Vincentian Psychologist lands McGill Queen Elizabeth Scholars Research Internship

Andrea Gaymes, a psychologist and counsellor at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 McGill Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QES) Internship Award.

Gaymes is the sole Vincentian selected from the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus, joining a regional cohort of five other scholars from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, representing the UWI Cave Hill and St. Augustine Campuses, as they embark on their academic journey to McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The programme will run for a 90-day period, from June to September, 2025, after which students will return to their respective campuses to complete the final phase of their research projects.

The internship is part of the Climate Adaptation and Resilient Communities: Policy, Research and Practice programme. A release on her behalf said Gaymes will work on the EnGen Project (Enabling Intergenerational Connections to Promote Mental Health and Co-Develop Climate Change Solutions), under the guidance of Dr. Jura Augustinavicius at McGill University. The project focuses on strengthening mental health and resilience through inter-generational collaboration in the face of climate challenges.

Gaymes is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) at UWI Cave Hill, supervised by Dr Janice Cumberbatch. She has over 15 years of experience in psychology, disaster mental health and psychosocial support. Her participation in the QES programme reinforces the essential link between mental health and environmental resilience. It marks a significant step in her mission to serve vulnerable communities through evidence-based, climate-informed psychosocial interventions, the release points out. This programme exemplifies the University’s commitment to providing students with opportnities to enhance their academic and professional skills, advance climate resilience in the region, and strengthen capacity in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).