Head of US-based diaspora charity dies

NEW YORK:

The Jamaican diaspora in New York has lost another community stalwart with the passing of Dr Michelle Malcolm-James, president of the Organization for International Development (OID).

She died suddenly last Sunday at the age of 56 years.

Dr Malcolm-James has been a member of IOD for more than 26 years and recently began spearheading the organisation’s Mobile Women’s Health Services Mammography Initiative aimed at providing breast and cervical cancer screening for women in rural, urban and remote areas of Jamaica.

Founder of OID, Dr Roy Streete, told The Gleaner that Malcolm-James will be greatly missed by members of the organization, but her legacy will be carried on through the work she started with OID.

“She was very involved in all our activities and I cannot say enough about her and her contributions to OID. We will carry on her work which she was very passionate about,” he said.

Dr Malcolm-James was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and grew up in New Forest, Manchester, where she attended New Forest All-Age School. In 1979, she moved to Washington, DC, to join her mother, and shortly after, they moved to the Bronx, New York.

She attended Harry S. Truman High School and received a scholarship to the University of Virginia, earning a bachelor of arts in psychology in 1989. She obtained a bachelor of science in nursing from the College of New Rochelle in 1992.

She began her career as a registered nurse at North Central Bronx Hospital and worked as a staff nurse at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital and Montefiore Medical Centre.

Driven by a continuous desire for knowledge and a commitment to her patients, she enrolled in the family nurse practitioner programme at Pace University, earning a Master of Science in advanced nursing practice in 1997, and subsequently obtained her doctor of nursing practice degree from Chamberlain University in 2017.

IMPLEMENTED CANCER SCREENING PROGRAMME

Dr Malcolm-James developed a strong focus on providing quality, safe healthcare to women and children. Over the years, she worked in various capacities, including in an OB/GYN private practice with Dr Claudette Anderson, as well as at St Joseph’s Medical Centre’s Comprehensive Care programme for women and children affected by HIV/AIDS.

She has held roles such as clinician coordinator at the Family Centered Asthma and Allergy programme at Jacobi Medical Center & North Central Bronx Hospital, clinical manager of the Children’s Aid Society School-Based Health Center at Salome Ureña Middle School Academies and senior associate director/chief nurse practitioner in the Adolescent Medicine at New York City Health + Hospitals/Harlem Hospital. Dr Michelle Malcolm-James was employed as the Wellness Clinical Manager/Con Edison at the Orange & Rockland Utilities.

Dr Malcolm-James was recruited into the Organization for International Development, Inc. (OID) in 1998. Initially, she anticipated that her involvement would be a one-time summer commitment. However, 26 years later, she continued to serve the organisation in various capacities.

Throughout her tenure in OID, she participated in the fundraising, membership, and sponsorship committees and served as secretary, executive board member and president.

She implemented the women’s cancer screening programme to include pap smears and self-breast examination education on the OID humanitarian missions to Jamaica. In recognition of her contributions to women’s and children’s healthcare, Dr Malcolm-James received the 2009 Organisation for International Development Community Service Award, the 2017 Harlem Hospital African American Visionary Award, and the 2018 Bethlehem College Alumni Association (NY) Community Service Award.

She is survived by her husband, Andre, her daughters, Ashley and Anika and other family members.