ST MATTHEW'S UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director, Learning Center and Student Counseling
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Ms. Rowlands comes to us with years of expertise in medical education, student support, and health services. Prior to joining the SMU team, she was the Lead for the Learning Development Unit at the University of Medicine & Health Sciences (UMHS) in Saint Kitts, and before that held both the Head of Student Support and Head of the Clinical Communication Skills Curriculum positions at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London. Ms. Rowlands also has a background in coronary care nursing and is the author of the ECG Workbook textbook, now in its 4th edition. She has earned a Master of Education in Education & Research from Oxford Brookes University and a Bachelor of Science from Brunel University London. Ms. Rowlands is passionate about supporting students in their academic studies, fostering diversity in medical education, and helping future physicians integrate communication skills into their practice. This focus will greatly enrich the student experience at SMU, as she works to further strengthen the Learning Center and Student Counseling services. Areas of Expertise Medical Education

Job Titles:

• Lecturer
• Licensed Clinical Psychologist
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Dr Daniel Kumuyi is a lecturer at St. Matthew's University. Dr. Daniel Kumuyi received his bachelor's degree in psychology at Madonna University of Nigeria in 2015. He obtained a master's degree in clinical psychology from Redeemer's University Nigeria in 2017 and obtained a PhD degree in Clinical Psychology from Redeemer's University Nigeria in 2021. He has published many journal articles (indexed in ISI, SCOPUS, etc.) and conferences. He was a lecturer with the Nile University of Nigeria where he designed and developed courses to suit students' needs, taught students through lectures, seminars, and fieldwork, set exams, assessed progress, managed research programmes, and served as a level advisor. He is a licensed clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Behavioural Analyst, Researcher, and writer. He specialises in trauma management, inner critic work, borderline, and other personality and identity-related difficulties, life transitions and values clarification, depression/anxiety struggles, relationship difficulties, and more, using an integrative approach combining various cognitive and behavioural therapies to fit each person's needs and goals in mental health. He has worked as a Consultant with Concept One Medical Centre, Anthony, Lagos, Sound Mind Health Partner, Gwarinpa Abuja in addition to other private consultancy services. He also has vast clinical training experience with reputable institutions, namely, National Hospital Garki, Abuja; Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba, Lagos; Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Aro, Abeokuta; Nigeria Correctional Service, Ikoyi, Lagos and the United Kingdom Home Office on Early Intervention for Youth to mention a few. In addition to being a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Kumuyi" has received extensive recognition as a national and international author and presenter. His research has been published in the South African Journal of Psychiatry, Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science, Journal of Health Medicine and Nursing, European Science Review, International Journal of High-Risk Behaviour and Addict, and Archives of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He has presented at numerous medical conferences, including the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) and the World Council for Psychotherapy Annual Conference. He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Psychologists Association (NAP), the Nigerian Association of Clinical Psychologists (NACP), and the American Psychology Association (APA). Areas of Expertise Clinical Psychologist

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor of Anatomical Sciences
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration
• Team Member

Dr. Ameet Kumar Jha, PhD (Med) is the Associate Professor of Anatomical Sciences. He joined the SMUSOM faculty in January 2023. His areas of expertise include medical education, gross anatomy, embryology, histology and cell biology, neuroanatomy, and research. Dr. Jha has more than a decade of training and experience in medical teaching in various medical universities across the globe. He has received different awards and recognition by various professional societies and academic organization across the globe. In addition to his teaching, which spans almost two decades, he has extensive experience in research and publication in various fields of medicine. His research activities span in various field such as dermatoglyphics, bone morphology, low back pain, diabetes, developmental anomalies, medical education, migraine, human structural variations, etc, and they have been published in various national and international indexed journals. He is a peer reviewer for various high impact indexed journal such as Biomed Research International (Hindawi publishers), Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome & Obesity: Targets and Therapy (Taylor and Francis publishers) He has been actively involved as a member in various professional societies globally such IASP, ISN, NeuPSIG, etc. He has attended several international medical conferences including World Congress of Nephrology, World Congress of Pain, The Liver Week, Korean Society of Hematology International Conference, International Congress on Neuropathic Pain, etc and presented his research papers. Dr Jha's research interests and presentations include dermatoglyphics, low back pain and piriformis syndrome, diabetes mellitus and peripheral diabetic neuropathies, limb disorders, human morphological variation and morphometry, and medical education. Dr. Jha is an excellent team member, a prodigious researcher and academician with scholastic aptitude, focus of concentration and keenness of mind and believes in team effort, consistency and nurturing the future doctors. Areas of Expertise Gross and developmental anatomy

