2023 Scholarship Student at Akita University – Melanie Griffith-Quintyne
2023/4/5
Bonjour Tout Moun!
My name is Melanie Griffith-Quintyne. I am a 31 year old Medical doctor from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia and I am a proud recipient of the 2023 MEXT (Monbu-Kagaku-Sho) Scholarship.
My love for science has been with me for as long as I can remember. Experimenting and learning how things worked brought a sense of fulfilment for me. Without hesitation, I embarked on my academic journey to obtain my Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry with Chemistry (minor) from the University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus in Barbados.
My research interests began during my undergraduate studies and continued to grow as I became captivated by all aspects of medicine. I went on to pursue a Medical Degree at the I-Shou University Medical Campus in Kaohsiung Taiwan. This is where my love for Asian culture, cuisine and education began. I learnt a lot about Japanese culture and its influence on neighboring countries. I learnt about its strong educational structure and delicious food. Since then, I have desired to live in Japan as an international student one day.
Upon my return to Saint Lucia I completed a medical internship and became a licensed medical physician. I was deployed to the respiratory hospital to assist in the fight against the COVID-19 virus which was wreaking havoc on my small developing nation at the time. From there, I worked at the emergency department of the main public hospital in Saint Lucia.
Throughout my experience as a medical physician, I gained a vast amount of knowledge. Amongst these, I learnt that the health of a people is only as good as the quality of the general public health services and that the understanding of one’s disease and factors which prevent this disease is the key to unlocking better individual health. As much as the soldiers on the frontline are essential, so too are the ones battling disease prevention and health promotion among those most vulnerable.
I knew that my academic journey was not over. I yearned to pursue doctoral studies in Public Health. Applying for the MEXT Scholarship was a key step in this journey. I am so delighted and grateful to have been granted this opportunity to fulfil my dreams. With the skills gained during my PhD and knowledge of the public health systems in Japan, my goal is to become one of the pioneers of change in Saint Lucia's Public Health System and that of the Caribbean.
I look forward to learning the language and communicating with Japanese friends. I aspire to be an ambassador for my country by sharing my culture and cuisine in exchange for experiencing life in Japan. I will return home, to help foster international co-operation between the two countries in the field of healthcare and public health.
I want to thank my family, friends, my academic advisor at Akita University, Japanese government (MEXT) and The Embassy of Japan in Trinidad and Tobago for helping me along my journey.
MEXT Scholarship Series: 2023 Scholarship Student at Akita University (Japanese Embassy Facebook)
MEXT Scholarship Series Archives
My name is Melanie Griffith-Quintyne. I am a 31 year old Medical doctor from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia and I am a proud recipient of the 2023 MEXT (Monbu-Kagaku-Sho) Scholarship.
My love for science has been with me for as long as I can remember. Experimenting and learning how things worked brought a sense of fulfilment for me. Without hesitation, I embarked on my academic journey to obtain my Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry with Chemistry (minor) from the University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus in Barbados.
My research interests began during my undergraduate studies and continued to grow as I became captivated by all aspects of medicine. I went on to pursue a Medical Degree at the I-Shou University Medical Campus in Kaohsiung Taiwan. This is where my love for Asian culture, cuisine and education began. I learnt a lot about Japanese culture and its influence on neighboring countries. I learnt about its strong educational structure and delicious food. Since then, I have desired to live in Japan as an international student one day.
Upon my return to Saint Lucia I completed a medical internship and became a licensed medical physician. I was deployed to the respiratory hospital to assist in the fight against the COVID-19 virus which was wreaking havoc on my small developing nation at the time. From there, I worked at the emergency department of the main public hospital in Saint Lucia.
Throughout my experience as a medical physician, I gained a vast amount of knowledge. Amongst these, I learnt that the health of a people is only as good as the quality of the general public health services and that the understanding of one’s disease and factors which prevent this disease is the key to unlocking better individual health. As much as the soldiers on the frontline are essential, so too are the ones battling disease prevention and health promotion among those most vulnerable.
I knew that my academic journey was not over. I yearned to pursue doctoral studies in Public Health. Applying for the MEXT Scholarship was a key step in this journey. I am so delighted and grateful to have been granted this opportunity to fulfil my dreams. With the skills gained during my PhD and knowledge of the public health systems in Japan, my goal is to become one of the pioneers of change in Saint Lucia's Public Health System and that of the Caribbean.
I look forward to learning the language and communicating with Japanese friends. I aspire to be an ambassador for my country by sharing my culture and cuisine in exchange for experiencing life in Japan. I will return home, to help foster international co-operation between the two countries in the field of healthcare and public health.
I want to thank my family, friends, my academic advisor at Akita University, Japanese government (MEXT) and The Embassy of Japan in Trinidad and Tobago for helping me along my journey.
MEXT Scholarship Series: 2023 Scholarship Student at Akita University (Japanese Embassy Facebook)
MEXT Scholarship Series Archives