May Pen is set to welcome the Global University of Medical Sciences (GUMS) when the institution officially unveils its main campus in Clarendon on August 1.The university, which will also have an overseas campus in Lagos, Nigeria, is expected to begin offering programmes in January 2027, with student intake scheduled annually.The May Pen campus will initially focus on postgraduate dentistry, a field that Professor Everard Barton, the university’s academic leader, says is not currently available in the English-speaking Caribbean outside of programmes offered through the International Postgraduate Medical College (IPMC).IPMC was established 15 years ago by members of the team involved in GUMS.“The Dental Teaching Hospital will complement the dental programmes to be launched,” Barton said. “This will be the first dental hospital in Jamaica and the second in the English-speaking Caribbean next to the one in Mount Hope in Trinidad and Tobago.”The hospital, to be housed in a building called the Legacy Building, will have at least 50 dental operatories and will be dedicated to teaching and patient care.The facility will also feature suites named after prominent figures in dentistry and medicine, including Professor Jon Suzuki, who served for 12 years as dean of the Dental Faculty at Temple University in the United States and is a consultant with the Food and Drug Administration.The official unveiling of the hospital will form part of the launch activities on August 1. Mayor of May Pen Joel Williams is expected to unveil the sign for GUMS, while International College of Dentists (ICD) global president Dr Julio Rodriguez and Suzuki will unveil the sign for the Dental Teaching Hospital of Jamaica.A separate polyclinic and administrative building will be dedicated to Professor Kenneth Judy, described by Barton as an inspiration behind the establishment of IPMC and GUMS.The formal legal handover of IPMC, which has been acquired by GUMS, is also scheduled for the launch.Barton said the university was the culmination of a long-standing vision shared by himself and GUMS founder Dr Christopher Ogunsalu to establish a medical and dental education institution capable of competing with similar institutions internationally.“We have to think outside the box, we have to walk on the cutting edge, we have to strive to be different positively in the advancement of medical and dental education,” Barton said.The campus is the first indigenous university campus in Clarendon and is expected to add to the parish’s development plans for an area designated Campus Square by the municipal corporation.The university’s governing body includes businessman William Iton, Bishop Garth Minott, Dr Delroy Fray and Dr Dagogo Pepple. The late Stanford Moore was also a member before his death.The launch will also include the second convocation of the ICD in Jamaica and the Caribbean.Rodriguez, ICD regent Dr Coretta Fergus and ICD registrar for the English-speaking Caribbean Dr Irvin McKenzie are expected to participate in the event, during which several dentists will receive Fellowships of the International College of Dentists.Barton said Williams will also receive an Honorary Fellowship of the International College of Dentists in recognition of his contribution to dentistry and support for the development of GUMS.editorial@gleanerjm.com