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Dr. Amit R Bhoge, MD, has extensive experience working as an educator, researcher, consultant, and clinician. His background includes over 10 years as an University Assistant Professor, and serving as a consultant to healthcare agencies and Pathology Laboratories. As a licensed pathologist he served as a consultant Pathologist and Laboratory Quality manager in various healthcare institutes in Mumbai, India. He successfully led the NABL accreditation process according to global standards for Healthspring Medical laboratory in 2019. In addition to pathology experience, he also worked as a Senior Resident in the renowned Dr. M. B. Agarwal Clinical Hematology unit at Bombay Hospital, Mumbai. During his MD residency, he won 2nd Prize in the Pathology PG quiz held at the Maharashtra State Pathology Association conference. Dr. Bhoge's research interests and presentations are predominantly in the topics concerned with Immunohistochemical studies of various neoplastic pathologies of GIT, gallbladder, and Skin. His research has been published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, Global Journal for Research Analysis and Journal of Mid-Life Health. In addition to his medical degrees of MBBS and post-grad MD he also has also completed training in Medical Education from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. He has over 5 years of teaching experience in the Caribbean region. He is contributed extensively in designing courses and Pathology curriculum in medical school. Dr. Bhoge is a very effective teacher, good team member, and academician with scholastic aptitude. He believes in team effort and consistency in efforts to improve the quality of education and nurturing the future clinicians. Areas of Expertise Academic Pathology

Job Titles:

• Associate Dean of Basic Sciences, Professor Pathology and the Chair
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Dr. Amitabha Basu, MBBS, MD (Path), MClinEd (Edin), is the Associate Dean of Basic Sciences. He joined the SMUSOM faculty in June 2006. His areas of expertise include medical education, pathology, and clinical nutrition. Dr. Basu has more than a decade of training and experience as a histopathologist in various hospitals in India and Nepal. He has been awarded several Golden Apple awards during his time at SMUSOM. In addition to his teaching, which spans over two decades, he has extensive experience in research on clinical teaching in medicine, faculty development, curriculum reform, and innovations in medical education. His research activities span both anatomical pathology and medical education, and they have been published in various national and international journals, namely the Am J Clin Pathol, British Medical Journal, Indian Journal of Applied Research etc. He has presented at several medical conferences, including the IAMSE, Ottawa Conference organized by AMEE and American Cytopathology. Dr. Basu's research interests and presentations include assessment, peer tutoring, academics in virtual environments, and team-based learning. He is currently pursuing a certificate course on Leadership Principles from Harvard Business School online and a PhD in Higher Education Leadership for Changing Populations from Notre Dame of Maryland University. An avid family man, Dr. Basu believes in team effort, consistency, and nurturing and developing physician-leaders. Areas of Expertise Teaching and Assessment

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Faculty Promotions
• Professor and Course Director of Physiology
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Dr. Prajna Barke, MBBS; MD (Physiology) has extensive experience as a Medical Educator in both India and the Cayman Islands. Dr. Barke is currently the Course Director for Physiology at St. Matthew's University School of Medicine. She has over 16 years of teaching experience in medical schools, and 2 years of clinical practice in a busy 600 bed hospital in India. Her areas of expertise are Clinical Physiology and Patho-physiology. Dr. Barke is the Chairperson of the Faculty Promotions and Development Committee, Vice President of the Faculty Senate and is an active member of the Student Promotions and Research Committee. She is an effective administrator of academic examinations as a National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Chief Proctor. As a Student Mentor, she goes the extra mile and plays a supportive role and in the attainment of academic goals while respecting University policies. Dr. Barke is a great team player and assists other departments in the administration of semester-based Block Examinations and as a preceptor for Patient doctor (PD) examinations. She has chaired committees for recruitment of new faculty and also has assisted several new faculty members in the transition to the work environment at SMU. Dr. Prajna Barke has been honored with several ‘Golden Apple' awards, and has been voted "Best Faculty in Second Semester," every semester for the past 14 years. Dr. Barke's research interests include Clinical Physiology, Respiratory Pathophysiology, Endocrinology & Reproductive System and she has published several papers in her fields of interest.

Job Titles:

• Assistant Professor of Preclinical Science, Pediatrician
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Job Titles:

• Associate Dean of Clinical Sciences
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Jon Hojnoski, MD, FACEP, is a Board Certified Emergency Physician and Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1991 and went on to join the faculty there as a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine. He served as an Aero-medical Flight Physician, Assistant Director for the Institute for Disaster and Emergency Medicine at UMass Medical School, Assistant Clinical Director at a Federal Medical Center in a correctional setting, as well as Medical Director for the Emergency Medical Services of hospital-based and regional EMS systems. He has practiced clinical medicine for nearly 3 decades in both the academic setting, educating and training medical students and resident physicians, as well as private practice. As Assistant Director for the Institute for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, he coordinated and directed the training of health care professionals from across the former Soviet Union. He co-authored the International Emergency Medical Systems Adult and Pediatric training curricula utilized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the international EMS training in the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union from 1994-1998. The educational strategies for the development of International EMS systems resulted in publications in both the Annals of Emergency Medicine and the European Journal of Emergency Medicine. He has worked as an Assistant Dean of Clinical Medicine for Saba University School of Medicine since 2019. He joined St. Matthew's University School of Medicine as Associate Dean of Clinical Sciences in 2022. Areas of Expertise Clinical Medicine

