2022
The Third Annual National Health Research Conference (NHRC) of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) was held on November 25, 2022. The theme was “Pandemics, NCDs and the Future: When Infections and NCDs Meet”. The successful hosting of the 2022 NHRC was a sterling example of what can be achieved through strong partnerships. The collaborating institutions included the Ministry of Health; Tobago House of Assembly; The University of the West Indies; University of Trinidad and Tobago; University of the Southern Caribbean; and the Regional Health Authorities.
Highlights
FACE-TO-FACE ENGAGEMENT
Hyatt Regency Hotel
After the first two years in the virtual landscape, the 2022 NHRC was hosted face-to-face at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, with around 200 attendees.
Satellite events around the conference included an online Training Workshop and a Health Fair. The Workshop, which was held on November 24 was titled “Conducting Research During a Pandemic: Online Platforms and Ethical Issues”. The Health Fair was hosted by the North West Regional Health Authority and provided conference delegates with free health screenings.
DIGITAL POSTER BOARDS
An Innovative Showcase
In addition to Four Sessions of oral presentations, over 50 digital poster presentations were displayed on large screens during scheduled breaks. This was the first use of digital poster screens at a large research conference in T&T and they facilitated greater engagement and interaction among delegates.
OPENING CEREMONY
The Opening Ceremony featured remarks by senior officials from the partner institutions:
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Welcome by Professor Donald T. Simeon (Director of the Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development, and Chair of the NHRC Inter-Institution Planning Committee)
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Opening Remarks by Professor Terence Seemungal (Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, The UWI)
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Remarks by Dr Colwick Wilson (President, USC)
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Remarks by Professor Prakash Persad (President, UTT)
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Remarks by Professor Indar Ramnarine (Deputy Principal, The UWI, St. Augustine)
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Remarks by Dr Faith B.Yisrael, Secretary, Health, Wellness & Social Protection, Tobago House of Assembly; and
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An Address by The Honourable Minister of Health of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Terrence Deyalsingh.
INTERNATIONAL GUEST SPEAKER
Professor Jonathan Patz
Professor Patz (John P. Holton Chair of Health and the Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison) joined the Opening Ceremony virtually to deliver a captivating presentation on “The Climate Crisis: Implications for both Infectious and Non-Communicable Diseases”.
SPONSORED TALKS
The Conference's top sponsors delivered timely presentations:
Dr Roma Bridgelal-Nagassar
(Ministry of Health/TT Moves
Digital Screens and Bags Sponsor)
- “Diabetes in Pregnancy National Screening and Management Programme”
Benedita Menezes
(EBSCO Information Services
Platinum Sponsor)
- “How can EBSCO’s Clinical Decisions Tools Support Education and Research Activities?”
RESEARCH AREAS
Oral and poster presentations covered a wide range of areas including:
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Infectious Diseases
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Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases
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Clinical / Laboratory Studies
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Mental Health
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Family Planning
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COVID-19 - Vaccinations and Healthcare
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Climate Change
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Veterinary Studies
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Dental Studies
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Optometry
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Education, Training and Interventions
The abstracts were published in a Supplement of the Caribbean Medical Journal.
LIFETIME RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENT AWARDEE
Professor Terence Seemungal
Professor Seemungal was honoured with the Research for Health Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the field of internal medicine and pulmonary diseases.
In his feature presentation at the 2022 NHRC, Professor Seemungal shared his research motivations and highlights of his work over the past three decades.
RESEARCH PRIZE WINNERS
To culminate the exciting Conference, prizes were awarded to the top presentations in different categories.
Early Career Researcher Prize
& Best Oral Presentation Prize
Dr Gavaskar Ramnanansingh
Undergraduate Student
Researcher Prize
J. Gopaulsingh, Z. Gopee, R. Gould,
A. Gray, K. Harripersad et al.
Postgraduate Student
Researcher Prize
Shane Charles
Best Poster Presentation
Sara K. Ramjit, Shastri Motilal
Conference Delegates’ Choice
- Best Poster
Cherelle Thompson
on behalf of D. Dookeeram, H. Seetharam, K. Caton, S. Stoute et al.
PARTNERS & SPONSORS
In addition to the institutional partners, the 2022 Conference was supported by several sponsors, including Trinidad and Tobago Moves (Ministry of Health), EBSCO Information Services, Western Scientific Limited, Condell Consulting, Roche, Guardian Life of the Caribbean Limited, Bayer, and V&S Pharmaceuticals.
