Health Minister John Boyce praised the service to the region of retiring Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) official, Dr. Ernest Pate, at a farewell ceremony held on Thursday at the Courtyard by Marriott, Garrison Historic Area.
Dr. Pate, a Belizian, retired as the Caribbean Program Coordinator and PAHO/WHO Representative for the French Departments of the Americas. He has been based at the PAHO/WHO Office in Barbados since November, 2010.
Mr. Boyce told guests at the ceremony that Dr. Pate???s decades of service to health and the field of medicine nationally, regionally and internationally would leave a lasting legacy. ???We can truly say that Dr. Pate is a Caribbean son of the soil who has worked tirelessly to bring good health and wellness to the people of this region. How fortunate for us that our community is one of the lucky beneficiaries of his commitment to service and to excellence,??? the Health Minister stated.
Noting that the health professional had published more than 50 peer review articles in several medical journals and written several chapters in various medical texts, Mr. Boyce also praised his contribution to research and his involvement in many professional societies.
Throughout his tenure at PAHO, Dr. Pate maintained his academic affiliations as Honorary Consultant in Paediatrics and Perinatology to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and lecturer in the International Health Programme at George Washington University.
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