Job Titles:

• Professor of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Chair of Molecular Biology
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Dr. Narendra Nayak graduated with an MBBS from Vijayanagar Institute of Medical sciences, Bellary, Karnataka, India, and obtained his MD (Microbiology and Immunology) from Lokamanaya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai, Maharashtra India. He has 20 years experience as an Educator and Research in the field of Microbiology and Immunology and is the course director for Microbiology and Immunology at St. Matthew's University. Dr Narendra Nayak has extensive experience in various Laboratory sections of Microbiology such as Bacteriology, Virology, Parasitology, Mycology and Immunology. He has published several research publications in indexed and peer reviewed Journals. His main research area of interest is determination of Bacterial drug resistance with respect to production of Extended Betalactamases in various clinical isolates of Ventilator associated Pneumonia, Wound infections, and Urinary tract infections. Dr Narendra Nayak is actively involved in the selection process of Admissions committee of St. Matthews University Medical School, Grand Cayman.

Job Titles:

• Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, Associate Professor of Medical Pharmacology & Clinical Therapeutics
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Dr. Pritam Biswas MBBS, MD, has extensive experience working as an educator, researcher in phase 3 global vaccine trials, and as a practicing clinician. His background includes many years as a university professor, and he has served as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry on vaccine clinical trials. Additionally, Dr. Biswas has more than a decade of clinical training and experience as a Physician & Clinical Pharmacologist. In addition to being a Licensed Physician & Clinical Pharmacologist, his research has been published in International Journal of Basic Clinical Pharmacology, and in the International Journal Pharmaceutical Science Research. He has presented at numerous medical conferences, including in the International Society for Rational Therapeutics Conference, Medical Proteomics, and the Indian Pharmacological Society Conferences. Dr. Biswas's research interests include Therapeutics in Respiratory Medicine, Allergy, Immunology & Infectious Disease, with a focus on Clinical Trials, Quantitative Synthesis and Pharmacoepidemiology. Dr. Biswas is perusing a Membership with the Royal College of Physicians (UK) in Internal Medicine. He is also perusing an MSc Clinical Education from the University of Edinburgh, with an expected Graduation in 2023. Areas of Expertise Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor of Medical Pharmacology, Evidence - Based Medicine, and HIPAA
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Dr. Hilgers received his PhD degree in Pharmacology at the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands. He has extensive academic research experience in the field of vascular biology, studying small artery vasoreactivity. His research has been published in many peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Hypertension and the Science Translational Medicine. Dr. Hilgers' research interests are mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction that result in cardiovascular complications, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and myocardial infarction. He is a reviewer for the American Journal of Hypertension and the American Journal of Physiology. In addition to being a researcher, Dr. Hilgers has academic teaching experience in the fields of Pharmacokinetics, Physiology and Pharmacology. Dr. Hilgers received his PhD degree in Pharmacology at the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands. He has extensive academic research experience in the field of vascular biology, studying small artery vasoreactivity. His research has been published in many peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Hypertension and the Science Translational Medicine. Dr. Hilgers' research interests are mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction that result in cardiovascular complications, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and myocardial infarction. He is a reviewer for the American Journal of Hypertension and the American Journal of Physiology. In addition to being a researcher, Dr. Hilgers has academic teaching experience in the fields of Pharmacokinetics, Physiology and Pharmacology. Areas of Expertise Vascular Biology

Job Titles:

• Assistant Professor of Preclinical Science and Behavioral Science, Pediatrician, Child Development Specialist
• St Matthews Faculty & Administration

Romina P. Kulberg, MD has experience working as an educator, organizing programs for clinicians, teachers, other health professionals, and parents in primary health care. In addition, she has spent many years as a university professor teaching students, Pediatric residents, and Psychiatry pediatric residents. She received her Medical Doctor degree from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) in Argentina. After completing her Pediatric Residency at J.P. Garrahan Children's Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina's largest and most prestigious pediatric hospital, she was chief resident and participated in the education committee in Garrahan Children's Hospital. She did a two-year Master's degree course at the University of Buenos Aires, obtaining a degree in Children's Development. Dr. Kulberg has strong and wide experience in coordinating interdisciplinary teams with health associate professionals, therapists, and psychologists, treating children with developmental disorders and delays. She has a particularly strong interest in preventative mental health and children's development, providing teaching tools and strategies for care and for early diagnosis so that children are able to experience productive and meaningful lives. She has trained teachers to detect and refer children with challenges in their development, which will contribute to early detection and diagnosis. Areas of Expertise Preclinical Science Educator