Dominica opens first university in the region to offer only veterinary studies

Invited guests, government officials and fellow veterinarians at the opening ceremony

On Friday, January 29, 2021, Dominica became the only Caribbean country with a university that focuses solely on veterinary studies.

This, according to the President of the St Nicholas University School of Veterinary Studies, Golnaz Naderkhani, MD Ph.D., who spoke during the official opening ceremony at the school’s current location on the corner of Hillsborough Street and Kings Lane in Roseau.

Dr. Naderkhani made known that unlike the other medical schools in the region that also provide veterinary medicine education as a side branch, her university is 100% percent focused and dedicated to providing training in that discipline.

“St Nicholas university is the first and only academic institution of its kind in the Caribbean,” she stated. “We are an academic institution committed to providing quality education training.”

She said the pillars of her university are quality education, student center training, accessibility and affordability, sustainability, being at the heart of the community, personal learning experience, heritage and tradition, and character and morality.

The Canadian doctor who moved to Dominica following the passage of Hurricane Maria, informed the audience that very soon, Dominica will be the first to boast of having a specialized veterinary hospital capable of providing world-class care, equipped with a radiologist, pathologist, internist, orthopedic surgeon, oncologist, as well as an agro medicine and critical care specialist.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, she explained that students from high-risk countries such as the United States, Canada, and other Caribbean islands were not allowed to begin this semester, but will join in September of this year. Therefore, only ten students -all females- will be part of the very first class of students on February 1.

Dr. Naderkhani emphasized that once the international students are allowed into the university, this will result in new opportunities for many Dominicans.

Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Hon. Octavia Alfred, who also spoke at the opening ceremony, stated that the opening of the medical school is an important milestone for all stakeholders and this must be celebrated.

“For the government and people of Dominica, this presents an avenue to assist our young people who may be seeking advancement in this field to acquire a degree at home while opening up new opportunities for economic activities due to the presence of the university here,” she stated.

Alfred stressed that the success or failure of the school will hold important implications for the Government, and pledged their commitment to providing support to growing the institution’s reputation so that it may attract a cadre of young professionals eager to increase their skills and knowledge through the acquisition of a sound education in Dominica.

According to her, “We need more veterinarians here who can play an essential role in promoting animal welfare.”

Adding his voice to the commendations, Former Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Reginald Thomas noted that there will no longer be a need to import veterinarians into the country from other parts of the world.

He said that the journey to realizing the establishment of the university in Dominica, has not been an easy one and he thanked the President for her “steadfastness” in achieving this dream and for choosing Dominica.

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14 Comments

  1. Deja Gordon
    July 18, 2021

    I think it’s a really good initiative and St. Nicholas has made an effort to offer a 50% Caricom Merit Scholarship to those who wish to pursue a Veterinary Medicine Degree. I am one of the recipient and I am so grateful for the opportunity because becoming a veterinarian to enhance animal welfare has been a life long dream of mine.

    I started a dog grooming business as a fundraising medium for the remainder of my tuition and I am currently working as a zookeeper.

    I also created a gofundme account that anyone reading could look up on google:

    Help Deja to become a veterinarian

    I am still seeking contributions and sponsorships from anyone who can help me to achieve my dreams 🙏🏼

  2. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    February 2, 2021

    Okay, nine people gave me thumbs down: my question to the idiots who claim that whatever is in Dominica they say is first; what happen to that in Trinidad; where veterinary medicine is taught, from the inception of the University.
    Dominicans believe every lie, every crap; a one day old baby can fool a Dominican!
    Hahahahahahahahahahahahah!
    The School of Veterinary Medicine – University of the West …https://sta.uwi.edu/fms/vet.
    The School of Veterinary Medicine is the only one in the English-speaking Caribbean offering a complete DVM programme at a single site.
    The School is equipped with modern teaching and research laboratories, which …Entry RequirementsBasic Veterinary SciencesResearchTropical Vet MedicineServicesNews and EventsThe UWI School of Veterinary Medicine – Home | Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/The-UWI-School-of-Veterinary-Medicine-208830032805701The UWI School of Veterinary Medicine, Champs Fleurs, Trinidad And Tobago.

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      February 2, 2021

      Admin: I would hope that you print that; because I did not make it up, for the skeptics they can call the University of the West Indies with campus in Cave Hill Barbados, Mona Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, and the most recent campus located in the village of Five island Antigua.

      “The University of the West Indies (UWI) was founded in 1948 as the nucleus of a dream to bring “light, liberty and learning” within the reaches of the people of the Caribbean.”

      They taught veterinary classes then and now; so this lie about that in Dominica is first in the region is a blatant lie!

      An idiot, or idiots believes anything because they do not know any better!

      So, you all can give me thumbs down as much as you all wish.

      Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque; (doh is no idiot eh!)

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

      One of them talking about God, don’t know she read a damn lie.

      ADMIN: The claim is not that it is the first university to offer veterinary studies but it is the first and only one to offer just veterinary studies.

      • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
        February 2, 2021

        Okay Admin: what I am going to say at this point it is not meant as a contradiction, nor argument; but the definition of study in regards to veterinary medicine: is simply the study of the diseases of animals including their diagnosis.
         In our modern day this is supplemented by the study of the medicine of herds and flocks as units; it’s the study of disease by direct examination of the living animal. 

        Now although I am not a medical doctor by profession; I had the privilege of majoring in “Health Science.” One cannot become a medical doctor without majoring in health science. 

        Note: one cannot treat human nor animal without a proper diagnostic, and if the diagnosis is wrong, the treatment will be wrong; any medication proscribe based on a wrong diagnosis could result in the death of human or animal!

        And that includes; the prevention and treatment.  At least give me some credit for knowing what I am talking about; although I am a medical school dropout!

      • February 2, 2021

        Man, you’re in a deep enough hole already. Stop digging.

        • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
          February 3, 2021

          Steve they make big deal about nothing in our country and it is sickening to one who knows; fact is whether one wish to go into animal husbandry, or veterinary medicine; the person must major in health science, that means  mandatory knowledge in biology, and anatomy  also. 
          I lost count of the amount of dead cats, and other animals I dissected when I was even in premed school, so see I dig because I know!

          So whether you study at a major university with a veterinary class room on campus, or in a separate building a thousand miles away from the main campus, it is still one of the same okay!

          Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

          Poor Dominica!

          If they believe students are going to go to Dominica in droves to study veterinary medicine watch and see what happens; if everybody in Dominica get involve in that and graduate there are not enough animals in Dominica to keep all (dem doctors) employed, and certainly dem cant doctor people eh!

  3. Anthony P. Ismael
    February 1, 2021

    Is this the most suitable location for this school? Why not utilize another location with more space. Just my opinion.

  4. Channel 1
    February 1, 2021

    Where is the new university that was supposed to have been in operations by now at the Ross campus in Picard, Portsmouth? 8-O 8-O 8-O

    I would suggest to the operators of this veterinary school to consider offering a PhD program in Psychiatry to enable someone to investigate what type & level of madness possesses the minds of Labourites especially those in Portsmouth & the north of Dominica.

    The results of that PhD work could then be published in some international scientific journal that deals with psychiatric matters.

  5. click here
    February 1, 2021

    A week or two ago Dominicans gave this new educational institution a lot of scepticism. Im hoping their fears and concerns have been answered. Let us ALL support this new initiative as like i said, can be the new Ross. This can help us excell in livestock rearing and agricultural practices, increase foreign income from potential foreign students, provide certified qualified vets who can inprove the quality of vet services on island and i could go on and on. Next we need an agricultural (and biomarine) based university to compliment this so we can begin to take agriculture, agro business and organic cultivation a step up from what it is now. we have the land, soil, the sun, the rivers, the herbs, ground provisions everything the outside world wants. We need to study them in their fullest capacity to teach and feed the rest of the region. I remember when stockfarm used to have a lot of cattle and other livestock. Today i dont see that kind of operation anywhere in Dominica.

  6. Jackie
    January 31, 2021

    Fabulous News!!! But I thought that Ross has a Veterinary School in St Kitts. In that case Dominica is not the “only” one. Anyway I am looking for great things from this school especially for our animals.

  7. January 30, 2021

    This sounds like something for Dominica and her people, let us pray and keep the hope that by the Will of our Almighty God, prosperity will go along with us.

  8. Ibo France
    January 30, 2021

    I’m adopting a ‘wait and see’ attitude before passing judgment. I really hope though that this business venture helps to revive the ailing economy in some way. Locals need jobs as unemployment is astronomically high.

    There is a long established veterinary university (ROSS UNIVERSITY) in St. Kitts. The information about the first of its kind in the Caribbean is simply misleading. As usual, associate with Skerrit and you are sure to contract his very contagious diseases – lies, falsehoods, half-truths, dishonesty, hyperbole, failure.

    ADMIN: Ross University offers both Human medicine and veterinary medicine this university only offers veterinary medicine. That’s completely factual.

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      February 3, 2021

      In any event, If they only offer studies in veterinary medicine, what is so special about that?

      Here this; in general when one takes health science as a major, at a certain point many students have to decide in what branch of medicine they wish to serve.

      Some people may chose dentistry, maybe orthopedics; internal medicine or simply wish to enter into animal treatment.

      One may decide to specialize in cardiology, or vascular treatment, or become a pediatrician;  perhaps become a neurologists; when I attempted to become a medical doctor my ambition was to specialize in orthopedics, and internal medicine! 

      So, this song they are playing in Dominica about first in this and that is simple a joke!
      Because they claim they will only teach veterinary classes don’t make them first in that field of study in the Caribbean region!

  9. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    January 30, 2021

    Everything in Dominica is first; first lie about everything and all things.If whatever it is in is the first in the region; what happen to the veterinary campus Ross University School of Medicine operated on the island of St. Kitts?

    I wonder if they took it along with them when the move their university out of Dominica to Barbados?

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