Professor Shamir Omar Cawich is a leading Caribbean hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgeon, surgical innovator, and academic leader whose career has significantly shaped surgical practice, education, and health systems development across the region. He is a Full Professor of Liver and Pancreas Surgery at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine, and an Attending HPB Surgeon at both the Port of Spain General Hospital and Westshore Private Hospital in Trinidad & Tobago.

A distinguished regional and international leader, Professor Cawich served as President of the Caribbean College of Surgeons (2023–2025) and President of the AHPBA Caribbean Chapter (2023–2024). He was recently elected President of the Americas Hepatopancreatobiliary Association (2025–2026)—a landmark achievement for a Caribbean surgeon. He is also a Full Member of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and has held leadership roles within PAHO/WHO, NCCN, and multiple international surgical bodies.

Professor Cawich has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, led major regional guideline initiatives, developed HPB and minimally invasive surgery training programs, and pioneered new surgical services—including creating Trinidad & Tobago’s first dedicated HPB service and founding multiple oncology and disaster-response surgical committees.

As an educator, he has mentored generations of surgeons across the Caribbean, UWI campuses, Guyana, and Morehouse School of Medicine. His achievements in academic scholarship, clinical innovation, and regional capacity-building make him an invaluable member of the Hamilton University Advisory Group and a transformative voice in Caribbean surgical advancement.