The University of the West Indies (UWI) is pleased to announce the promotion of Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Child Health Dr. Horace Fletcher to the rank of Professor.

Professor Fletcher, a Jamaican and past student of Hastings Primary and Cornwall College, holds the Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Sciences and went on to obtain the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery degree as well as the Doctor of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology from The University of the West Indies.

He joined the staff of the UWI in 1989 as a Temporary Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, was appointed Lecturer in 1991 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1997.

Dr. Fletcher is a well-respected academic who has made a broad contribution to clinical research and teaching activities. He has been an active participant in national and international scientific meetings for some 20 years and has updated his clinical training by visits to centres of excellence in the Americas and Europe.

Horace Fletcher has pursued significant research programmes, much of which have been of international standing and have enabled him to make original contributions to important areas of clinical research, particularly in the field of the control of haemorrhage and a variety of gynaecological and obstetric indications. His studies of the role of the drug Misoprostol in pregnancy and labour helped to establish the drug as a labour-induction agent internationally, as well as confirm its safety and effectiveness in comparison to what were then standard methods on induction.

In addition, he has undertaken studies into pre-eclampsia, the effective management of surgical operative procedures for fibroids and the potential role of lupus anticoagulant in pregnancy and miscarriage. His research activities have contributed significantly to the literature with studies that have informed changes to clinical practice.

Professor Fletcher has undertaken a full role in the undergraduate and postgraduate training programme, contributing to the continuing professional development of the students. He has imparted much of his academic knowledge through teaching undergraduates, emphasizing the importance of clinical skills, and through the supervision of medical postgraduate students, focusing on teaching, management of gynaecological oncology as well as general Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

Horace Fletcher has produced two book chapters and 52 publications as well as a steady output of publications in a wide spectrum of international Obstetrics and Gynaecological journals as well as the regional West Indian Medical Journal.

Professor Fletcher has served as Consultant to the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and as Pan American Health Organization Consultant to the Government of Belize to assist in the development of an obstetric protocol manual.

He holds the Fellowship of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, London, and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynaeology. In addition, he has served as Vice President and President of the Grabham Society (The Association of Gynaecologists in Jamaica), is a Founding Member of the National Cancer Institute of Jamaica and served as Vice Chair and Chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists West Indies Section. He has also been an Assistant Editor of the West Indian Medical Journal.