Otolaryngologist Professor Collin Karmody has made headlines in the medical field once again, but this time around, the former Naparima College and St Mary's student is not being honoured for his surgical skills.

Instead, it is his 30 years of dedicated service to Tufts University, School of Medicine, Boston, which has led to a Professor of Emeritus title, which he will receive in May of this year.

His sister, Sheila Stecher, reveals that such a distinction is usually bestowed post-humously but as the saying goes there is always an exception to every rule.

It took a man like Dr Karmody to bring this honour to the living.

Currently chief of the Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat) department at the Massachusetts-based University, Karmody has made research a priority - an avenue that has brought him both fame and recognition.

His current achievement was no surprise to his sister who always knew that her brother's enthusiasm and love for the profession would enable him to excel.

"His love for medicine was apparent from an early age," recalls Stecher, a former nurse.

It all began when he placed second in the island scholarship exams. He left T&T with a burning ambition to wear the white coat and stethoscope - a professional dream that was realized at Dublin, Ireland where he did his undergraduate studies.

There, he won the Ambrose-Birmingham gold medal. Upon graduating, he left the capital and headed for London where he achieved his fellowship and specialized in Otolaryngology.

After his sojourn in the British Isles, he travelled to the United States where he currently lives. Before settling at Tufts, he worked at Vermont and was even involved in research at the prestigious Harvard University.

According to Stecher, her brother has always had an active mind and despite his numerous responsibilities at the University, he still continued exploring other academic options.

Currently, he is an external examiner for the royal College of Surgeons, London and has written and published books on Otolaryngology. This San Fernando resident has also proven to be a skilled surgeon.

In 1989, he was responsible for the first ever "bionic" ear operation, which involved a profoundly deaf patient at New England, Medical Centre.

The procedure was a cochlea implant that restored hearing nerve fibres.

This brought T&T to the international forefront - the land where his roots are entrenched and one that he has never forgotten.

Since he left our shores 30 years ago, he has made numerous visits.

Stecher estimates a visit every two years but as she discovered, that time spent with her brother is sometimes shared with his colleagues from the local medical fraternity.

She says that visiting old friends and renewing acquaintances are important to him and this has become a priority whenever he crosses the Atlantic.

After working both at the San Fernando and Port-of-Spain Hospital, he has maintained ties with some of the most prominent names in the local medical fraternity.

In fact, when he delivered the feature address in memory of his brother, the late Allastair Karmody, it presented a perfect opportunity for him to meet some of his colleagues for whom Stecher says he regards with the highest respect.

At that lecture, he even paid tribute to the likes of Doctors Theo Poon King; Ishahak Mohammed; Mervyn Henry, Lennox Pawan, Courtney Bartholomew and Austin Trinidade. These men he said "dared to make a difference."

But his sister remembers a desire for greater involvement in ENT research by the local specialists.

A father of three, Dr Karmody has travelled extensively for research purposes. He has visited Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia presenting papers.

It is a job that is time consuming and can sometimes take a toll on family life, but Dr Karmody has never been one to place work before family.

Stecher describes him as "family-oriented" and one who capitalizes on every opportunity to spend time with his children.

In his spare time, he loves to spend time on either the squash or tennis courts but it is really research that gets the adrenaline pumping.

He has promised to retire from medicine but his sister does not see this outcome in the near future. According to Stecher, "He enjoys his work too much to give it up just yet."

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