The Medical Faculty at the UWI, Mona Campus has a new Dean. He is Professor Archibald McDonald, Specialist in Trauma and Professor of Surgery and Emergency Medicine. Professor McDonald was appointed Dean effective August 2005, having previously served as Head of the Department of Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthetics and Intensive Care since August 2002. Professor McDonald is a graduate of Meadowbrook High School and did both Undergraduate and Post Graduate Medical and Surgical Training at the UWI, Mona. He also holds specialist diplomas from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh and the American College of Surgeons.
Professor McDonald is a career academic who joined the staff of the University of the West Indies as a lecturer in Surgery in 1987. As the first director of the newly established Accident and Emergency Unit at the University Hospital, Professor McDonald initiated a Doctor of Medicine training program in Emergency Medicine geared to train emergency physicians. To date, 13 such specialists have been trained and 23 residents are currently in that program. He also assisted in the establishment of a specialist post-basic training program for nurses in that Unit. Under his direction, training in Advanced Trauma Life Support began at the University Hospital with this site now fully accredited by the American College of Surgeons. Professor McDonald is very highly regarded as a researcher and administrator and has also been elected to serve as President of the Association of Surgeons in Jamaica for the years 2006-2008.