Howard University Interim President Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick.
Howard University Interim President Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick was recognized for his career as a surgeon, researcher and scholar with a Congressional Citation this month at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s annual Caribbean Heritage Month celebration. Frederick is a native of Trinidad who moved to the United States at the age of 16. After graduating from Howard University College of Medicine at age 22, he went on to complete his post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
As a child, Frederick struggled with sickle cell anemia. According to DiverseEducation.com, that affliction sparked Fredrick’s desire to become a surgeon and one to find a cure for the genetic blood disorder.
“I was humbled by the honor,” Frederick told the AFRO. “My Caribbean roots afforded me a robust early education that combined the virtues of hard work and integrity. My journey to America has seen those seeds grow from saplings into a larger tree of experiences for which I am eternally grateful to both regions.”
Frederick returned to Howard University in 2006 as an associate professor in the surgery department, and was later tapped to be the provost and chief academic officer of Howard in 2012.
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