PRESS RELEASE – THE St. Lucia Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA) partnered with the Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI, Cave Hill Campus for the 13th Annual Continuing Medical Education (CME) Conference under the theme, “Recreating, Re-educating and Redefining the Boundaries”.
Librarian at UWI Cave Hill Campus, Beverly Wood, said the theme of the conference fits well with her university’s mission to advance learning, create knowledge and foster innovation for the positive transformation of the Caribbean and the wider world.
“I give kudos to the SLMDA executive for constructing this programme. I encourage all of us to get involved in the CME process. We all have something to offer,” Wood said.
President of SLMDA, Dr.Alphonsus St. Rose, noted that the two-day conference brought colleagues together for robust discussions on various issues of interest to them. This year’s theme, he added, spoke broadly to the notion of change which the association will have to confront in the coming years.
“It is also a philosophical construct to inspire confidence in a collective effort that captures the essence of an urgent call to action,” Dr. St. Rose said. “Our mandate is to lead and to advocate with unwavering commitment to fairness good conscience and equity.”
Keynote speaker and Director of the Department of Sustainable Development at the OAS, Cletus Springer, stated that what is needed from the membership of the SLMDA at this time is fierce, unyielding commitment.
“This is not a time for passive engagement; this is not a time for self-serving thoughts and actions. This is not a time for standing on the sidelines with failed interests. This is a time for rolling up your sleeves and getting into the trenches. It’s a time for preaching the gospel of preventative healthcare in every nook and cranny of our island: in our churches, in our schools and in our community centres. It is a time for engaging in meaningful research into troubling health trends. It is a time for pushing the boundaries of thought. It is a time for thinking globally and acting locally with vigour and with purpose. ”
The CME Conference was held at Bay Gardens Hotel on September 29.