On Friday, November 24, 2017, Rolinda Carter, a St Maartener and alumna of the University of St Martin (USM), graduated with her Ph.D. in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada.
Dr. Carter is the daughter of Mrs. Louise Carter and the late Mr. Roy Carter. Her journey towards higher education began at the USM where she obtained her Associate’s Degree in General Liberal Arts. Due to her involvement in extra-curricular activities, community service, and academic performance at USM, Dr. Carter was awarded the International Global Citizenship Tuition scholarship to pursue an Honor’s Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a specialization in Health Sciences at Trent University in Ontario, Canada.
Upon completion of her Bachelor’s Degree, Dr. Carter moved to Vancouver (Canada) where she began a Master’s Degree program in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC. After her first year in the Master’s program, she successfully transferred to the Ph.D. program and was awarded a prestigious four year doctoral fellowship.
A major focus of her doctoral studies involved research into blood clots which are a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. Dr. Carter was able to identify a previously unknown mechanism by which new generation anticoagulants enhance the breakdown of clots. She remains passionate and curious about alternative ways to prevent and treat blood clots, and plans to continue this line of work.
When asked about her future plans, Dr. Carter said that “St Martin/St. Maarten is home.” She says that her ultimate goal and desire is to return home and contribute to the island’s health care and educational system. She is grateful to God and all of the individuals who in some way or another helped to make her dream become a reality. The WEEKender congratulates this amazing young woman on this considerable accomplishment and looks forward to reporting on her continued success.
