The American University of Integrative Sciences (AUIS), is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

for-profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

offshore medical school An offshore medical school is a medical school that caters "primarily to foreign ( American and Canadian citizens) students, wishing to practice medicine in the US and Canada" according to the World Bank, compared to local schools that focus on thei ...

with a single campus located in Barbados. Founded in 1999, it was formerly known as the University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine (USESOM). For a period, the school was based in

Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region of North America. With a population of 58,477 as of June 2023 on an area of , it encompasses ...

, where it was taken over by IEMR LLC, a US-based company. Since October 2017, AUIS has operated in Barbados, and it is currently a candidate for accreditation by the

Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions The Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) is an accrediting body for the education programmes and schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing and other health profession ...

(CAAM-HP).

History

The school was founded in 1999 as the University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine, by a group of educators and administrators including Dr. David Gill, former president of St. Christopher's College of Medicine. With the island of

Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius, known locally as Statia, is an island in the Caribbean. It is a Caribbean Netherlands, special municipality (officially "Public body (Netherlands), public body") of the Netherlands. The island is in the northern Leeward Islands ...

becoming part of the

Caribbean Netherlands The Caribbean Netherlands (, ) is a geographic region of the Netherlands located outside of Europe, in the Caribbean, consisting of three special municipalities. These are the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (island), Saba,"Bonair ...

in 2010, the University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine was required to seek accreditation from the

Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (; NVAO) is the independent educational accreditation organisation for higher education institutions in the Netherlands and Flanders. It was established by international treaty by the Du ...

(NVAO). In November 2008, the university's doctor of medicine (M.D.) program was assessed with unsatisfactory results. In 2011, the school was given a two-year extension, but failed to attain NVAO accreditation by the deadline of September 2013. As a result, the University of Sint Eustatius was not allowed to continue operating in the Caribbean Netherlands. At the time, the school was run by Michael Knopf and his daughter, Irene Weinstein. In September 2013, the school relocated operations to Cole Bay on the Caribbean island of

, and eventually went bankrupt, with a debt of $700,000. By September 2014, it was owned and operated by IEMR, LLC, led by CEO Milo Pinckney, and changed its name to the American University of Integrative Sciences, Sint Maarten School of Medicine (AUIS). According to an AUIS press release, Pinckney appointed Renu Agnihotri, M.D., a former professor of molecular medicine, as president of AUIS. A journal article in ''

BMC Medical Education BioMed Central (BMC) is a United Kingdom-based, for-profit scientific open access publisher that produces over 250 scientific journals. All its journals are published online only. BioMed Central describes itself as the first and largest open a ...

'' noted that AUIS St. Maarten School of Medicine marketed itself on its website as providing an alternative for pre-med students who might otherwise "miss out" on their dream of becoming a physician, due to the competitiveness of American and Canadian medical schools. In March 2017, the AUIS went public with its dispute with Education Minister

Silveria Jacobs Silveria Elfrieda Jacobs (born 31 July 1968) is a Sint Maarten politician and the former Prime Minister of Sint Maarten from 2019 to 2024. Early life and education Silveria Elfrieda Jacobs was born on 31 July 1968 on Aruba to Nadia Willemsberg ...

, accusing her of "stonewalling" and refusing to meet with Pinckney to resolve their differences. According to Agnihotri, the Sint Maarten Ministry of Education had refused to simply change the name on its charter agreement from USESOM to AUIS; instead, it sent AUIS a new charter agreement with different conditions. Agnihotri also criticized Jacobs for discrediting AUIS by stating that it was unaccredited, since the school was in the process of seeking accreditation with the ACCM (

Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

). Pinckney told the ''Today'' newspaper that he believed a competitor,

American University of the Caribbean The American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) is a private for-profit medical school. Its main campus is located in Sint Maarten, and a second campus for non-US students is located in Preston, UK. AUC is owned by Adtale ...

, had influenced the government to create "obstacles" making it difficult for AUIS to do business in St. Maarten. By October 2017, the American University of Integrative Sciences had relocated to

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

Accreditation

As of February 2021, the American University of Integrative Sciences is an applicant for "Candidacy status " as a preliminary step for accreditation by the CAAM-HP (

), pending a full site visit.

Residency placements and training appointments

Graduates from the American University of Integrated Sciences have successfully secured residency placements in the United States as well as Canada. Graduates from 2014- 2020 matched into Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and other specialties.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Education in Sint Eustatius Medical schools in the Dutch Caribbean Universities and colleges in Sint Maarten Educational institutions established in 1999 1999 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Medical schools in Barbados For-profit schools in North America Health in Sint Maarten

History

Accreditation

Residency placements and training appointments

See also

References

External links