Mission and History

Mission Statement

American University of Antigua College of Medicine (AUA) is an innovative medical school dedicated to providing a learner-centric education of the highest quality, granting opportunities to underrepresented minorities, fostering a diverse academic community, and ensuring that its graduates develop the skills and attitudes of lifelong learning, compassion, and professionalism. We also provide students who would otherwise be unable to receive a medical education with the tools to become successful physicians.

AUA was founded with the commitment to support underserved communities and to address the impending physician shortage with an emphasis on primary care. As such, the University recognizes its social responsibility to advance the field of medicine and lead the next generation of physicians and healthcare professionals to respond to global healthcare needs.

University Timeline

• 2022
  • AUA’s students presented at the first World Health Summit (WHS), held in Berlin on October 16-18, 2022 at the Young Researchers Symposium. Dr. Peter Bell, M.D., AUA’s Provost and Vice President of Global Medical Education, accompanied the two AUA students, Nana Konadu-Asare and Ashleigh Bates, who presented their research on “Combating Childhood Obesity in Antigua.”
• 2021
  • With students’ safety and travel complications in mind, AUA continued educating medical students through a Hybrid Curriculum for the Spring and Fall 2021 academic period.
  • As a member of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH), AUA participates regularly in the annual global health-themed conference. CUGH is dedicated to increasing the availability of adequate healthcare and reducing health disparities by bringing together universities in resource-rich countries with universities in resource-poor countries.

• 2020
  • AUA addresses the challenges of the COVID-19 global pandemic by developing remote synchronous and asynchronous instruction in the Preclinical Sciences and by continuing clinical rotations at affiliated teaching hospitals (where safe and permitted).
  • Further proving AUA’s commitment to providing medical school opportunities to under- represented minorities, AUA signs additional agreements with US historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), including Fisk University in Tennessee and Central State University in Ohio.
  • AUA provides the necessary resources for newborn sickle cell screening in Antigua and Barbuda. The program launches with the first screening of a newborn baby at Mount St. John’s Medical Center.
  • AUA again collaborates with FIU to create a program through which qualified AUA students and recent AUA graduates can earn their MPH from FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, with some of the MPH program’s required elective credits being transferable from AUA Preclinical Sciences.
  • AUA establishes the International Track in the UK, in which students from the UK attend preclinical sciences on campus in Antigua and conduct their clinical rotations at affiliated teaching hospitals in the UK.
• 2019
  • AUA collaborates with Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science to create a new pathway for under-represented minorities to attend medical school.
  • AUA expands global partnerships with leading medical schools and hospitals in the United Kingdom, signing new agreements with University of Warwick’s Medical School, Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust.
  • University opens new campus housing.
• 2018
  • CAAM-HP—the legally constituted authority that evaluates MD programs in Caribbean countries—grants four-year reaccreditation to AUA, the maximum allowable.
  • Sir Vivian Richards, world-renowned cricketer for the West Indies, becomes an official Ambassador for AUA.
  • AUA’s Emergency Medicine Training Center (EMTC) conducts the first Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) course in the Eastern Caribbean.
  • Global Health Track (GHT)* established in collaboration with FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

  *There is no fee or tuition for participating in the GHT; as the program is not part of AUA’s medical doctorate program, federal financial aid is not available for the living expenses of students during GHT sessions. Participation in GHT is strictly voluntary.

