Sir George Alleyne now Chancellor Emeritus of UWI

The University of the West Indies has conferred the title of Chancellor Emeritus on former chancellor Sir George Alleyne.

Emeritus is a designation given to the former holder of an office, who, having retired, is allowed to retain the title, such as a university professor.

A release from the UWI regional headquarters said Sir George served as Chancellor of UWI from 2003-2010 and then 2010- 2017.

“His years of distinguished service in the office have left an indelible mark in the history of the UWI. In addition to his service as chancellor, he spent a total of 23 years working at the regional university,” UWI said. He was given the honorary title of professor emeritus after leaving UWI in 1981 to become chief of the Unit of Research, Promotion and Coordination in the Division of Human Resources and Research at the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation. He was subsequently promoted to director of PAHO in 1995.

“Also a son of UWI soil,” UWI said, “he is a proud alumnus, having graduated in 1957 as the gold medallist with the degree of bachelor of medicine and surgery (MBBS), from the then University College of the West Indies.”

Throughout his career, Sir George has received numerous awards, including prestigious decorations and national honours from many countries of the Americas.

In 1990, he was knighted by the queen for his services to medicine and in 2001, he was awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community, the highest honour that can be conferred on a Caribbean national.

Earlier this year, the Barbados-based Chronic Disease Research Centre, one of the lead agencies in the fight against chronic diseases, was also renamed in his honour and is now the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre.