Department of Sociology
Dr. Paulette Henry, who holds a doctoral degree in Higher Education Leadership from the UWI, an MSc in Sociology, and a BSc in Social Work from the University of Guyana, is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Guyana, with over twenty years of experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership. Her scholarly interests include decolonial research, leadership, gender, mental health, and well-being in Guyana and the Caribbean. Her interdisciplinary background has informed her practice and worldview as an educator, researcher, and academic leader.
She teaches and supervises research at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels across disciplines, including social work, environment, and public health. She has published in leading international journals and was one of the editors of Guyana at a Crossroads: Diversity, Vulnerable Sub-Groups and the Promise of Development (Palgrave Macmillan).
Dr. Henry has held several distinguished leadership roles within the University of Guyana, including Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences (2021–2023). She is the founding director of both the Centre of Excellence for Teaching and Learning (CoETaL) and the Institute for Gender Studies, two institutional initiatives she was instrumental in establishing. Prior to academia, she contributed to national and regional programmes in child protection, gender equality, and community development through work with UNICEF, USAID, and the U.S. Peace Corps.
Awards, Grants, Honours & Recognition
| Year Award | Recognition |
| 2023 to present | Member, Pan-African Mental Health Research Network (PAMHRN) |
| 2023 | Visiting Scholar, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom |
| 2022 | EU/ChildLinK Grant — Development of Managing Communities in Emergencies (MCE) Programme |
| 2021 | Commonwealth Wise Women Mentor, Commonwealth Secretariat |
| 2015 | PAHO/WHO Grant — Development of Protocol for Gender-Based Violence and Health Care Practitioners |
| 1998 | The Sybil Patterson Award for Best Graduating Student, Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work |
| 1998 | Dr Allan Earp Award of the University of Guyana Guild of Graduates, Ontario, for the highest GPA in a postgraduate degree, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Guyana |
| 1998 | Award to pursue Certificate in Gender Studies, UWI Cave Hill Campus, Barbados |
| 1996 | Award to pursue BSc in Social Work, Public Service Ministry, Guyana |
| 1992 | Frank Pollard Prize — Best Graduating Student, Diploma in Social Work, University of Guyana |
| 1989 | Best Graduating Student — Industrial Relations and Social Studies, Critchlow Labour College |
Selected Publications
1. Henry, P., Frank, D., Edwards, D., & DaSilva-Glasgow, D. (Eds.). (2026). Guyana at a Crossroads: Diversity, Vulnerable Sub-Groups and the Promise of Development. Palgrave Macmillan.
2. Henry, P., & Beckles, L. (2026). The accountability deficit: A case study on the vulnerabilities of Guyana’s Indigenous communities. Guyana at a Crossroads (pp. 77– 102). Springer Nature.
3. Henry, P. (2025). Environmental Leadership and Human Well-Being: A Culturally Inclusive Analysis of Contemporary Guyana.
4. Siwale, J., Simba, A., Frost, D., & Henry, P. (2025). Women entrepreneurship and village savings: a developing world perspective. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 1–22.
5. Henry, P., & Halley, C. (2024). Decolonising fieldwork practice in Guyana: A systemic approach to student engagement. Social Dialogue, 26, 76.
6. Henry, P. A. (2016). An examination of murder and suicide in Guyana. Issues in Social Science, 4(1), 29–40.
7. Henry, P. A. (2015). Agrochemicals, suicide ideation and social responsibility. Issues in Social Science, 3(2), 61–77.
8. Henry, P. A. (2015). Child Maintenance, Father Child Relationships and Family Wellbeing. Issues in Social Science, 3(2), 11–27.
9. Henry, P. (2026). Gardening as Climate Praxis and Ecospiritual Healing: An Autoethnography of Guyana’s Triple Crisis (in press, CJSW)