• 2017
  • AUA initiates Curriculum Next, a U.S.-modeled curriculum that focuses on small-group active learning, maintains a student to faculty ratio of 10:1 in academic period one and caps large group instruction at 80 students. It emphasizes team and case-based learning as well as peer to peer instruction and is centered around the AUA’s small-group learning system.
  • AUA’s Emergency Medicine Training Center (EMTC) trains more than 150 police officers in Calcutta, India in CPR, bandaging, and procedures for moving accident victims at the 11th annual Global Healthcare Summit, an event organized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI).
  • AUA’s Emergency Medicine Training Center (EMTC) becomes an official National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) Training Center. As such, it joins NAEMT at the forefront of national discussions and initiatives that have a significant impact on the EMS profession.
• 2016
  • AUA receives a seven-year renewal from the New York State Education Department, the longest term awarded for international medical schools. This recognition allows AUA students to complete all clinical rotations and obtain residencies in New York.
  • In a landmark agreement, AUA partners with Florida International University to offer the Graduate Clinical Core Certificate Through this program, AUA students complete Preclinical Sciences in Antigua and then complete all of their core clinical rotations consecutively at hospitals affiliated with FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
  • AUA becomes one of the few international medical schools in the Caribbean to earn recognition by the Medical Council of India (MCI), the governing body that ensures medical education programs and the qualifications they award graduates meet the highest standards in India and abroad. Meeting the MCI’s strict standards is further evidence of AUA’s commitment to delivering a high-quality education to all students, including those of Indian descent.
  • AUA joins the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI),a higher education consortium created to further goals and principles that foster a shared culture of intellectual responsibility through research and activities.
  • AUA partners with GEMx, a global partnership for educational exchange in medicine and the health professions, a service of ECFMG, for global partnership for educational exchange in medicine and the health professions.
  • AUA’s Advisory Board, composed of distinguished physicians, public servants, and educators, including a former member of Congress, is established to guide administrators and faculty in fulfilling the university’s mission.
  • AUA’s Emergency Medicine Training Center (EMTC) faculty train first responders at Rajasthan University of Health Sciences in Jaipur, India, and Rabindra Nath Tagore (RNT) College of Medical Sciences in Udaipur Rajasthan, India, in First Aid, CPR, and Advanced Life Support Training.
• 2015
  • AUA is approved to participate in the United States Department of Education’s Federal Direct Loan Program.
  • AUA is recognized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) as the leader in international medical education – the only medical school to receive this “preferred” status and recognition.
  • AUA President Neal Simon is appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Antigua and Barbuda.
• 2014
  • AUA is fully accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established to accredit medical, dental, veterinary, and other health professions programs leading to professional degrees required for practice in Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states. Gaining accreditation by CAAM-HP involved a demanding review process that assessed every facet of AUA’s medical program.
  • AUA is licensed to offer clinical clerkships in Florida by the Commission for Independent Education of the Florida Department of Education (DOE). This is in addition to our recognition from the Medical Board of California (MBC) and approval by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). AUA is now one of only three Caribbean medical schools with approval from the Florida DOE and NYSED, recognition from the MBC, and accreditation from CAAM- HP.
  • Nobel Laureate Dr. Harald zur Hausen visits AUA on Research Day and delivers the keynote address, entitled Identification of Infectious Agents in Human Cancers. The virologist received his 2008 Nobel Prize for discovering the causal link between human papilloma viruses and cervical cancer.
  • The AUA Health Clinic opens on campus, serving students, faculty, and staff.
• 2013
  • AUA forges an official collaboration with Florida International University, allowing participating AUA students to complete all of their core clinical rotations, without interruptions, at clinical sites affiliated with FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
  • AUA breaks ground on a campus expansion, bringing the campus to more than 27 acres.
  • AUA sponsors the Tinman Rohr Triathlon in Antigua in honor of the late Jonathan Rohr, an AUA student and triathlete.
  • AUA launches Healthy Perspectives, a health TV series hosted by AUA faculty member Vernon Solomon.
• 2012
  • AUA is provisionally accredited by CAAM-HP.
  • Congressman Elijah Cummings praises AUA for its commitment to graduating underrepresented minorities from medical school in his keynote speech at the university’s commencement ceremony.
  • AUA hosts the first annual Women’s Health Day on campus.
• 2011
  • AUA is recognized by the Medical Board of California (MBC), allowing students to attend clinical clerkships at California teaching hospitals and graduates to apply for residency training and medical licensure in the state. The medical board praised AUA for its state-of-the-art facilities, its U.S.-modeled curriculum, and its exceptional faculty and students.
  • AUA adopts the two-semester academic year calendar, officially mirroring the U.S. medical school schedule.
  • The Educational Enhancement Department (EED) is founded, dedicating itself to improving academic outcomes for AUA students.
• 2010
  • New campus opens with a multistory library, high-speed Wi-Fi, high-tech labs, and more, making it the most modern campus in the Caribbean.
  • Harvey®, the most advanced cardiopulmonary patient simulator, is installed in the high-tech clinical skills lab, augmenting the clinical experience of AUA students.
  • AUA graduates its first official class of entering students – a total of more than 100 new physicians.

   

• 2009
  • Mount St. John’s Medical Centre and AUA form an affiliation, giving students early hands-on clinical experience.
  • The U.S. Naval Ship Comfort arrives in Antigua and teams up with AUA faculty and students to provide training and care as part of its four-month humanitarian and civic assistance mission in the Caribbean.
• 2008
  • Manipal University and AUA unite: their unique partnership ensures that AUA will provide opportunities in global medical education and research.
  • Students hold the first Freedom Fest at AUA, celebrating diversity in medical education and raising thousands of dollars for local charities.
  • AUA and the Rotary Club of Antigua, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Alexandria, VA, conduct the Breast Cancer Awareness and Screening Project in Antigua.
• 2007
  • AUA breaks ground on construction of its 17-acre, state-of-the-art campus.
  • Mayo Clinic teams with AUA College of Medicine to establish the first Emergency Medical Training Center in the Caribbean.
  • The prime minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh; the prime minister of Antigua, the Honorable Baldwin Spencer, and AUA President Neal Simon, all meet in New Delhi. Prime Minister Singh voices his support of AUA, Kasturba Medical College, and global medical education.
• 2006
  • AUA becomes one of a few international medical schools to receive New York State Education Department (NYSED) approval for clinical clerkships and residency training in that state.
  • The first White Coat Ceremony welcomes 65 students into the preclinical program.
• 2005

  The Center for Tropical Diseases, established within the university to research and fight infectious diseases in developing countries, receives a grant from the British High Commission.

• 2004

  AUA is founded with an inaugural class of nine students.