DR. CHRISTOPHER ROSE

One doesn t have to meet Christopher Rose in person to determine the measure of the man, in fact just listening to an audio of him reflecting on his life s work truly offers an insight to an intriguing personality intrepid audacious passionate brilliant caring empathetic, patriotic, progressive, enlightened, dynamic this is the essence of a man who understood his assignment in life and will undoubtedly receive that accolade we should all strive to obtain that from the Master Well done, thou good and faithful servant !

A highly complex character, Dr, Rose managed to fuse a love of family, determination to always stick to his family values, a deep and passionate love for his chosen profession, equalled only by his love for his country

Evidenced by his decisions both long and short term, his ability to put others before self was a recurring factor in his life His decision to return to the land of his birth was highly influenced by both patriotism as well as his love for his family fuelled by a strong belief that his son should be brought up in a western environment but most importantly grown to know his roots So, it´s no surprise that the sense of pride portrayed in his voice as he reports that his son having successfully completed university now lives in Japan, as a Jamaican to the core, but making his co

The second driving force in the life of Christopher Rose has always been and continues to be, caring for the people of Jamaica the majority of whom cannot afford private care

The orthopaedic landscape when he joined the faculty of Medical Sciences at the UWI in 1984, saw only six orthopaedic surgeons serving roughly 2 7 million people in Jamaica, at a time when there was only very basic orthopaedic equipment available to treat the large volume of trauma cases He saw the need for competent, dedicated, and compassionate surgeons trained at international standards to meet the needs of patients in the Caribbean

The dreamer became the doer, driven by the belief that the evolution of orthopaedic training and the development of orthopaedics were about the needs and necessitated solutions appropriate to the times clearly there was a need for more to be trained in the field

Dr Christopher Rose, against all odds, succeeded in the establishment of an orthopaedic programme in Jamaica to serve the Caribbean refusing to relinquish the dream in the face of so many challenges and amid the doubts and fears of the less confident and courageous It must have been a lonely route for him to have taken, but he persevered, ever bolstered by a quote from Maya Angelo do your best until you know better when you know better do better

Forever the Renaissance Man, he coupled his foresight to recognize the need to get together as a group of professionals and organize against the background of shared needs with a love for entertaining and camaraderie So an idea led to an invitation to several of his colleagues to get together for a Lyme and eventually led to the birth of the Jamaica Orthopaedics Association in

Formally retired from UWI, Dr Rose continues to give tremendous assistance in the field by doing what he does best teaching as well as providing orthopaedic care to his patients at his vibrant orthopaedics practice in Kingston, Jamaica

Ever the philosopher and thinker he believes that where he is now in life and what he has achieved has a lot to do with where he has come from He acknowledges that his roots his family and the values they have instilled in him have been a significant influence in his life

And he succinctly but fervently ended his reflection, by sharing that whatever I have achieved in this life, I owe to the Almighty, my family especially my wife for her continued love and support, and to my colleagues for their constructive criticisms and support

As demonstrated by the sheer volume of work, dedication, and commitment evident in the development and evolution of the orthopaedics landscape in Jamaica detailed in the following article authored by Dr Rose, one would be hard put to distinguish between the individual Christopher Rose and the Orthopaedics Field in Jamaica

They are both joined at the hip and cannot be detached!

It is safe to say that Dr Christopher Rose understood his assignment and delivered

The orthopaedic landscape in 1984 when I joined the Faculty of Medical Sciences of The University of the West Indies, was that of six orthopaedic surgeons who served 2 6 million people in Jamaica and theywereallsituatedinKingston,thecapitalofJamaica