NewzKINGSTON, Jamaica—With an estimated 28,000 Jamaicans living with HIV, STIs and other forms of communicable diseases, strengthening disease prevention and surveillance remains an institutional and national priority. Playing a key role in advancing this national effort, the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech, Jamaica), through its School of Public Health and Health Technology in the Joint Colleges of Medicine, Oral Health, and Veterinary Sciences, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, has certified 23 healthcare professionals in the second cohort of its contact investigator programme. The nine-month programme delivered in collaboration with UTechOpen: School of Lifelong Learning and Professional Development is designed to develop a cadre of health professionals capable of identifying, tracing, interviewing, documenting, and following up with contacts of individuals diagnosed with communicable diseases, particularly HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and tuberculosis (TB).
The training course combines theoretical instruction with supervised field exercises, equipping participants with competencies in contact investigation, interviewing and communication techniques, case documentation, confidentiality and ethical practice, public health surveillance and disease prevention. The graduates received their certificates during a presentation ceremony held at the Medallion Hall Hotel Conference Room in Kingston on Friday, October 9, 2026. Dr Kevin Harvey, head, School of Public Health and Health Technology, previously indicated that the joint training programme is funded by the Ministry of Health and Wellness at an estimated cost of $100 million.
With the second cohort successfully completing the training, Jamaica now has 45 certified Contact Investigators, building on the 22 professionals from the first cohort who graduated in March 2026. Delivering greetings on behalf of the university’s leadership, Dr Karlene Atkinson, acting vice dean of the Joint Colleges of Medicine, Oral Health, and Veterinary Sciences, congratulated the graduates and underscored the importance of their training amid ongoing public health concerns. “Today is a celebration of your dedication.
It shows your resilience and commitment to public health,” Atkinson noted. She noted that the increasing concerns surrounding infectious diseases in Jamaica and internatio…
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