A ‘sweet’ experience
JEAN SHAW, UDOP public relations consultant for 25 years, asks Thornia Smith, administrator at the UDOP Secretariat, Biochemistry Section, UWI, Mona:
JS: How long have you been working with the UDOP conferences? TS: I started working with UDOP in 1992.
JS: Why did you get involved with the UDOP programme?
TS: I got involved with the UDOP programme through Prof Errol Morrison while working in the Biochemistry Department at the UWI. I also developed an interest in the area of diabetes since I lost my father to the illness. It also propelled me to research in the area of diabetes.
JS: What has it been like for you working on the UDOP team?
TS: It has been a ‘sweet’ experience. I do it for the love, not for the likes. Prof Morrison is the father of the ship. He is a great leader. He allows us to grow and tap into our true potential. You never know what you can do unless you are given the opportunity. I thank Prof for the opportunity that he has given me. He never takes the credit for the success of these conferences and he always recognises the team. I look forward to the annual conferences because of the camaraderie as well as getting to meet new people and to expand our network. UDOP has over the years educated the Jamaican public and the Caribbean at large on the new advances in diabetes. The UDOP team over the years has blossomed into a family.
JS: What’s your comment on UDOP’s 25th anniversary milestone?
TS: Twenty-five years of non-stop conferencing is a milestone for any event. UDOP has become not just an annual conference; UDOP has become a family conference. Our participants look forward to UDOP and always leave fulfilled.
UDOP listens to the voice of its participants and always tries to fulfil their needs, and this is why we are here today celebrating 25 amazingly blessed years. I pray that UDOP will continue to grow from strength to strength.