PAHO and The University of the West Indies postgraduate programme strengthens health leadership in the Caribbean

Since 2022, the Postgraduate Diploma and Certificate in Health Policy and Health Systems has helped strengthen regional capacity to address challenges such as health workforce shortages, migration and growing demand for health services.

Bridgetown, Barbados, September 11, 2026 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and The University of the West Indies (UWI) celebrated the graduation of the third cohort of their joint Postgraduate Diploma and Certificate in Health Policy and Health Systems, an initiative designed to strengthen leadership and policy-making capacity across the Caribbean.

Launched in 2022 through a collaboration between PAHO and the UWI Cave Hill Campus, the programme prepares professionals to address challenges such as health workforce shortages, migration, population ageing, the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases, climate change and health emergencies.

With the graduation of its third cohort in July 2026, the programme has trained 11 professionals from eight Caribbean countries and territories: Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The programme comes at a critical time for the Caribbean. Countries across the region continue to face challenges in training, recruiting and retaining health workers. In 2025, CARICOM Ministers of Health endorsed the Human Resources for Resilient Health Systems Caribbean Roadmap 2025-2030, which identifies education, professional development, governance and leadership as priorities for strengthening health systems.

PAHO estimates that, if current trends continue, Latin America and the Caribbean could face a shortage of between 600,000 and 2 million health professionals by 2030. In the Caribbean, where migration remains a particular concern, PAHO data show that 92% of health professionals surveyed in the English-speaking Caribbean would be less likely to migrate if greater opportunities for professional development were available in their home countries.

"Caribbean countries face growing challenges related to health workforce shortages, migration and the increasing complexity of health workforce governance in relation to public health needs," said Dr. Benjamin Puertas, Chief of the Human Resources for Health Unit at PAHO "Through this collaboration with The University of the West Indies, we are equipping health professionals with the knowledge and skills to translate evidence into policies that improve people's lives and advance universal health."

The curriculum was jointly developed by PAHO specialists and UWI faculty and tailored to the realities and priorities of Caribbean countries, particularly Small Island Developing States.

Designed for health professionals, public health officials, managers and policymakers, the programme combines academic training with practical experience. Participants complete coursework in health systems, public health leadership and governance, health economics, human resources for health, and medicines and health technologies before undertaking a supervised practicum with PAHO.

"The UWI Cave Hill Campus is pleased to have co-developed with PAHO a postgraduate training programme of such immediate relevance to addressing the shortage of healthcare leaders in the Caribbean specializing in health policy and health systems," said Professor Clive Landis, Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Cave Hill Campus. "The programme combines rigorous academic training with real-world application in which students develop health policies relevant to their respective countries and region."

Participants in the latest cohort developed policy proposals on issues including health workforce development, dementia care and improved access to health services for transgender populations, demonstrating how the programme can support evidence-based policymaking across diverse Caribbean contexts.

The programme forms part of broader efforts by PAHO and its Caribbean partners to strengthen human resources for health and advance universal access to health and universal health coverage throughout the region.

A former mentor of the first cohort, Leah-Mari Richards, who is now Chief of PAHO's Caribbean Subregional Program, said: "this programme reflects PAHO's commitment to building sustainable, homegrown health leadership across the Caribbean. Our role now is to keep building on that by training more leaders who can turn what they see on the ground into policy that strengthens our health systems for the long term."