Jamaica Site Visit: Exploring a New Global Health Partnership with the University of the West Indies and the University Hospital of the West Indies

March 22-25, 2026

Kingston, Jamaica

In March 2026, a joint delegation from Nuvance Health and Northwell Health traveled to Kingston, Jamaica, for an exploratory global health site visit to the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, and the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). The visiting team included Dr. Varinder Singh, Executive Vice President for International and Global Affairs at Northwell Health; Grace Linhard, Chief Development Officer at Nuvance Health; Dr. Sandra Lindsay, Vice President for Public Health Advocacy at Northwell Health; and Dr. Bulat Ziganshin, Executive Director of Global Health at Nuvance Health. This visit represented the first of two reciprocal site visits envisioned as part of the Global Health Academy’s established process for developing new international partnerships. It also marked the first collaborative effort between the global health teams of Nuvance Health and Northwell Health to explore the creation of a new academic and educational partnership in Jamaica, centered on the Global Health Academy model and its emphasis on equitable, bi-directional exchange. The visit was designed to assess local needs and resources in medical education, identify priority areas for collaboration, evaluate the site’s suitability for student and resident global health electives, discuss the implementation of the Global Health Scholars Program, and begin outlining the framework for a future memorandum of understanding.

A key opening engagement of the visit was a meeting with Professor Densil A. Williams, Principal of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. Also present were the full US-based visiting delegation, Dr. Carl Bruce, Chief Medical Officer of UHWI, Dr. David Walcott, Consultant, and Dr. Xavier Brown of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The meeting provided an important strategic introduction to the academic environment and future vision of UWI. Professor Williams shared an overview of the university, its priorities across the health professions, and its development plans, including the expansion of a new western medical campus in Montego Bay. During the discussion, Dr. Ziganshin presented the purpose of the visit, described the Academy’s mission and vision, and explained how the Academy works with partner institutions across its network. Particular attention was given to the proposed bi-directional model for Jamaica, which would involve students, residents, and fellows traveling to Jamaica for global health electives, while junior faculty from Jamaica would travel to the United States as Global Health Scholars for clinical training opportunities. Dr. Bruce affirmed UHWI’s support for the initiative and assumed a leading role in helping to guide the operationalization of the partnership. The Jamaican colleagues were also invited to participate in the reciprocal site visit to Connecticut and New York during the Annual Global Health Conference in September 2026.

The delegation also participated in a brief courtesy meeting at the Ministry of Health with Jamaica’s Minister of Health, Dr. Christopher Tufton, accompanied by Mr. Courtney Cephas. Although the meeting was intentionally concise, it served as a valuable opportunity to introduce the visiting Nuvance/Northwell team, explain the intended nature of the partnership, and identify the principal local collaborators. Importantly, the delegation received the Minister’s full support for the development of the collaboration. The conversation also touched on several high-level national priorities, including the shortage of nursing staff and the broader need for education and capacity building -- areas that align closely with the strengths and experience of the Global Health Academy.

A major centerpiece of the visit was the formal meeting with the leadership of the UWI Faculty of Medical Sciences. Participants included Professor Joseph Plummer, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences; Professor Marvin Reid, Principal Director for Research, Innovation and Partnership; Dr. Carl Bruce; Dr. David Walcott; Dr. Xavier Brown; the Head of the MBBS Undergraduate Programs; Sister Thomson, Head of Nursing at UHWI; additional representatives from the leadership of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and UHWI; and the full US-based delegation. Following introductions, Dr. Ziganshin delivered a formal presentation introducing Nuvance Health and Northwell Health, outlining the GH Academy’s work across its network of international partners, and describing what a partnership with the Jamaican site could look like in practice. The presentation included a detailed explanation of the bi-directional exchange model and the requirements for both visiting trainees from the United States and Jamaican junior faculty participating in the Global Health Scholars Program. The presentation was followed by a robust discussion and question-and-answer session led by Dean Plummer, Professor Reid, and Dr. Bruce. During this exchange, the Jamaican leadership articulated several priority areas for collaboration, including capacity building, nursing education, simulation-based training, and research. The meeting concluded with a clear and enthusiastic expression of support from the leadership of UWI and UHWI for pursuing a formal partnership in global health.

Following the leadership meeting, Dean Plummer provided the delegation with a tour of the Faculty of Medical Sciences building. This visit offered a firsthand look at a modern, state-of-the-art educational environment designed to support the training of physicians, nurses, dentists, physical therapists, and other allied health professionals. The tour reinforced the strength of the academic infrastructure available at UWI and highlighted the institution’s capacity to serve as a meaningful and high-quality site for future educational collaboration.

The site visit also included an assessment of student and faculty accommodations on the UWI campus. The Nuvance/Northwell delegation was able to tour the available student housing that could potentially be used by visiting students, residents, and faculty during future educational exchanges. This was an important component of the visit, as safe and appropriate housing is a foundational requirement of the Global Health Academy’s partnership model. The accommodations were found to meet the Academy’s standards, including safety, location on campus, and access to essential services. In addition, the delegation visited the UWI School of Nursing and met with its leadership to discuss the priorities and challenges of nursing education. This conversation was particularly relevant given the identified need for nursing workforce development and the shared interest in strengthening training and capacity-building initiatives in this area.

The clinical tour of the University Hospital of the West Indies offered further insight into the breadth and sophistication of the Jamaican partner site. The delegation visited the Accident and Emergency Department, the field hospital originally constructed during the COVID-19 pandemic and now used as overflow capacity for emergency care, as well as diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, cardiology, intensive care, and outpatient services. As a 550-bed tertiary referral hospital serving Jamaica, UHWI demonstrated both the clinical volume and specialty breadth necessary to support meaningful trainee experiences and faculty collaboration. The tour confirmed that UHWI possesses the clinical infrastructure and service diversity needed for a robust academic global health partnership.

At the conclusion of the institutional visits, the delegation reconvened with the leadership of UHWI for a debriefing session focused on next steps. This discussion centered on how to move the partnership from exploration toward implementation, including the development of a memorandum of understanding and the practical steps required to establish Jamaica as the 10th partner site of the Global Health Academy. The tone of the debriefing was constructive and forward-looking, reflecting the strong interest and mutual commitment that had emerged over the course of the visit.

Beyond the formal meetings, the delegation also engaged in several cultural experiences that enriched the visit and deepened understanding of the local context. These included sampling Jamaican national and traditional foods, viewing the murals of Kingston, visiting the Bob Marley Museum, touring Devon House, and traveling to Port Royal for a tour of Fort Charles. These activities provided valuable cultural perspective and reinforced the importance of entering new global health partnerships with humility, curiosity, and respect for local history, identity, and community.

Overall, the Jamaica site visit was an inspiring and highly successful exploratory effort that opened the door to a promising new global health partnership. The discussions throughout the visit made clear that UWI, UHWI, Nuvance Health, and Northwell Health share a common vision for collaboration grounded in education, capacity building, and long-term institutional partnership. At both the faculty and administrative levels, there was strong interest in building a relationship based on bi-directionality, mutual respect, and equitable exchange. As planning advances toward a reciprocal visit and the development of a formal agreement, this initial engagement in Jamaica stands as an important milestone in the continued growth of the Global Health Academy’s international network and its commitment to building thoughtful, sustainable, and mission-driven partnerships.