Professor Rainford Wilks was born in Whitfield Town , St. Andrew, but spent his early days in the parishes of St. Catherine, St. Mary and Clarendon. He attended Kingston College from 1966 - 1972, after a 1-year detour through Clarendon College . He was a member of the famed 3G Special, a form comprising boys who skipped second form under an academic experiment by the revered late headmaster, Douglas Forrest.
Rainford was a well-rounded student, excelling in both academics and sports. Some of his outstanding achievements include:
- Head Boy - 1971-1972
- Member of four (4) victorious Boys' Championship teams (aka Champs - track & field)
- Captain of the Schools' Challenge Quiz team
He undertook his tertiary education at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and completed medical school in 1978. Post-medical school training culminated in an earned DM (Internal Medicine) in 1983. Other academic achievements include an MSc in Epidemiology (1984-85) from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), University of London , and MRCP (UK).
Since 1985, he has been at various times a consultant physician (internal medicine) to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and the National Chest Hospital (NCH) and in private practice. As a consultant physician he has taught several generations of medical students and medical residents at the institutions where he has served.
On joining the staff of the UWI's Tropical Metabolism Research Unit (TMRU) as a Lecturer in 1989 he was able to pursue his primary interest in the epidemiology of CVDs in a developing country. Since 1993, in collaboration with local and overseas colleagues, he has described the burden of CVD risk factors in Jamaica , the Caribbean and the African Diaspora, documenting this in several prestigious peer-reviewed journals, in the proceedings of international scientific meetings, in book chapters and other scholarly publications. Through a grant from the British ODA (now DFID) he led the team which demonstrated the poor quality of care of diabetes and hypertension in Jamaica .
Professor Wilks is a prolific writer and presenter. His works have been published in peer-reviewed journals, books and technical reports. He has made over 30 presentations at regional and international meetings in his two areas of research, the epidemiology of the HTLV1 and the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in developing countries.
He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1995, and in 1999 he was elevated to a full professorial chair in epidemiology and director of Epidemiology Research Unit (ERU) within the newly created Tropical Medicine Research Institute (TMRI).
His work has been recognized with:
The UWI Principal's Award for the research project attracting the largest research grant 2006
The University of the West Indies (UWI) Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research Accomplishments in 2005,
Rotary Club of New Kingston/Rotary International
Centennial Award for distinguished professional excellence and outstanding contribution in the field of medicine
The UWI Principal's Award for best research publication in 2001 and 2003
The Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 1997.
He sits on several Boards and Technical Advisory Committees including:
The Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ),
The St. Joseph 's Hospital,
The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO),
The Epidemiology and Research sub-committee of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA)
The Kingston College Development Trust Fund (KCDTF)
The Technical Working Group for the Management of Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus of the Ministry of Health
Rainford epitomizes the quintessential K.C. Old Boy; always finding time, despite the pressures of work, to visit his alma mater and perennially funding many programs without any fanfare.
Professor Wilks and his wife of 24 years, Bridgett Mae (nee Small), are the parents of 3 sons, all of whom attended Kingston College . Rainford is particularly proud that all three represented the school in basketball and that two were student leaders. Rohan, his second son, was Head Boy (2000-2001) making Rainford and Rohan Wilks the only father/son Head Boys in the 81-year history of Kingston College. Dwayne, his second son, was Deputy Head Boy (2004-2005).
By virtue of his sterling academic accomplishments and unwavering support for his alma mater, KCOBA USA, Inc. is extremely proud to honor Professor Rainford J. Wilks at its 23rd Annual Reunion & Awards Dinner.
