Matthews Honored by Barbados for Outstanding Service
Dr. N. Shaun Matthews, clinical associate professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, was honored by the government of Barbados with the Barbados Golden Jubilee Award.
The Barbados Golden Jubilee Award recognizes persons from Barbados who have lived and worked in the United Kingdom and have performed outstanding service in their profession. Matthews, a native of Barbados, was selected for this honor because of his service to the people of Barbados through this work in the United Kingdom in medicine and surgery.
“I am extremely honored to have received this award, as part of the 50th anniversary of independence of my home country, Barbados,” said Matthews. “For such a small island in the Caribbean that boasts the pop star Rhianna as its most famous export to have produced so many individuals who have excelled internationally in their field of endeavor is a real tribute to the educational system on the island. I am enormously proud to be a Bajan and hope to continue my charity work on the island for many years to come”.
Matthews received the award at the Savoy Hotel in London, England in late October. The ceremony that evening was part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of independence of Barbados, which was celebrated officially on November 30. Prime Minister of Barbados Freundel Stuart and Sir Garfield Sobers, a Barbados cricket legend who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the sport, presented Matthews with the honor.
After receiving all his education through high school on the island, Matthews ventured to United Kingdom for his university studies: first dentistry in Scotland, then medicine in London. He spent three years as a resident in general surgery and general medicine followed by five years doing oral and maxillofacial surgery. At the completion of his training, he was appointed consultant at Hammersmith Hospitals. Three years later, he was appointed Consultant at King’s College Hospital in London where he remained for nine years.
During his time at King’s College Hospital, Matthews developed an interest in TMJ problems and created an interdisciplinary group with pain specialists, surgeons, psychiatrists, physiotherapists, restorative dentists, maxillofacial prosthetists and others to provide comprehensive care for this population. This team is the only comprehensive unit of its type in the entire UK.
Matthews is a well-known thought leader in oral and maxillofacial surgery and has been published widely in international journals. He maintains membership in a number of professional organizations, including the American Society of TMJ Surgeons, and has lectured and presented abstracts at numerous professional meetings.