The School of Veterinary Medicine at the UWI St Augustine Campus is hosting an international conference this week, bringing together experts from around the world to explore how veterinary medicine can help build stronger, more resilient health systems.
The opening of the Fourth Joint Tropical Veterinary Medicine Conference on Tuesday brought those discussions into focus, addressing issues facing the Caribbean including disease surveillance, food security, climate-related health risks, antimicrobial resistance, animal welfare and disaster preparedness.
With more than 200 experts from over 40 countries in attendance, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture Dr Anil Ramnanan said the conference’s theme, “Resilient Futures in Tropical Veterinary Medicine”, is both timely and significant.
“We meet at a moment when veterinary medicine is being called upon to address some of the most complex and consequential issues confronting the global community. Changes in climatic conditions are altering disease patterns and expanding the geographic range of vectors and pathogens. Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases continue to threaten animal and human populations globally. Antimicrobial resistance is undermining decades of progress in medicine and food production.”
Dr Ramnanan noted that with nearly 60% of known infectious diseases affecting humans originating in animals, veterinary science has become a critical pillar of public health and national development.
“Today, veterinarians stand on the front lines of global health security. They are disease detectives, epidemiologists, food safety specialists, biosecurity experts, and environmental stewards. Their work extends far beyond clinical practice to encompass surveillance, prevention, research, policy development, and emergency response.”
Barbadian Public Health Consultant and keynote speaker Dr Joy St John said the strong international participation reflects the importance of the conference and its potential to drive meaningful outcomes.
“This particular conference is very exciting. The room is full, there are people from all over the world because of the legacy of the conference coming from many different parts of the world: Mexico, French islands, Caribbean islands, Australia. So I have a lot of high hopes for this conference.”
The Conference continues until Friday, June 26th, 2026.