A graduate from St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine in Grand Cayman has been recognised by the City of New York for his work in healthcare.
Dr. Mason Blake Pimsler works at Lincoln Medical Center providing primary care, preventive services and long-term treatment to patients from across the Bronx.
Former New York mayor Eric Adams proclaimed 7 Nov. as ‘Dr. Mason Blake Pimsler MD Day’, recognising his decades-long service in HIV/AIDS care and women’s health and with the homeless community. The award honoured both his hands-on clinical work and his involvement in building programmes aimed at improving access to care for diverse and underserved communities.
Adams said, “Dr. Mason Blake Pimsler, MD, has been a true champion for the most vulnerable members of our community. His tireless efforts in providing healthcare services and support to individuals with HIV/AIDS and those living in shelters have not gone unnoticed. We are proud to honour him with a day in his name and recognise his unwavering commitment to improving the lives of others.”
Studying in Grand Cayman
Pimsler, who initially qualified as a lawyer before deciding on a career change, applied to St. Matthew’s to study medicine, arriving in Grand Cayman in 2002.
“I thought it was the perfect place to have a medical school,” he recalled.
Having not visited Grand Cayman before, he admitted it was “a leap of faith, but I knew that the island was a beautiful place and I took a chance on it. I said it will be OK whatever happens, and I’ll study hard.”
Pimsler had been accepted to study at Ross University, then based in Dominica, but he deferred three times before making the decision to study at St. Matthew’s instead.
“Back then in Grand Cayman, you had everything, you had Burger King, you had Wendy’s, you had everything you could think of under the sun,” he said. “I liked the people, the diversity of the population, and it was so beautiful visually.”
Pimsler studied in Cayman from 2002 until 2004 before returning to New York to finish his medical training.
“I had a really good experience at St. Matthew’s, I really did,” he said. “I worked hard, I did what I had to do, but the island, I loved the island. I don’t think you could find a better place to put a medical school.”
Since graduating in medicine, Pimsler has worked across many sectors, including geriatrics, cardiovascular and diabetes, focusing for the last few years on women’s care, HIV and healthcare for the homeless.
“I like taking care of those that can’t take care of themselves,” he said. “I like to really help, I’ve always been like that, and there’s a big mental health aspect to illness too, you know. I always say that a lot of us are just one pay cheque or one mental health issue away from being homeless.”
Advocate
Adds Pimsler, “I fight for the elderly too, because they’re tired, they’re weak, the system beats on them, if they don’t have someone to advocate for them.”
Pimsler is a fierce supporter of continued cancer screening, particularly for older women who are often excluded once they reach a certain age, and constantly fights for early-detection options for patients who might otherwise be excluded from routine preventive care.
Meanwhile, he hopes one day to return to the Cayman Islands where it all began. “I’m going to try, because I loved the people I met there,” he said. “I found them classy and I found them kind.”
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