To mark its golden anniversary, Biomedical Caledonia Medical Laboratory has launched a scholarship programme to help a final-year medical technology student at the University of Technology complete his/her studies.

Felicia Sylvester holds the honour of being the first recipient.

The presentation took place during the laboratory’s recent staff awards gala, held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

Managing Director of the lab Barbara Hendriks said, “our 50th anniversary has not only been a time of reflecting on our achievements, but also a time of looking ahead to see how we can contribute to the future of the industry. We believe one of the best ways to contribute to our industry is to invest in our young people. ”Congratulations, Felicia, and welcome to the Biomedical family.”

It was a fitting gesture from the woman who, having started her professional journey as a medical technologist over 48 years ago, now leads the team at Biomedical.

That was the chief take-away of the ceremony for Sylvester.

“The highlight of the ceremony for me is the fact that Managing Director Mrs Barbara Hendriks has been at Biomedical for 48 years. That is very admirable and makes me look forward to how far my career in medical technology can and will take me,” she said.

The scholarship provides $350,000 towards the completion of the medical technology programme. The expectation is that this financial aid will continue in the foreseeable future.