New Generation Power, a Chicago-based energy company, and its chairman, Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, have pledged $30 million to the University of the Virgin Islands to help establish a medical school, UVI President David Hall announced Friday.
The announcement came a week after a unanimous vote by the UVI Board of Trustees allowing President Hall to commence the development phase for the medical school. While the fact of the donation was discussed at that meeting, its generosity was not known until Friday’s announcement at Government House on St. Thomas.
“This is a historic day in the life of the University of the Virgin Islands and the Virgin Islands,” Hall said. “Dr. Kathuria’s gift is the largest in the history of the university, and its impact will last for generations to come. Many Virgin Islanders will receive improved healthcare because of this generous gift.”
Discussion and planning for the medical school, to be developed in partnership with the Territory’s two hospitals – Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas and Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix – began in 2010 with the Boston University School of Medicine, which Hall called instrumental in helping UVI move in this direction. Some Boston students have taken fourth-year electives at Schneider for the last two spring semesters.
“We congratulate our UVI colleagues on this generous gift,” said Karen Antman, dean of the Boston University School of Medicine. “The development of a medical school will attract medical faculty to the islands and foster collaboration among VI hospitals. Graduates will consider establishing practices in the VI, raising the number of physicians and improving access to health care.”
The goal of the project is to develop a high-quality medical education program that relies heavily on the use of innovative teaching techniques, educational technology and community-care training that produces knowledgeable and caring physicians committed to helping the Virgin Islands’ communities, Hall said.
Hall pointed out that the territory will be able to establish the only English-speaking medical school in the Caribbean accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the group that accredits medical schools in the United States and Canada.
A medical school in the Virgin Islands would enhance the quality of health care, help address the nation’s and territory’s anticipated physician workforce shortages in the future, help populate the physician workforce in the VI and Caribbean with the regions’ own residents and citizens, and contribute to economic development, Hall added.
Kathuria, a global entrepreneur and innovator, has founded and built multiple businesses that have generated shareholder wealth and created numerous jobs worldwide. He founded NGP, a Chicago-based, global developer, investor, owner and operator of infrastructure assets in power generation, distributed generation, and mining exploration and extraction.
“We are honored to be part of this historic endeavor that will significantly improve the healthcare of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands," Kathuria said. "Our goal with the USVI medical school is to establish new trends in providing health care using advanced technology, such as remote healthcare monitoring and diagnoses, and cutting edge research that could lead to improved health outcomes for people globally.”
Gov. John deJongh Jr. has also committed to help provide funding for the medical school buildings, creating a public and private partnership that Hall said is essential for success.
“By approving the development of the medical school just last week and endorsing the gift agreement with Dr. Kathuria of New Generation Power, the UVI Board of Trustees has taken a major step forward in the development of the Virgin Islands,” deJongh said. “I fully expect that the opening of the medical school will change the health care landscape of the Virgin Islands, as well as enhance the University of the Virgin Islands’ reputation as the preeminent learning institution in the region.”
Securing additional development and operational funding remains a goal for the project. The university estimates that $10 million from local and national donors is still needed to make the medical school a reality. Tuition costs are estimated to be below market for Caribbean medical schools and UVI hopes to enroll its first class in 2016-2017.
For more information visit http://www.newgenpower.com.
