Seminars and Conferences

Internationally renowned Jamaican trailblazers, Dr. Ellen Campbell Grizzle, CD and Diana McIntyre-Pike, OD are featured presenters at Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) sponsored event

Washington, DC. (November 14, 2020) The Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS), presents two trailblazing stalwarts from the Jamaican community at its INVEST CARIBBEAN: Farm the Future conference November 20-21, 2020.

Dr. Ellen Campbell Grizzle CD, MSc, PhD, RPh, Associate Professor, College of Health Sciences, The University of Technology (UTECH) and Diana McIntyre-Pike, OD, BSc Community Tourism Consultant/Trainer and President of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism and President/Founder of the Country style Community Tourism Network.

Both women are internationally renowned for their work on behalf of Jamaica and international communities. They are equally significant contributors to Jamaica’s National Development Plan, Vision 2030. Dr. Grizzle is a researcher, behaviour change communication specialist, and registered pharmacist with over 40 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Among her many responsibilities, includes managing several grants as part of her service and research portfolio at UTECH, and is the University’s’ focal point for developing a Medical Cannabis Enterprise that fosters research and aims to attract funding to benefit the academic institution and the communities it serves. Her presentation focus at the Invest Caribbean Farm the Future conference will be on identifying Cannabis investment opportunities in Westmoreland, Jamaica for interested investors from the US, UK, Canadian Caribbean Diasporas, as well as other global investment communities.

Fresh on the heels of being named a global pioneer on Community Based Tourism, by the International Hall of Tourism Heroes along with Hon. Edmund Bartlett,Jamaican Minister of Tourism, Diana McIntyre Pike, OD, is directing her presentation to identify opportunities for the Jamaican Diaspora to invest in rural community development through her award-winning Villages as Businesses Program. Educated in England, Germany and Jamaica in Hotel, Tourism and Environmental Management, she has 40 plus years experience. Diana is currently promoting community tourism development in Orange Bay, Westmoreland in addition to other communities island-wide. She has developed the Villages as Businesses programme to empower member villages, through tour design, training, management and marketing support, to profit from community tourism. Diana has been working with the Orange Bay community for the past few years and with local leaders who are benefiting from the programme. A key aspect of the development is the Community Tourism Hospitality Entrepreneurship 5 day training through Country style Academy for Community Tourism (ACT) which will be discussed in her presentation.

While the world has rediscovered the medicinal value of cannabis, Jamaica has been using medical products from Cannabis sativa and indica for many years. Many scholarly articles have been published describing the medicinal properties of the herb and how it can be utilized as part of a therapeutic regiment This is the formal scientific investigative process of which Dr. Grizzle leads at UTECH to help support the development of this industry. Dr. Grizzle will present on the opportunities in Westmoreland for Cannabis investment. She will detail how medicinal cannabis ought to be considered a new horizon for Jamaican cultivators, and that more should be done to protect the industry from toxic overseas infiltration by means of investors with intent to exploit. Dr. Grizzle is seeking to identify opportunities for collaboration with members of the Diaspora on a number of projects currently underway in Westmoreland.

Register for Free: https://smartcaribbean.today/

Saturday November 21, 2020

Diana McIntyre Pike, OD Time: 9am EST

Dr. Ellen Campbell-Grizzle, CD Time: 11am EST

About Institute of Caribbean Studies: The Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization established in 1993, dedicated to education, advocacy and action on issues that impact on Caribbean -Americans. The purpose of the Institute is to provide a forum for the public and private sector, the non-government organization community, scholars and others interested in promoting a dialogue; and assist in the execution of actions that result from that dialogue. Since its inception, ICS has been on the forefront of the challenge to bring attention to the issues of critical importance to the Caribbean American community.