Dr Godfrey St. Bernard attended Trinity College from 1970 to 1977. After leaving the college, he enrolled at the University of the West Indies, where he studied Mathematics and Economics, graduating in 1980. He obtained his Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario in 1989 and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Social Demography from the same institution in 1993.
In 1983, Dr St. Bernard was awarded a “Pass with Distinction” and placed first in the Intensive Demography Workshop for Regional Statisticians across the Anglophone Caribbean. This Intensive Demography Workshop was organized by Centro Latino-Americana de Demografia (CELADE) to strengthen the capability .of professional statisticians from Anglophone Caribbean countries in the conceptualization, collection, preparation, analysis and dissemination of demographic and other allied population-related statistics at sub-national, national and regional levels. This served as the catalyst that launched what has become an illustrious career as a demographer and statistician.
Since the mid-1990s, Dr St. Bernard has been one of the Caribbean’s leading demographers whose expertise is sought regionally and internationally on matters pertaining to Caribbean demographic reality. He is also highly respected internationally as a professional statistician on matters pertaining to statistics that foster national and human development.
Dr St. Bernard has been the recipient of several awards. He was awarded a CIDA/CELADE award 1987-1989 to pursue his Master of Arts studies at the University of Western Ontario, one of two Caribbean recipients. He also received the Department of Sociology’s award, 1989 at the University of Western Ontario. He was then awarded another CIDA/CELADE award, 1989-1991, based on his outstanding performance in his Master’s studies. This
fellowship permitted him to pursue his PhD studies at the University of Western Ontario. He next received a Population Council Fellowship in 1991-1992 to complete his PhD studies. This is an outstanding, prestigious fellowship award targeting young professionals working in the area of biomedical research and sexual and reproductive health. Dr St Bernard is the third Trinidadian to receive this award and was one of nineteen (19) recipients out of a field of two hundred and forty-five (245) applicants. His selection was largely based upon the quality of his submitted research proposal.
Dr St. Bernard is the author of two books, two monographs, an edited special issue of a journal, more than 25 articles in refereed publications and more than 20 refereed chapters in edited books. He has authored more than a dozen technical reports and edited reports prepared by high-level consultants. He has authored and presented over 100 invited and contributed conference papers and keynote lectures in more than 30 countries.These papers and lectures have addressed such issues as:
- ● historical and contemporary patterns of structure and change impacting human populations in Latin America and the Caribbean,
- ● sustainabledevelopment,
- ● publicorderandsafety,.
- ● childrenandyouthdevelopment,
- ● themeasurementofsocialphenomenainappliedresearch,
- ● nationalstatisticalsystems
- ● andthephilosophyofscienceandimplicationsforresearchingCaribbean societies.
Dr St. Bernard is currently:
- ● leadresearcherattheSirArthurLewisInstituteofSocialandEconomic Studies’ research cluster on Population and
Sustainable Development in Caribbean societies.
- ● Heisco-researcherintheresearchclusteronYouthDevelopment, Social Policy and Sustainable Rural and
Agricultural Development.
- ● Heisalsoco-researcheronCaribbeanChildRightsObservatory Network.
Dr St. Bernard is the team leader and co-applicant on the “Rights of Children and Youth Partnership” which is being undertaken in collaboration with a large number of universities in Canada and Latin America. He was instrumental in securing the $ 4.3M (Can) grant for this project.
Dr St. Bernard pioneered the establishment of the Master of Science in Development Statistics at the UWI in 2008. In 2017, the program produced more than 50 graduates from the Anglophone Caribbean, Latin America and Africa of which 90 percent were supervised by Dr St. Bernard.
In addition to all of this, Dr St. Bernard is currently writing a book to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of Trinity College. Its title is “Resistance, Perseverance and Resilience: Trinity College 1958-2018”
The Trinity College Alumni Association acknowledges the achievements and contributions of Dr Godfrey St. Bernard to tertiary education in the area of demography and statistics and proudly admits him to its Hall of Fame.