The University of the West Indies is pleased to announce the promotion of Dr. Norma McFarlane Anderson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences (Biochemistry Section) in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Mona Campus to the rank of Professor, with effect from October 13, 2004.

Dr. McFarlane Anderson, a Jamaican holds the Bachelor of Science degree with First Class Honours in Zoology and Chemistry from the University College of the West Indies and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Biochemistry from University College, London. She also has extensive postgraduate training and experience having been a Medical Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at University College London and the Universidad Nacional de Mexico as well as PAHO Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Cornell University in New York. Most recently she completed an Inter-Collegiate Course in Human Nutrition at the UWI, Mona Campus.

Professor McFarlane Anderson has had a distinguished academic career. She first joined the staff of the UWI as a Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry from 1969-1970 and later in 1974 was appointed Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine. From 1983 to 1992 she served as Research Fellow at the Central Middlesex and Northwick Park Hospitals (University of London, UK) and Ottawa, Canada before returning to the UWI in 1992 as Senior Lecturer in the Tropical Metabolism Research Unit. She transferred to the Biochemistry Section of the Department of Basic Medical Sciences as Senior Lecturer in 1997.

Professor McFarlane Anderson also has a distinguished record of original work, being involved mainly in research programmes of medical interest. Her current research focuses on immunology and genetic and dietary factors in preeclampsia and cervical cancer. Through the work she has conducted either as a research associate or as an independent scientist, she has made significant contributions in areas such as nitrogen metabolism, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, fetal development, oncology and immunology. Over the years, her work has contributed to a better knowledge of the fundamental biological processes involved in some pathological conditions as well as to a better understanding of health conditions in Jamaica.

She has published steadily, her publications appearing in high quality scientific journals including the Biochemical Journal, the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Laboratory Investigation. Her work has received significant attention from the scientific and medical community.
She has also successfully supervised a number of MSc/M Phil and PhD students and is therefore actively participating in the formation of well-trained young researchers.

The newly appointed professor has also held several administrative appointments at the departmental and faculty levels and serves as a Reviewer for the West Indian Medical Journal. She is a member of the American Society for Cell Biology; the New York Academy of Sciences, the Jamaican Food and Nutrition Society; Third World Organization of Women in Science and the Caribbean Academy of Sciences.

Professor McFarlane Anderson is married to Ambassador Dale Anderson and is the mother of two daughters. Her public service includes involvement in voluntary work both internationally and locally.
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