JAMAICA’S science and technology czar, Professor Errol Morrison, is to receive a honorary doctorate in science from the International Biographical Centre (IBC) based in Cambridge, England.

Professor Morrison, a renowned educator, biomedical scientist and diabetologist, is a former president of the University of Technology (UTech). He is also advisor to Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller on science, and was named the first director-general of the National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST) in 2014.

The NCST was established in 1993 and is a broad-based, cross-sectoral national advisory body to the government on policies and strategies relating to science and technology.

The IBC honour is only conferred after a thorough evaluation of each candidate’s qualifications by the members of the IBC Research and Advisory Board, and is made to selected noteworthy individuals across the globe in recognition of their lifetime accomplishments.

Professor Morrison co-founded the Diabetes Association of Jamaica, a private, voluntary, non-profit, non-governmental organisation which has been responsible for developing and implementing a plan for the treatment and education of Jamaican diabetics, and for providing education on diabetes prevention and care to the public.

Professor Morris described the recognition from the IBC as a “crowning glory for a life’s dedication to the sciences”.

“(It is) also kudos to the scientific community here in Jamaica, for note that all my work was done here and in the Caribbean and had worldwide repercussions,” he added.

In addition to being holder of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) and recently appointed honorary consul to Namibia, Professor Morrison is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, all UK-based institutions.

He is also a fellow of the International College of Dentistry; the Institute of Management, Jamaica; and, the American College of Physicians.

He has served on several international boards and has authored more than 200 peer reviewed scholarly articles, written numerous monographs and 20 books.

Despite being criticised by some sectors for its selection process, the International Biographical Centre, of Cambridge is regarded a leader in biographical publishing.