2021
The second annual National Health Research Conference of Trinidad and Tobago was successfully hosted on November 18-19, 2021. The success of the Conference was largely due to the effective collaboration of the multi-sectoral partners i.e., the Ministry of Health; Faculty of Medical Sciences & Centre for Health Systems Research and Development, The University of the West Indies (UWI); The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT); University of the Southern Caribbean (USC); and Regional Health Authorities. The Conference provided a platform to showcase indigenous health research findings that could potentially inform the development of policies, guide clinical practice and programming, and strengthen the country’s health system. It was aptly themed “Building Resilience through Research in a Pandemic”.
Highlights
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Interative Online Platform
Policy actors and health researchers congregated virtually once again, to actively participate in the two-day Conference. Exciting features on the Hubilo platform included an interactive chat box during presentations, live news feed for posts and generating polls, direct chat and meeting scheduling among attendees, and lounges for group video/audio conversations. There were over 30 oral presentations and live Q&A sessions, and the opening and closing ceremonies were streamed live, open to the public.
3D POSTER HALL
An Immersive Experience
As with the previous year, the 2021 NHRC featured a virtual, 3-dimensional poster hall, this time with over 30 poster presentations.
OPENING CEREMONY
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Welcome by Professor Donald T. Simeon (Director of the Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development, and Chair of the NHRC Inter-Institution Planning Committee)
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Opening Remarks by Professor Terence Seemungal (Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, The UWI)
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Remarks by Dr Colwick Wilson (President, USC)
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Remarks by Professor Prakash Persad (President, UTT)
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Remarks by Professor Brian Copeland (Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, The UWI, St. Augustine)
In his Address, the Honourable Minister of Health, T&T, Mr Terrence Deyalsingh highlighted the need for evidence-based healthcare practice, and commended researchers for their invaluable contributions to the Ministry’s response to COVID-19. He also emphasised the pertinence of this collaborative event, especially during the pandemic.
INTERNATIONAL GUEST SPEAKER
Professor David R. Williams
Professor Williams is the Florence and Laura Norman Professor of Public Health and Chair, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also a Professor of African and African American Studies and Sociology at Harvard University.
Professor Williams complemented the Minister of Health’s sentiments; accentuating the importance of mental health during the pandemic in his presentation, "Resilience for Mental Health in the Age of COVID".
FEATURE SPEAKERS
Renowned Experts in their Fields
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Professor Christine Carrington
Professor of Molecular Genetics and Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS), The UWI
- "Lessons from SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Surveillance in the Caribbean: What now? What next?"
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Professor Clive Landis
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, The UWI, Cave Hill
- "The Triple ‘C’ Threat to the Caribbean: Chronic Disease, Climate Change, and COVID-19"
RESEARCH AREAS
Oral and poster presentations covered a wide range of areas including:
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COVID-19 – Vaccine Uptake and Hesitancy; Adapting to the New Normal
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Non-Communicable Diseases
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Clinical Studies
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Quality of Life
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Cancers
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Mental Health
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Pharmacy
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Oral Health
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Laboratory Studies
The abstracts were published in a Supplement of the Caribbean Medical Journal.
WEBINAR
Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice
Another key feature of the 2021 Conference was a Webinar on “Sustaining Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice through an Evidence-Based Approach in a Pandemic”.
The University of the West Indies (St. Augustine and Mona campuses) and PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centres at University of Illinois in Chicago and Duke University collaborated to host this webinar as one of a three-part series of webinars on Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice.
RESEARCH FOR HEALTH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARDEE
Professor Vijay Naraynsingh
The 2021 NHRC celebrated Professor Vijay Naraynsingh's 38-year contributions to health research, including 343 publications in peer-reviewed journals, contributions to five surgery textbooks, establishment of Doctor of Medicine (DM) programs at The UWI St. Augustine, and over 150 presentations at regional and international scientific and professional meetings.
Read an exclusive interview with Professor Naraynsingh in Volume 4, Issue 1 of the CCHSRD Newsletter.
RESEARCH PRIZE WINNERS
To bring the curtains down on another exciting two-day Conference,
five prizes were awarded to the top presentations in different categories.
Early Career Researcher Prize
Nikita Sahadeo
Best Poster Presentation
Candice Sant
on behalf of C. Sant, C. Oura,
and K. Georges
Student Researcher Prize &
Best Oral Presentation
Timmy Ramnanansingh
Conference Delegates’ Choice
- Best Poster
Halimah Mohammed
on behalf of H. Boodram, I. Hosein, H. Mohammed, J. Mohammed,
I. Montserin, I. Ogir, I. Oguneme,
I. Segulam, C-M. Alexander
PARTNERS & SPONSORS
In addition to the institutional partners, the 2021 Conference was supported by two Diamond Sponsors: British Medical Journal (BMJ) and Medical Marketing Company Limited (MMCL).
BMJ’s Denise De La Rosa delivered a talk on increasing research impact in which she offered practical information to attendees seeking to publish research.
