Dr Manley West, a distinguished alumnus of Titchfield High School in Portland and a Ph.D. graduate from the University of London in pharmacology, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone at The University of the West Indies, Mona. Dr West is the first Jamaican and West Indian to be appointed professor of pharmacology in the Faculty of Medicine. His illustrious career at UWI includes various roles, such as committee membership, pre-clinical vice Dean, Faculty of Medicine Dean, and head of the Department of Pharmacology.

PUBLISHED SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1981

Jamaican named UWI professor of pharmacology

DR MANLEY WEST of the University of the West Indies, Mona, has become the first Jamaican (and West Indian), to be appointed professor of pharmacology in the Faculty of Medicine.

A past student of Titchfield High School in Portland and a graduate of the University of London, from which he holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology, Dr West has served the UWI in many areas; as a member of various committees, as pre-clinical vice dean for 4½ years, as dean of the Faculty of Medicine for one year, and as head of the Department of Pharmacology for five years.

In 1969, he received a World Health Organisation Fellowship to research Cancer Chemotheraphy at the Sloan Kettering Institute in New York.  In the following year he received the Canadian International Award for Cardio-vascular pharmacology, which he took up at Ottawa University in Canada.

For his research, he was awarded a certificate of merit by the Canadian government.

In 1977, Dr West was awarded the Pan-American Health Organization Fellowship in Applied Toxicology on behalf of the Jamaican Government and did research at the University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

In 1980, he participated in London First World’s Conference in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, on a British Council Fellowship.  In the same year he was awarded the Institute of Jamaica’s Centenary Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Cultural Development in Jamaica in the field of Natural Science.

Dr West has published widely in his field and is well known internationally for his work on the development of Cannasol, an eye-drop prepared from ganja to treat glaucoma.  He is now researching in cardiovascular and ocular pharmacology.

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