About

The Grenada Medical and Dental Council (“GMDC”) was established in 2010 by the Health Practitioner’s Act. Pursuant to the Act, the Grenada Ministry of Health appoints Council members to carry out GMDC’s responsibilities to oversee “educational institutions with respect to the education of persons in the practice of the medical or dental profession” and “to promote high standards in the practice of medicine and dentistry” in Grenada. In 2017, the Grenada Parliament Cabinet formally adopted Resolution #1583, authorizing GMDC to “take the necessary steps to develop a new accreditation system to accredit medical schools in Grenada and to begin the work to perform this necessary function.” In March 2019, the Grenadian Parliament amended the Health Practitioner’s Act, granting GMDC the authority to accredit medical schools operating in Grenada. The 2019 amendment authorizes GMDC to undertake all activities necessary to evaluate, accredit, and monitor medical schools in Grenada, and prohibits any person or institution from advertising, conducting courses, or delivering services of a medical doctor degree program unless accredited by GMDC. In addition to the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education provides professional and administrative support to GMDC in its accreditation capacity.

In December 2019, the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (“NCFMEA”) determined that the standards and processes for accreditation used by the Ministries of Education and Health in order for GMDC to accredit medical schools were comparable to those applied to medical schools in the United States. The most recent NCFMEA Decision is available here.

In 2022, The World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) provided recognition status to the GMDC until September 2032. This means that graduates from GMDC-accredited institutions can practice medicine in the United States and Canada as long as they are successful in the requisite examinations and certifications. You can view the WFME certificate here.

Governing Body Members

The current GMDC governing body members are featured below.

The current GMDC Accreditation staff is featured below.

Dr George Mitchell served as the Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, Social Security and International Business (MOHSSIB) in Grenada a position he has occupied for five years. He acted in the post for two years prior to his confirmation in 2014. After graduating from the University of Havana, Cuba in 1990, Dr Mitchell completed a one year internship at the General Hospital in St George. Two years later he served at the District level as a District Medical Officer before he became Senior Medical Officer in 2010 with responsibility for Chronic Non Communicable Diseases, Primary Health Care and provided direct supervision of the District Medical Officers throughout the country. He also holds a Diploma and a Masters degree in Dermatology from the University of Cardiff, Wales and a Masters in Public Health from the St. George’s University (SGU). He also taught medical bio-ethics and physiology in the Clinical Skills department at SGU.

In his current role Dr Mitchell is the chief policy advisor to the MOHSSIB on all health related matters. He represents the MOHSSIB on several committees including the Grenada Medical and Dental Council, the Allied Health Professionals Council, the Pharmacy Council, the Nursing Council, and the Pesticide Control Board.

Dr Mitchell also represents the MOHSSIB on many regional bodies including the Technical Advisory Committee of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Medical Education and other Professionals (CAAM-HP), and CARPHA Board. He also represented the MOHSSIB on the PAHO Executive Board. He represents the MOHSSIB in international health related forums and in Focal Point for the International Health Regulations (IHR) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Dr Mitchell has participated in several research projects and publications. Dr Mitchell reads and speaks fluent Spanish.

Prior to assuming his role as Associate Executive Director at GMDC, Dr. Mahoney served as the Associate Dean for Medical Education and Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.  For 20 years, he led the daily operations of the School’s medical student curriculum while facilitating ongoing development of curriculum innovations.

As an expert in programmatic quality assurance and accreditation, curriculum development, and international medical education, Dr. Mahoney has provided specialized consultations to institutions in Europe, the Near East and throughout the United States. He is the principal at Mahoney Education Consulting. His medical school accreditation experience includes over 40 actual and mock survey visits and consultations. While at University of Pittsburgh, he led the medical education program through three LCME visits.  

While at Pittsburgh, he led changes in medical education methodology and content related to simulation as a teaching tool, pandemic and bioterrorism preparedness, population health, and social determinants of health.

Dr. Mahoney was one of the key leaders in the University of Pittsburgh’s partnership to develop an innovative new US-style medical school at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan.  Dr. Mahoney was honored with the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement, recognizing his impactful contributions to advancing cultural competence and global thinking in healthcare and education. He received the Association for Medical Education in Europe’s Patil Award for best research presentation in 2007.

Dr. Mahoney earned his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh.  He completed his internship at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, the emergency medicine residency at George Washington / Georgetown University Hospitals, and the Emergency Medicine Foundation / ACEP Teaching Fellowship. He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians   and a member of Alpha Omega Alpha.  Prior to entering medical school, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, and Master of Science degree in Bioengineering, both from the Polytechnic Institute of New York.