Global, two-day event to fill significant training gap for Caribbean doctors
THE INAUGURAL Caribbean Medical Professionals’ Summit (CAMPS) will take place at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel from May 31 to June 2. Under the theme ‘Toward Professional and Personal Development’, the twoday experience is geared towards providing physicians with career development guidance and mentorship from global leaders in healthcare, as well as with a deepdive into personal development. CAMPS is the first event of its kind to be organised in the Caribbean.
The CAMPS 2024 agenda is designed to cater to current student doctors at public and private institutions in the region; those who graduated from medical school within the last five years and are desirous of further training; and established medical specialists.
There are over 10 speakers, panellists, and workshop leaders. The keynote speakers will focus on the future of medicine, in particular, to ensure that attendees do not plan their careers blindly, but are strategic and mindful of global human resources trends, future patient needs, and disruptive technological advancements.
Admissions consultant ShawnaKaye Lester, who holds a Masters of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University, was inspired to create CAMPS based on a decade of experiences providing support to physician clients from Barbados, The Bahamas, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and other Caribbean countries. She explains that helping scores of doctors compete for post-medical school training opportunities has given her nuanced perspectives on public health.
“There is frequent discussion about how well physicians care for patients. However, we also need frequent discussion about how well physicians are being cared for,” Lester said.
“In addition to being taught medicine, our physicians need world-class career development and personal development support. CAMPS was created to be a vehicle for the continuing holistic development of physicians who are studying or working in the Caribbean, or are otherwise invested in the region.The primary goal is their professional and personal fulfilment,” Lester added.
One of the highlights of the twoday agenda will be expert guidance, time and space for each person to make a comprehensive life plan, because life is about more than work.
“Most importantly, every physician will leave with a personalised blueprint for achieving their maximum career potential, while enjoying maximum wellness,” Lester said.
Headlining the inaugural Caribbean Medical Professionals’ Summit are Dr Kemi Doll, a pioneering United States researcher who was named a 2021 Power Player by the Seattle Met magazine and a 2023 Victoria Secret Icon for her work in endometrial cancer, and Dr Shafi Ahmed, a British surgeon who is considered one of the world’s top 20 experts in digital health.
“I decided to create CAMPS after listening to hundreds of young doctors talk about their work and lives. It became obvious to me that while the general public is quick to talk about the quality of care we are receiving from doctors, not enough people are asking about how doctors are being cared for, given that they do such demanding work,” she said.
Dr Doll will focus keenly on intentionally creating a career in which you find love in the daily happenings of your job, adding to her already-brilliant portfolio as an established star in medicine and a rising star in career coaching. Professor Ahmed, a futurist, with sharp precision will place importance on artificial intelligence in healthcare and medicine.
Licensed mental health counsellor and life coach Seneca Williams and career coach Cheryl Henry will both take charge of the wellness and self-care aspects of the summit. Williams, a Vincentian-American, is slated to guide the participants in life assessment, while providing them with a prescription for anxiety and burnout.
Henry, a Jamaican-Canadian career coach with a career spanning over 25 years, will tackle personality dimensions as a tool for the journey of self-discovery. This psychometric tool is designed to help individuals understand themselves and others, so they can become more effective in their relationships, work, and lives.
Lester is proud that the summit will be unusual in a number of ways. There will be doctors at all stages of the career ladder, from medical student to consultant, and will be from a variety of specialties and subspecialties. These doctors will not only be clinical care specialists, but they possess a wide array of medical careers, not just clinical care.
“I am particularly excited about Drs Trena Stoute and Kamilah Spencer, Caribbean-born doctors practising in the United States who have recently launched a telemedicine company to provide specialist medical care to the Caribbean, Global Med Corporation. One of our panels will focus on physicians like them, who are purposely creating geographically hybrid careers. This is incredibly exciting and promising for a region that deals with significant migration of healthcare professionals,” Lester said.
Lester hopes that the summit will attract medical students and doctors in the Caribbean, as well as those who are passionate about the development of healthcare in the region. “It’s for the physician who values their growth and development in all areas of life, ”Lester concluded.
‘Most importantly, every physician will leave with a personalised blueprint for achieving their maximum career potential, while enjoying maximum wellness.’ Shawna Kaye Lester CONTRIBUTED