​​The Chevy Chase community has been home to the official residence of the Jamaica Ambassador to Washington DC for decades.

​Reception hosts Gary Helminskie and Jennifer Iras opened their home to the members of the close-knit community who gathered to officially meet and convey their good wishes to the ambassador.

To mark the occasion, the Iras family proudly flew the Jamaican flag outside their home, paid homage to Jamaica through the songs of Bob Marley, and decked their home with black, green and gold decor. In response, Ambassador Marks, dressed in red, white and blue in honour of her hosts.

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​Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Audrey Marks, has lauded the organisers of the Jamaica David “Wagga” Hunt Scholarship fund for providing US$66,000 in support to students at Calabar High and Kingston College over the past eight years.

“Through the unwavering efforts of committee members to preserve the distinguished name and legacy of David Hunt, an exemplary graduate of Kingston College and highly successful sports administrator at Calabar High, several young male students have been afforded the opportunity to pursue their dreams and chart a course for their future,” she said.

​She was delivering the keynote address at the sixth annual fundraising ball for the scholarship held at the National Education Association Atrium in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 14.

CONGRATULATIONS to Jamaican-born Dr. Dale Abel, DEO of Internal Medicine and Director of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, on his recent appointment to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Abel will serve a four-year term that began in November 2016. The council advises and consults with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of the NHLBI on matters relating to the cause, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases. This group meets four times a year and reviews applications and makes recommendations on research and training grants in addition to other funding and operational activities.
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Dr. Abel has also been elected to the American Clinical and Climatological Association (ACCA). His formal induction to this 133-year-old organization will occur in October 2017. The ACCA’s membership seeks to improve national medical education, research, and practice, focusing particularly on the effects of global climate change on health and epidemiological medicine.

Source: University of Iowa