In Jamaica, Adventist University President Is Appointed to National Commission

By: Byron Buckley, Inter-American Division News

Lincoln P. Edwards, Northern Caribbean University (NCU) president, was appointed earlier in July 2021 to serve as a member of Jamaica’s National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST) for a 12-month period. His appointment was made recently by Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen.

By profession a dentist and pharmacologist, Edwards has led a distinguished career in the sciences before his appointment as president of Northern Caribbean University in 2017. He taught at his alma mater, Loma Linda University, in Loma Linda, California, United States, in the schools of dentistry and medicine. Edwards has also taught at the School of Dentistry in the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston.

In congratulating Edwards on his appointment, Everett Brown, chairman of the Board of Governors of NCU and president of the Adventist Church in Jamaica, said he hoped that Edwards’ “tenure on the commission will be a most successful one as he leverages his training and experience in the sciences to advance the national developmental agenda.”

Edwards has served on three American Dental Association Test Construction committees and as secretary, chair-elect, and chair of the American Dental Education Association sections on pharmacology/physiology and oral diagnosis and oral medicine. In addition, he is a member of the Network of Minority Health Researcher Investigators (NMRI), which serves as an advisory body to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in the United States.

He is a published researcher in the fields of diabetes, hypertension, and dentistry and has obtained two U.S. National Institutes of Health grants.

“I welcome the opportunity to use my knowledge and experiences in the sciences to advance national development and to improve the lives of the people of Jamaica,” Edwards said in commenting on his appointment.

The NCST, an agency of the Ministry of Science, Energy, and Technology, is chaired by the prime minister of Jamaica, with the deputy chair being the minister responsible for science and technology. The commission’s mission is to facilitate the formation of strategic partnerships toward advancing the implementation of the national science, technology, and innovation policy. It is also tasked with playing a fundamental role in the creation of wealth and improving the quality of life for all Jamaicans.

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-American Division news site.