Sir Trevor Hassell – President
Sir Trevor Hassell is a medical doctor, former Adjunct Professor of Medicine, the University of the West Indies, and Consultant Physician and Cardiologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, England.
Board Members
Dr. Christine Chin Chea – Treasurer (Board member since 2018)
A 1988 University of the West Indies MBBS graduate, Dr. Christine Chin completed a 2-year internship in Nassau, Bahamas, and then residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, becoming board certified in 1993.
She worked in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1993-1995 while also accomplishing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Dalhousie University.
Dr. Victor Coombs (Board member since 2012)
Dr. Coombs is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts in Boston with a Liberal Arts Degree majoring in Chemistry. He obtained his Medical Degree from the University of the West-Indies, Mona, Jamaica in 1978.
He obtained a MSc. Degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of the University of London and graduated with a mark of Distinction. He obtained the Diploma in Public Health from the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene.
Maisha Hutton – Executive Director – Secretary
Maisha Hutton is the Executive Director of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), the only regional alliance of over 100 NCD focused civil society organisations. Maisha holds a BSc in Microbiology, a MSc. in Molecular Biology and a PGDip in International Health. Prior to joining the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, she worked in HIV/AIDS and STI prevention and control for 10 years.
Dr. Carlene Radix (Board member since 2018)
Dr. Carlene Radix is a Public Health physician and Health Administration Leader in the Caribbean. She is a member of the St Lucia Diabetes and Hypertension Association and currently holds the position of Head of Health Unit in Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission. She completed Medical School at St George’s University in Grenada and completed a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatric Residency at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn and Overlook hospital in Summit New Jersey.
Dr. Karen Sealey (Board member since 2016)
Former Special Adviser, UN and Partnerships, Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization
Karen Sealey is a physician-planner, public specialist with a wide breadth of experience in public health administration and planning at the national and international levels. Before joining PAHO/WHO, she was the Director of Health Planning in the Ministry of Health, Trinidad and Tobago.
Hon. Laura Tucker-Longsworth O.B.E. (Board member since 2014)
Laura Tucker Longsworth made history on Friday, January 13, 2017 when she was sworn in as only the third appointed female House Speaker in the House of Representatives, Belize.
Laura Tucker-Longsworth is a registered nurse who received her basic nursing and midwifery education from the Bliss School of Nursing in Belize City, which is now known as the Faculty of Nursing and Allied Health, University of Belize.
Dr. Damian Greaves (PhD) (Board member since 2019)
Dr. Damian Greaves is an Associate Professor and Deputy Chair in the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, School of Arts & Sciences, St. George’s University, Grenada, he is also Chair of the Grenada National Non-Communicable Disease Commission (NNCDC).
Dr. Kenneth Connell (Board member since 2020)
Dr. Connell received his undergraduate and postgraduate training in medicine from the UWI St. Augustine & Cave Hill Campuses and graduated with MBBS and DM Internal Medicine degrees in 2000 and 2006 respectively. He was awarded a Barbados National Development Scholarship in 2007. He was awarded his Doctor of Philosophy degree on completion of studies from King’s College London. He joined the Faculty of Medical Sciences as Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology in 2011 and assumed duties of Deputy Dean- Phase 1 in August 2014, and Deputy Dean of Internationalization and Recruitment in October 2020.
Mr. Ronnie Bissessar (Board member since 2020)
Mr. Bissessar is the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Heart Foundation (TTHF) which is a not for profit Foundation creating public awareness of heart health, healthy lifestyles and proper dietary habits in an effort to reduce the incidence of heart disease and stroke.
Dr. Colette Cunningham-Myrie (Board member since 2020)
Dr. Colette Cunningham-Myrie is a physician, who is an accomplished applied public health: specialist/ epidemiologist and senior lecturer in the Department of Community Health and Psychiatry at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Jamaica. She is also a member of the Diabetes Association of Jamaica (DAJ) that joined our clinical care team immediately post medical internship in 1993 and since then has given unbroken voluntary clinical care to persons with this NCD at our Association’s head office branch. Beyond clinical care, Dr. Cunningham-Myrie has been a strong advocate for the DAJ through health education and promotion activities across Jamaica.
Previous Boards: