#Jamaica, August 4, 2022 – Aspiring medical professionals are being charged to develop themselves beyond the textbook as they prepare to take up leadership and management roles in the field of health.

“As young people, you must look towards holistic development. You need to take your studies seriously, but you can’t become bookworms,” Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, has advised.

She was speaking at PAHO’s 120^th anniversary youth dialogue at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, on Thursday (July 28).

Dr. Etienne, who is in the island for a four-day visit, told medical students to expose themselves to different experiences, so that their leadership skills can be honed and to understand the importance of networking.  She encouraged them to be versatile, informing that a foreign language, particularly Spanish, is a requirement for working in public health and for positions in regional bodies like PAHO.

While declaring her hope that the next PAHO Director will be from the Caribbean, the Dominican public health expert told the students that, “immediately on your graduation, you are considered to be a leader, so in tandem with your degree you also need to expose yourself to management training. You have to prepare yourself for the future that you want to see”..

Meanwhile, State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, in her remarks, congratulated PAHO on 120 years of “sterling service” to the world.  She commended the organisation’s leadership, which “continues to move the region towards improved public health and sustainable health security”.

Mrs. Cuthbert-Flynn highlighted that the Ministry remains committed to maintaining and developing a qualified and professional workforce for the delivery of health and allied services.

She challenged the students to use Thursday’s dialogue with Dr. Etienne to propel themselves to greater heights in their personal and professional aspirations.

Photo Captions:

Header – State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert Flynn (left); Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr Carissa Etienne (centre) and PAHO/WHO Representative to Jamaica, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, Ian Stein, in conversation at PAHO’s 120^th anniversary youth dialogue, held at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, on Thursday (July 28).

1st insert – Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr Carissa Etienne, addresses medical students during PAHO’s 120^th anniversary youth dialogue, held at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, on Thursday (July 28).

2nd insert – State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert Flynn, speaks at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO’s) 120^th anniversary youth dialogue, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, on Thursday (July 28).

Donald De La Haye photos

Contact: Mickella Anderson

Release: JIS