Professor Susan P. Walker, Emeritus Professor of Nutrition at the UWI’s Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR), and Dr Susan M. Chang-Lopez, Senior Lecturer at CAIHR, received the 2026 Yidan Prize for Education Development with longtime collaborator Professor Sally Grantham-McGregor, Emeritus Professor at University College London.

Dorothy K. Gordon, head of the Yidan Prize for Education Development Judging Panel, said the three researchers “have reshaped global education” by producing strong empirical evidence demonstrating the relationship between early stimulation, learning before formal schooling, and outcomes later in life.

Professor Susan P. Walker, who served as CAIHR Director from 2012 to 2020, said the work is intended to ensure children have supportive environments during the earliest stages of their lives. “Our vision is to ensure children have early environments that support their development, the foundation for success at school and across the life course,” Susan Walker said.

Dr Susan M. Chang-Lopez said the award recognizes decades of research conducted in Jamaica and in collaboration with international partners. “The [Yidan Prize] is a public recognition of over 40 years of research conducted here in Jamaica and with partners worldwide. It is an acknowledgement of our life’s work,” she said.

CAIHR Director Professor Marshall Tulloch-Reid congratulated the researchers, saying the recognition demonstrates the broader impact of the institute’s work. “This achievement underscores the real-world impact of our research and aligns with the mission of CAIHR to enhance the health and well-being of Caribbean and global populations, through innovative research and strategic partnerships,” he said.

Read the full article published in the Caribbean National Weekly on 13 September 2026.