A Bermudian geneticist has paid tribute to her late grandmother, Marie V. Gibbons, with the naming of a laboratory at the Bermuda College.

Carika Weldon, the founder of CariGenetics, said her work was deeply personal for her and rooted in family and a desire to make science more relevant, accessible and more capable of changing lives.

She said: “This is about turning pain into purpose, grief into action and love into something that can continue to serve others.

“That matters, because legacy is not only about what we remember. It’s about what we can build.”

Speaking surrounded by family members, Dr Weldon said that her grandmother had died after a fight against cancer.

She recalled that as her family gathered at the hospital during her final days, her cousin asked her: “Aren’t you a cancer researcher? Shouldn’t you know what to do?”

Dr Weldon said: “At that moment, I felt heartbroken, helpless and overwhelmed. Even with all the years and the science and the studying and all the ambition, I could not do what I so desperately wanted to do for someone I loved.

“That moment has never left me. It has lived with me through the years and it has helped shape the woman I am, the scientist I have become and the mission behind CariGenetics.

“Today, to stand here to launch the Marie V Gibbons Lab is extremely heartfelt. In this same lab, we have helped determine the cancer genetic risk for men in both Bermuda and St Lucia as well as many patients with cancer throughout the Caribbean.

“It is my way of saying while I could not change that moment then, I am committed to changing what is possible now for other families, for other patients and for future generations.”

In addition to naming the lab, Dr Weldon said CariGenetics was launching a Marie V Gibbons scholarship to help Bermudians become fully qualified lab technologists in Britain.

She said: “This scholarship allows a Bermudian with an honours degree in biomedical science from a UK university to do a one-year placement at the Poundbury Cancer Institute to complete their portfolio for Health and Care Professions Council registration.”

She added that Jhaleisjha DeSilva had been selected as the inaugural recipient for the award.

Dr Weldon said that CariGenetics had sought to remain located at the Bermuda College in an effort to help make science genetics more accessible to local students.

She added: “We are really excited that we are now integrating our work into what the lecturers are teaching. I actually taught a course on sickle cell.

“We are looking to do a lot more projects with some of the lecturers and students, but we are committed to being here.”

Dr Weldon also announced that CariGenetics is now able to offer more affordable routine blood work testing to service those who are uninsured or underinsured.

She also said that she would be partnering with her cousin, Angelique Pitcher, on Gentle Hands, a new a concierge phlebotomy service.

Ms Pitcher said the service aims to help to improve access to healthcare across the island.

She said: “Our service brings professional, reliable blood collection directly to your home, to your workplace or your facility, eliminating long wait times and transportation challenges.”

Dr Weldon said that it felt “overwhelming” to be in a position where her work can help families like her own, adding: “It is an honour really to have that privilege to want to help and be in a position to help, and I am hoping we can do even more in the future.”