Bahamas News
MOU signed to advance the diagnosis and treatment of gynecological cancer in The Bahamas
#Nassau, April 27, 2019 – Bahamas – The University of West Indies (UWI) School of Clinical Medicine and Research (SCMR) The Bahamas, in conjunction with the University of Miami (UM), Leonard Miller School of Medicine, and the International Gynecological Cancer Society (IGCS) announced a healthcare partnership that is hoped to reverse the “unacceptable” rate of ovarian cancer in The Bahamas.
Dr. Robin Roberts, Director, UWI SCMR announced the official launch of a fellowship training programme between the faculty of Medical Sciences of UWI in The Bahamas at the Princess Margaret Hospital, and the University of Miami during a press conference Thursday, April 25, 2019.
Among those present for the formal announcement of the Memorandum of Understanding was Mary Eiken, CEO, IGCS; Dr. Michael Paidas, Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, UM; Dr. Brian Slomovitz, Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology; Dr. Matthew Schlumbrecht, Director for the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship; Dr. Raleigh Butler, Consultant, Coordinator Gynecologic Oncology Fellowships, UWI SCMR; Dr. Darron Halliday and Dr. Geremias Rangel.
Dr. Roberts said the two-year programme will allow specialists in obstetrics and gynecology to further advance in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers arising in the reproductive organs of women and to become designated gynecological cancer experts.
“Every month in The Bahamas, on average, we bury at least one woman who dies from cancer of the cervix. This should not happen today. In the modern practice of medicine no woman should die from cervical cancer. It’s a totally preventable disease.
“We know too that cancer of the ovary is deadly. We diagnose on average one per month in The Bahamas; almost 75% die from their disease. We know that we can detect this long before it occurs because up to 40% of our women inherit the gene that causes this ovarian cancer. We can prevent these deaths too if we have a genetic screening programme for relatives of women who are diagnosed with this disease,” said Dr. Roberts.
Dr. Roberts described the partnership as a “red letter” day in health in The Bahamas. He said the Fellowship was launched in July 2018 and aims to “reduce” and “eradicate” the burden of female reproductive cancers in “low resource” countries including The Bahamas.
“I would be remiss not to inform that this collaboration between our PMH departments, the Oncology Unit at PMH, the UWI and UM commenced some time ago with the highlight being the discovery of the breast cancer gene mutations in Bahamian women. The research revealed that The Bahamas has the highest occurrence of breast cancer genes in the world,” said Dr. Roberts.
“The collaborative research between our institutions is ongoing; but more importantly this rich collegial environment we have created, fosters direct patient consultation in the daily management and care of our patients and for the transfer of patients between us which lends for continuing and coordinated cancer care.”
In addition to The Bahamas, gynecologists will be stationed and trained in Florida, Canada, Ireland, the University of Miami in Florida, and throughout the Caribbean.
The programme is funded by the International Gynecological Cancer Society and the University of Miami.
Dr. Geremias Rangel, a native of Guyana, is the first Fellow. Dr. Saida Bowe, is the first Bahamian Fellow in the programme and is posted at University of Miami.
Mrs. Eiken said through the partnership, the burden of the disease can be reduced in the region through awareness, highly trained surgical skills, screening, vaccination and other ways.
She said the International Gynecological Cancer Society will provide not only resources and funding but also some of the infrastructure and educational exchanges that will happen as part of the fellowship training and examination to cause a certificate to be issued to the trainee.
Cases will be tracked and information logged in a system.
An oversight committee will monitor the progress of the Fellows ensuring that they are progressing along a designated path to completion.
By Kathryn Campbell
Release: BIS
Photo Captions:
Header: A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the University of West Indies School of Clinical Medicine and Research, The Bahamas; University of Miami Leonard Miller School of Medicine; and the International Gynecological Cancer Society to provide collaborative training to advancethe diagnosis and treatment of gynecological cancer in The Bahamas. The MOU was signed April 25, 2019 at the UWI School of Clinical Medicine and Research, located on the compound of Princess Margaret Hospital. (BIS Photo/Derek Smith)
Insert: Dr. Robin Roberts.
(BIS Photo/Derek Smith)
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
