Jamaican economist Dr Nadine McCloud among eight UWI scholars promoted to professor

Jamaican economist Dr Nadine McCloud, a member of Bank of Jamaica's Monetary Policy Committee and a leading figure in Caribbean economic research, is among eight University of the West Indies (UWI) academics promoted to the rank of professor. 

 “Their appointments reflect excellence in scholarly work and sustained, practical contributions to fields spanning veterinary public health, econometrics, development economics, international relations, applied mathematics, clinical psychology, music, and psychiatry,” the university said in a statement on Monday.

Professorship is the highest academic ranks at the university. Six of the eight newly appointed professors are women. 

McCloud, who is now Professor of Applied Econometrics at the Mona Campus in Jamaica, has been described by assessors as a scholar who "poses exciting and challenging empirical problems in applied economics, designs elegant and theoretically grounded methodologies to address them, and translates these advances into high-value applications."

McCloud has lectured in the Department of Economics since 2008 and served as its head from 2019 to 2023. She has held visiting appointments at Cornell University as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar, and at the University of Miami, Purdue University, Humboldt University of Berlin, and Xiamen University in China.

Her research, drawing on Bayesian hierarchical modelling, synthetic control estimation, and semiparametric systems of equations, examines the intersections of macroeconomic policy, governance, and international capital flows.

She has accumulated more than 400 Google Scholar citations, with publications in several journals, including International Economic Review, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A, Journal of Macroeconomics, Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, Journal of Applied Econometrics, and Economic Modelling.

Beyond academia, Professor McCloud co-founded the Jamaican Economy Panel and led the establishment of the Caribbean's first Fiscal Research Centre at Mona.

Other appointments include Professor Michael Campbell, a psychologist and global mental health scholar whose research examines climate-related trauma, disaster mental health, and wellbeing in small island developing states. He is based at the Cave Hill Campus. 

Professor Nagarani Ponakala, also promoted, is a mathematician specialising in fluid dynamics and biomedical modelling. Her work focuses on physiological systems such as blood flow and oxygen transport, with applications in medical science and engineering. She is based at the Mona Campus. 

In the arts, scholar Jeannine Remy was recognised as Professor of Music for her internationally acclaimed contributions to steelpan music, composition, and cultural preservation. She is noted for her pioneering work in steelband arranging and her extensive output of compositions and academic publications documenting the evolution of Caribbean music traditions.

Veterinary epidemiologist Professor Karla Georges of the St Augustine Campus was promoted for her work in One Health approaches, particularly in zoonotic disease surveillance and regional public health systems. She has led initiatives across the Caribbean aimed at strengthening responses to vector-borne diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

Professor Preeya Mohan, also from St Augustine and one of the youngest professors appointed, was promoted for her work in development economics and climate finance. Her research applies advanced quantitative methods to measure the economic impact of extreme weather events and policy interventions across the Caribbean. She has also contributed to international climate assessment work through involvement with global scientific panels.

Political scientist Professor Theodor Tudoroiu, who is also from St Augustine, has been recognised for his extensive research on geopolitics, democratisation, and global development. His work includes major contributions on China’s role in the Global South and international political transformation.

The university also announced the retroactive promotion of Dr Nelleen Baboolal to Professor of Psychiatry, recognising her longstanding contributions to mental health research and clinical practice. Her work on dementia and cognitive decline in Trinidad and Tobago has been widely cited as foundational in Caribbean psychiatric research.

Baboolal, who retired in 2023, was credited with helping to train dozens of psychiatrists and shaping national mental health services through both teaching and clinical leadership. Her landmark studies on ageing and cognition provided some of the first population-level dementia data in the region.

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