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A Grenadian by birth, Michael Beaubrun was born on December 29th
1924. He attended Grenada Boys’ Secondary School and in 1941,
won the Grenada Open Island Scholarship. He completed one year
of premedical science at Mc Gill University, then pursued his
medical degree at Edinburgh University and his postgraduate
studies in Psychiatry at Maudsley Hospital, London.
Professor Beaubrun’s career was decorated with achievements. He
was the first Professor and Head of Department of Psychiatry at
the University of the West Indies (UWI), Jamaica from 1964 to
1974. He also served as President of the World Federation for
Mental Health from 1971 to 1975. During his tenure at the UWI,
St Augustine from 1976 to 1988, he held the positions of Campus
Dean in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Head of the Department
of Medicine and Allied Disciplines, as well as Professor
Emeritus of Psychiatry.
His career was not purely academic. He served as an Independent
Senator in the first Republican Parliament of Trinidad and
Tobago from 1976 to 1981. He was instrumental in the
implementation of the new Mental Health Act and the
Sectorisation Programme for Community Mental Health in 1975 and
1976 while serving as Principal Medical Officer – Institutions
with the Ministry of Health, Trinidad. In 1975, he co-founded
and directed the Caribbean Institute of Alcoholism and Other
Drug Related Problems. He also functioned as Director of the St
Ann’s Hospital.
He received numerous awards for his achievements. These include
the Chaconia Medal (Gold) of Trinidad and Tobago and the Edward
W. Browning Achievement Award from the International Council on
Alcohol and Addictions (1976). He also received the Spirit of
the Caribbean Award (1984), the Scroll of Honour of the Trinidad
and Tobago Medical Association, a Citation from the American
Psychiatric Association, and Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa,
from the UWI (1998).
Despite his extensive responsibilities Professor Beaubrun was a
family man. He and his wife Stella successfully raised three
children who are all high achievers. On December 20th 2002, this
icon passed away leaving behind a rich legacy that will live on.
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