Founded in 1978, Ross University is one of the largest and most successful Caribbean medical schools in the world. The Ross University School of Medical Sciences (RUSM) in Dominica and the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) in St. Kitts which are under the umbrella of DeVry Inc., have made significant social and economic contributions to the islands of Dominica and St. Kitts.
Both universities are dedicated to supporting their surrounding communities. In Dominica, RUSM students founded the Salybia Mission Project in 2002, whose objective is to provide basic health care to the Kalinago community. The Kalinago territory is home to about 3,500 descendants of the largest group of aboriginal peoples in the Caribbean. The founding physician, Dr. Worrel Sanford, is an adjunct faculty member of RUSM, and is the first indigenous person to become a physician on Dominica. Furthermore, for the annual National Coastal Cleanup event in St. Kitts, RUSVM donates trash bags, gloves, and personal time to assist with clearing the beach. In addition, RUSVM has donated approximately 2,000 books to the Cotton-Thomas Comprehensive School library collection. The donated books were provided to elementary school children, and the university is committed to helping this fledgling library grow into a reliable educational resource for students.
RUSVM employs more than 240 Kittitian citizens, and provides employees with tuition benefits from DeVry in order to pursue their educational goals. In Dominica, RUSM is one of the largest businesses, currently employing 317 Dominicans with similar educational benefits as in RUSVM. To date, over 80 degrees have been awarded to RUSM employees through the tuition benefit program. Additionally, the university annually provides four medical scholarships to Dominican nationals who have been accepted to a medical school in the U.S., encouraging students to further their education and to make a contribution to the health and socio-economic development of Dominica.