Davide Colombo presented on behalf of MMCL and spoke on the development of their Integrated Point of Care Testing Model and its Contribution to Critical Patient Monitoring for COVID-19.
2020
The inaugural National Health Research Conference of Trinidad and Tobago was hosted on November 19-20, 2020. Following the success of The UWI Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) Research Day the previous year, Professor Terence Seemungal, Dean, FMS, invited partner institutions to collaborate in the hosting of a national conference. The latter facilitated the dissemination of indigenous health research findings for use in the development of policies, guiding clinical practice and programming and the strengthening the country’s health system. The collaborating institutions included those involved in the production and use of health research, i.e. the Ministry of Health, Regional Health Authorities, Tobago House of Assembly, University of Trinidad Tobago and University of the Southern Caribbean. The theme for the Conference was “Advancing Health Research in Trinidad and Tobago”.
Highlights
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Innovative Online Platform
The Conference was initially scheduled for March 26, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The format was also changed as the Conference was pivoted to the virtual Hubilo platform, which allowed for dynamic and real-time networking and interaction with oral presenters and among attendees.
The opening and closing ceremonies were streamed live and open to the public.
3D POSTER HALL
An Immersive Experience
In addition to over 30 oral presentations and live Q&A sessions, the 2020 Conference featured over 90 poster presentations in a 3-dimensional poster hall, through which attendees could virtually "walk" around the room and navigate from poster to poster.
OPENING CEREMONY
The two-day Conference kicked off with a Welcome Address by Professor Donald T. Simeon (Director of the Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development, and Chair of the NHRC Inter-Institution Planning Committee), followed by:
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Opening Remarks by Professor Terence Seemungal (Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine);
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Remarks by Dr Paul Edwards (Advisor, Health Systems and Services, PAHO/WHO Trinidad and Tobago (& Netherland Antilles));
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Remarks by Councilor Tracy Davidson-Celestine (then Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development, Tobago House of Assembly); and
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An Address by The Honourable Minister of Health of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Terrence Deyalsingh.
INTERNATIONAL GUEST SPEAKER
Professor John Lavis
Rounding out the Opening Ceremony was Professor John Lavis, Director of the McMaster Health Forum and Director of World Health Organization's (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Evidence-Informed Policy. Professor Lavis also co-chairs the Global Steering Group for the WHO-sponsored Evidence-Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet).
He presented on “Using Synthesised Research Evidence to Inform the COVID-19 Response”.
FEATURE SPEAKERS
Renowned Experts in their Fields
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Professor Christine Carrington
Professor of Molecular Genetics and Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS), The UWI, St. Augustine
- "Viral Disease Emergence: We Reap what We Sow"
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Professor Gerard Hutchinson
Professor of Psychiatry, FMS, The UWI, St. Augustine
- "The Burden of Trauma: Mental Health as Public Health"
RESEARCH AREAS
Oral and poster presentations covered a wide range of areas including:
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Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs)
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Infectious Diseases
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Clinical Studies
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Mental Health
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Veterinary Health
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Dental Health
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Health Systems
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Social Sciences
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Innovations in Health
The abstracts were published in a Supplement of the Caribbean Medical Journal.
LIFETIME RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENT AWARDEE
Professor David Ivan Picou
Professor Picou was honoured with the Lifetime Research Achievement Award at the inaugural 2020 Trinidad and Tobago National Health Research Conference.
View Professor Picou's acceptance speech here.
His contributions to research at the national, regional and international levels were colossal. View highlights of his career in Volume 3, Issue 1 of the CCHSRD Newsletter.
RESEARCH PRIZE WINNERS
To culminate the exciting two-day Conference, five prizes were awarded to the top presentations in different categories.
Early Career Researcher Prize
Khalil Ashraph
Student Researcher Prize
Aneisha Lewis
Best Poster Presentation
Cliantha Hosein
on behalf of C. Hosein, G. Joseph,
S. Sharma, and S. Singh
Best Oral Presentation
Curtis Tilves
Conference Delegates’ Choice
- Best Poster
Akili Joseph
on behalf of A. Joseph, W. Elibox, and R. Haraksingh
PARTNERS & SPONSORS
In addition to the institutional partners, the 2020 Conference was supported by several sponsors, including Trinidad and Tobago Moves (Ministry of Health), Transform Global Health, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Medical Marketing Company Limited, Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp Ltd., The UWI, University of the Southern Caribbean and Caribbean Health Foods Limited.
The Diamond Sponsor was the Universal Health Information Network/ Transform Global Health. Ms Camille Chee Awai delivered the Sponsored Talk on the Impact of Comprehensive Electronic Health Record System on Cancer Centre of Trinidad and Tobago (CCTT) during Fiscal Year 2019/2020.
