New Amsterdam-born radiologist remembers her alma mater
Stabroek News
November 21, 2003
New Amsterdam-born Dr. Bernice Peters-Griffith is now an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Yale Medical Centre and attending Radiologist at Fairfax Radiological Consultants in the United States. Recently, she remembered her alma mater and awarded bursaries to three outstanding students of All Saints Primary School on Princess Elizabeth Road in New Amsterdam. The bursaries were in the form of books, school uniforms and three bicycles.
Dr. Peters was born to William and Ada Bacchus-Peters as the eldest of four children and grew up in Essex and Nicholay Streets. She secured a place at the prestigious Berbice High School and then went on to Bishops' High School, then an all-girls institution, where she performed with distinction at the General Certificate of Education Examinations (GCE) at the "O" and "A" Levels. On completion of her secondary education she briefly joined the teaching profession at Vryman's Erven Community High in New Amsterdam.
Her burning desire was however, to help the sick and the needy so she kept her eyes and mind on a medical career. Moving in this direction she entered the Medical Technology Programme at the University of Guyana in 1974. On completion of this programme, Peters-Griffith migrated to the United States and entered Mt. Sinai Medical School from where she graduated as a medical doctor.
Following her graduation, she undertook post-graduate studies at North Shore University, Cornell and her Fellowship in Body-imaging at Yale University Medical Centre. Despite her success Dr. Peters-Griffith has not lost interest in her homeland and continues to contribute to a number of charitable institutions and activities in her adopted homeland. While at Berbice High School she participated in several extra-curricular activities, including sport and drama, and will be remembered as one of the more affable and endearing students on the school's campus. (Daniel Da Costa)