2023 Laureates

Our 2023 Laureates:

Dr. Adesh Sirjusingh, women’s health doctor from Trinidad and Tobago (Public & Civic Contributions)

Joanne C. Hillhouse, author from Antigua & Barbuda (Arts & Letters)

Dr Mahendra Persaud, plant scientist from Guyana (Science & Technology).

Joanne C. Hillhouse, Arts & Letters

Joanne Hillhouse is one of Antigua and Barbuda’s foremost contemporary writers. She is the author of seven books: two novellas, an adult contemporary novel, a teen/young adult novel, and three children’s picture books. She resides in Antigua and has said: “The Antigua I write about is the Antigua I live and breathe every day, and I write it as we experience it, now.” 

Much of Antigua’s literary culture rests on the author’s shoulders. She runs the non-profit, Wadadli Pen, which organises a range of activities to support local writers and awards an annual prize. Her service to the literary arts also includes a newspaper column, a blog, and her longtime participation in the Cushion Club, reading to children.  

The 50-year-old writer was the first runner-up for the coveted Burt Award for Young Adult Caribbean Literature in 2014, for her manuscript Musical Youth, which was published later that year. She has also won the David Hough literary prize, awarded to writers working in the Caribbean. Her work has been published in international journals, including Columbia Review and PEN America.  

Her books include The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, and Oh Gad! Caribbean writer and critic, UWI Professor Emeritus Mervyn Morris, says of her: “Joanne Hillhouse deserves to be better known. I believe that as the word spreads, she will be recognised as an important Caribbean writer doing distinctive work.” 

Dr. Adesh Sirjusingh, Public & Civic Contributions

Dr. Adesh Sirjusingh is an obstetrician/gynaecologist whose contribution to women’s health in T&T includes administrative oversight of a reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality rates, well ahead of targets set by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.  

His volunteer community work at health fairs and in far-flung parts of the country is testament to a public servant who goes way beyond his duty. A strong believer in public empowerment, he has produced countless brochures educating women, in simple language, on health issues they might be uncomfortable to ask about.  

Dr. Sirjusingh is Director of Women’s Health at the Ministry of Health – the first and only person to hold the post. The 55-year-old specialist doctor is noted for the originality of his achievements in public healthcare system management, consistently devising creative ways to problem-solve.  

Earlier in his career, he was responsible for the transformation of the under-equipped Sangre Grande Hospital into a modern training hospital offering quality care. Under his stewardship, the hospital was able to offer specialist care to women 24 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning that many no longer had to travel long distances for quality care.  

Dr. Sirjusingh has worked in the public health system for over 30 years. Beyond his push for public education and doctor training, he makes time to hold free clinics for the people of eastern Trinidad, where he grew up. 

Dr. Mahendra Persaud, Science & Technology

Dr. Mahendra Persaud is an agriculture researcher whose development of high-yield, flood-tolerant and disease-resistant rice varieties has increased rice production in Guyana. He is Guyana’s leading plant breeder, credited with transforming the fortunes of his nation’s rice farmers and ensuring the country a place in the competitive international rice market. 

The 49-year-old is Chief Scientist at the Guyana Rice Development Board’s Rice Research Station at Burma, where he oversees a team of research scientists, technicians and labourers. He and his team have developed 13 varieties of rice. Under his leadership, national average rice yields have increased by 50%. It is estimated that 85% of Guyana’s rice cultivation is planted with his team’s rice varieties. 

Breeding rice by conventional methods of hybridisation rather than genetic manipulation, it often takes 5 to 10 years of painstaking work to develop a new variety. One of Dr. Persaud’s major achievements has been development of a variety that is resistant to the blast fungus, responsible for devastating rice crop losses worldwide.  

Beyond research, he has produced field manuals to help farmers with production. He regularly attends international conferences and has co-authored 12 publications in peer-reviewed journals. 

Dr. Persaud has been awarded Guyana’s Golden Arrow of Achievement for “outstanding research.” Cognizant of the effects of climate change, he is currently working on plans to develop drought-resistant and salt-tolerant rice varieties.