashal. Insights into the potential role of alpha1‐antitrypsin in COVID‐19 patients: Mechanisms, current update and future perspectives. The Clinical Respiratory Journal, 2021. 1. N Attia, M Mashal, G Puras, JL Pedraz. Mesenchymal Stem Cells as a Gene Delivery Tool: Promise, Problems, and Prospects. Pharmaceutics 13 (6), 843, 2021.
About Midnight in Washington #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The vital inside account of American democracy in its darkest hour, from the rise of autocracy unleashed by Trump to the January 6 insurrection, and a warning that those forces remain as potent as ever—from the congressman who led the first impeachment of Donald J. Trump
“Engaging and informative . . . a manual for how to probe and question power, how to hold leaders accountable in a time of diminishing responsibility.”—The Washington Post
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(Continued from Pg. 18)
There were three categories of awards including the certificate program, completion of the master’s program as well as certificates for specific roles in the GTF program. Specific awards included The Humanitarian Award which went to Dr. Simisola Afolabi, Most Likely to Adopt a Student went to Dr. Arianne Tiwari, Banana Bread Extraordinaire was awarded to Dr. Prabhdeep Bajwa, Doc by Day, Artist by Night went to Dr. Lisa Persaud, Snack King was awarded to Dr. Mario Argueta-Turcois, and Office Comedian went to Dr. Kurt Vigo.
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Dr. Peter Bell, Provost and Vice President for Global Medical Education address the Fellows
The ceremony concluded with a Vote of Thanks and closing remarks by Dr. Helena Winston, followed by a short reception. Congratulations to all the Graduate Teaching Fellows for their amazing dedication to the program, they are all hard workers who go above and beyond to provide advice and guidance to students. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting difficulties, the Fellows have truly demonstrated amazing dedication and teamwork.
Dr. Helena Winston Lead Fellow and Dr. Sherida Philip Director of the GTF Program
Awardees display their certificates THE CAMPUS UPDATE
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Student Club Activities
aua_psych
(Deliberately blurred photo) Incoming AMWA President Nefertiti Benett and outgoing President Natalia Diaz Medero during a Q & A session
AMWA Supports the Sunshine Home The AUA chapter of the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) collaborated with local charity Bubbles Beyond Borders to deliver a series of mentorship sessions to residents at the Sunshine Home for Girls. The interactive sessions which took place during the period September to November were tailored and facilitated by AMWA club members led by immediate past president Natalia Diaz Medero. Topics covered included exercises on self-esteem, assertiveness and sexual and reproductive health. AMWA will also be funding the provision of professional counseling services over the next six months.
The interventions are a part of the Bubbles Beyond Borders initiative to prepare the current residents of the Sunshine Home for the eventual transition into independent living. The Home houses girls who were placed in protective custody as a result of abandonment or abuse by caregivers. Bubbles Beyond Borders campaign lead Sharon Brusch expressed her gratitude for the club's assistance which she says will positively impact the girls' chances of leading normal lives despite their unfortunate circumstances.
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Caught on Camera
Vaccination Drive
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Pink Friday
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It's Lunchtime Somewhere
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World Aids Day
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Yoga and Salsa Classes
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Movie Night
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Mental Health Awareness Week
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Questions/Comments? Email the Editor: sbrusch@auamed.net
