A pair of Saltus Grammar School former pupils who went on to become doctors have been chosen for a prestigious award.

Michael Ashton and Meliseanna Gibbons were today announced as winners of Saltus Alumni of the Year Awards for their contributions to healthcare over the Covid-19 pandemic.

The award is given to those who made lasting impressions while at Saltus and went on to excel afterwards.

Denise McAdoo, the school’s director of advancement, said: “Dr Ashton and Dr Gibbons have each made significant contributions to their communities and the world throughout their personal lives and their careers.

“Saltus is delighted to honour them with this distinguished award.”

Dr Ashton, who left the school in 1991, has been the Chief of Medicine for the Bermuda Hospitals since 2016.

His role requires him to work with the directors of other medical fields at the BHB, such as cardiology, endocrinology, oncology and neurology.

Dr Ashton is also the chairman of the BHB pharmacy and therapeutics committee.

He joined the BHB in 2011 as an infectious diseases specialist and epidemiologist.

Dr Ashton has been an adviser for Covid-19 management at the hospital and to the public.

He completed his Bachelor of Science and Pre-Med at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, before he went to medical school at the University of Vermont.

Dr Ashton also worked as an intern and resident at Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut and trained in primary care, internal medicine, infectious diseases and hospital epidemiology.

Dr Ashton attended Saltus as part of a family tradition and volunteered as a librarian and a chemistry lab assistant while at the school.

He was also fond of science and music classes, as well as track and cross country.

Dr Ashton is a campaigner for Bermudian youngsters to get experience and opportunities in healthcare.

Dr Gibbons, who was Head Girl of Saltus before she left in 2006, is in her third and last year of internal medicine residency training at Wyckoff Heights Medical Centre in Brooklyn, New York.

She worked on the front line when New York became one of the epicentres of the coronavirus pandemic after it reached the US in March last year.

Dr Gibbons is also dedicated to providing clinical care to disadvantaged groups.

Dr Gibbons attended La Sierra University in Riverside, California, where she received a Bachelor of Science in pre-med psychobiology and a minor in music.

She volunteered for a four-month medical mission to Pucalpa, a city in the Amazon Basin of Peru, while a student.

Dr Gibbons also graduated from St George’s University Medical School in Grenada in 2018.

Her parents worked as missionaries in Cameroon in central Africa for five and a half years, where Dr Gibbons learnt to speak French.

Dr Gibbons attended the Bermuda Institute in Southampton after she returned to Bermuda, but transferred to Saltus before her high school years.

She was a member of the drama club and astronomy club at Saltus and played in the concert band.

She also studied ballet at the Somerset School of Dance, reached Gold level in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and played for the Bermuda National Youth Jazz Ensemble.

Dr Gibbons will work an outpatient intern in Delaware after she graduates in June.