AUB expanding community role

After 14 years of operation in Barbados, the American University of Barbados (AUB) is preparing to take on an even more community-centred role, with plans ranging from expanded free health services to new partnerships with Government ministries and national health foundations.

Chief executive officer Dr Anita Bhat said the institution, which has secured both institutional accreditation from the Barbados Accreditation Council and programme accreditation through the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP), is now ready to make its social contributions more visible and more structured.

“So far we have been doing a lot of good work, but we never really came out in the public to say so,” she said, pointing to years of free community health screenings at churches, schools and public events, along with the university’s free clinic that operates five days a week where anyone in the community can access medical checks at no cost.

The AUB’s growing recognition, including a recent Elite Award from the Barbados Stock Exchange, has strengthened its resolve to widen its community footprint.

“We are not just a teaching hospital. We are trying to go out to the public and help in whatever way we can,” Bhat said.

One of the university’s newest collaborations involves the One Family Programme, a flagship initiative of Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley aimed at supporting low-income households. Bhat revealed that the university is finalising a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Youth, Community Empowerment and Social Justice to provide medical screenings, research support and health education for participating families.

“Right now they are sending patients to our clinic, but we want to make it bigger . . . including research data, screening, transportation and nutrition education,” she said.

The initiative is expected to see AUB students and faculty working more closely with vulnerable households across the island.

Major partnership

A second major Government partnership is set to begin with the Ministry of Education, following a visit from Minister Sandra Husbands. The ministry has asked AUB to develop and deliver a health-based education programme for students aged nine to 16, focusing on the impact of substance abuse on the body.

“She wants us to teach those students . . . just to bring them awareness so that it will help the community,” Bhat said.

The university is also preparing to sign MOUs with the Diabetes Foundation, Heart & Stroke Foundation and Barbados Cancer Society. These partnerships will focus on research, volunteerism and training opportunities for students.

Bhat underscored that these collaborations reflect AUB’s philosophy of producing socially conscious physicians trained in an environment that blends innovation, research and human sensitivity.

With enrolment steadily increasing, AUB is now undertaking a physical expansion of its Wildey campus.

“We are expanding our classrooms because we are slowly increasing the student body . . . converting some floors into hostels, some into classrooms and labs,” Bhat said.

The institution is also exploring development of a small hospital on land it owns for clinical training and community use.

Prime Minister Mottley has already provided the university with contacts and preliminary guidance on potential development pathways in both health care and education. Dr Bhat declined to disclose details but confirmed that “many projects are now being considered”.

Reflecting on the university’s future, Bhat said AUB is preparing to embrace deeper social roots in Barbados.

“We basically want to show that this is not just a medical school. We want Barbados to grow with us, help each other and meet our mission.” (CLM)

President of NOW, Melissa Savoury-Gittens

(left), and director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs, William Warner (centre), speaking to Asquith Reece about the numerous support services available in Barbados. (Picture by Shanice King.)