Twin Doctors Stewarding Public Health in Jamaica

Twin sisters, Dr. Tamara Henry-Gilpin and Dr. Tamika Henry are quietly transforming public healthcare, working in parallel roles that mirror not just their training but their shared sense of purpose.

Dr. Tamara Henry-Gilpin serves as Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for St. Mary, where she is responsible for the technical services in primary care for the parish.

In a neighbouring parish, St. Ann, Dr. Tamika Henry holds a similar post, where she ensures that things are in place for primary healthcare, while also coordinating responses at the secondary level, particularly in times of disaster.

Their professional symmetry is striking and often confusing for those that they encounter.

“Sometimes people think it’s one of us. They’ll ask why I’m in the wrong parish because they don’t realise there are two of us,” Dr. Henry says with a laugh.

For Dr. Henry-Gilpin, the reactions range from curiosity to outright fascination.

“Some persons are stunned, and some are fascinated. They’re not used to seeing twins who are this close in so many areas,” she states, while pointing out that their closeness is the foundation of all that they do.

“We don’t have a high level of sibling rivalry. I just love being around her. She’s one of my favourite persons in the world,” Dr. Henry says in response.

Her sister echoes the sentiment, while adding a touch of humour.

“I like to call people who are not twins singletons. Sometimes I don’t know how they manage every day without a twin. I really cannot imagine life any other way,” Dr. Henry-Gilpn adds.

Being twins is more than a biological fact; it is a built-in support system that has proven invaluable to the sisters in the demanding world of public health.

Their days are long and unpredictable, often stretching far beyond standard working hours.

Dr. Henry-Gilpin points out that in such an environment, having someone who understands the pressures without explanation is a rare advantage. “We bounce things off each other all the time.

You may not always have a structured approach to everything, but the other person might, and together, you’re able to coordinate and put systems in place,” she states.

The sisters agree that their collaboration has become a quiet strength behind their leadership. Both physicians are responsible for overseeing healthcare systems that serve thousands and making decisions that impact entire communities.

Yet, even at that level, they remain each other’s sounding board.

Their journey into public health, however, was shaped by very different experiences. For Dr. Henry- Gilpin, the turning point came during the Ebola crisis.

At the time, she had her sights set on specialising in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and had even been accepted into a programme, but life intervened when illness of a family member caused her to pause those plans, and in that period of uncertainty, a new calling emerged.

“When the Ebola crisis came, I was so intrigued. When everybody was afraid and didn’t want to go to the training, I was excited to go and respond,” she says.

That sense of purpose led her into public health in 2015, where she began working in quality assurance, helping to build programmes across multiple areas, including infection prevention and control, clinical effectiveness, and patient safety.

Over time, she expanded into non-communicable disease prevention before eventually taking up her current role as MOH in St Mary. Dr. Henry’s journey, by contrast, was marked by personal loss.

Her original ambition was to become a paediatric emergency physician. She was already working in emergency medicine and had been accepted into a specialist programme.

But everything changed after the death of a close family member – someone who had been treated in the very department where she worked.

“I wasn’t on duty when she came in, but she died there. Every time I saw a patient with a similar condition, I couldn’t function properly. It just kept coming back to me,” Dr. Henry shares.

The emotional toll caused her to reconsider her path, and she gravitated towards a different approach to medicine, one focused on prevention rather than crisis response.

“I wanted to be a part of seeing people before they get that ill – to be involved in prevention and promotion,” she states. That decision led her into public health, where she began working in surveillance and disaster management, and it was there that she found her niche. “I loved it. It’s a fast-paced area that combined preventive health with emergency medicine,” Dr. Henry shares.

Her career quickly advanced, taking her into regional roles in epidemiology and programme management, including oversight of HIV and surveillance systems.

Eventually, she transitioned into parish-level leadership, where she now applies both clinical and administrative expertise in St. Ann. Despite the differences in how they arrived, the twins’ careers have aligned in remarkable ways.

Both now operate at the forefront of Jamaica’s public health system, balancing strategy, service delivery, and crisis management.

They also occasionally must navigate the confusion that comes with people mixing them up.

One of their most memorable experiences occurred while they were both working in the hospital, when a patient refused to believe he was being seen by a different doctor after a shift change.

“He said, ‘Doctor, I just saw you and told you I want to go home’, and I had to explain, ‘I have to look in your docket. I don’t know your case’,” Dr. Henry-Gilpin recounts.

“I had to ask a colleague to tell him that I’m a twin, and even then, he didn’t believe it at first,” she recalls with a smile.

Moments like those highlight the uniqueness of their situation but also the strength it brings.

Dr. Henry explains that in a field where decisions are often made under pressure and with limited resources, having a trusted partner who understands both the technical and emotional demands of the job is invaluable.

“You’re able to share best practices, inspire each other, and just work through things together,” she stated.

Faith remains central to how they interpret their journey. Both women speak of their paths as guided by God and shaped by experiences that, ultimately, led them to where they are today.

“I think the Lord saw that I needed her, and so He made me a twin,” Dr. Henry-Gilpin beamed. Today, as they lead healthcare systems in neighbouring parishes, Dr. Tamara Henry-Gilpin and Dr. Tamika Henry represent more than professional success.

They embody a model of collaboration rooted in family, resilience forged through personal trials, and a shared commitment to improving lives.

Individually, they are accomplished physicians and leaders.

Together, they are something far more powerful, a partnership that continues to shape the delivery of public health in the North-East Regional Health Authority and by extension Jamaica, one parish at a time.