NEW YORK, CMC – Grenadians in North America are paying glowing tributes to surgeon Dr. Roland Purcell, who died suddenly last week at the age of 73.
“On March 25, 2026, the Grenadian Caribbean-American community suffered the profound loss of an extraordinary individual, Dr. Roland Purcell,” said Cheryl Vincent, a Grenadian-born registered nurse at State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center and University Hospital in Brooklyn.
Vincent, who was honored along with Dr. Purcell in 2016 for their “extensive” community work at the St. John’s Educators Scholarship Fund Annual Mother’s Day Luncheon, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that Dr. Purcell died from a “cardiac issue.”
She said he was a “distinguished physician specializing in emergency medicine, critical general surgery, and vascular surgery” who “exemplified the very essence of compassion, dedication, and selfless service”.
Vincent said that he was widely “revered for his unwavering commitment to his patients” and that “it was not uncommon for his appointments to extend late into the evening, as he consistently placed the needs of others above his own.
“His life’s work was defined by an extraordinary willingness to go beyond the call of duty, whether at the bedside or through his many medical missions,” she said, adding that for many Grenadians arriving in the United States, Dr. Purcell was “more than a physician, he was a trusted first point of contact with a physician, a source of reassurance, and a steadfast advocate.
Grenada’s Consul General to Toronto, Gerry Hopkin, a former Brooklyn resident, said Dr. Purcell will be remembered as “an accomplished Grenadian-Caribbean-American stalwart in healthcare, who never stopped pushing for improvements in the delivery of healthcare in Grenada and in the wider Caribbean.
“He was also an advocate for action that would result in the realization of the benefits of medical tourism in Grenada. Further, Dr. Roland Purcell was an outstanding human being, a healer, a philosopher, a sage, and the people’s medical doctor, whose practice encompassed emergency medicine, critical general surgery, and vascular surgery.”
Dr. Purcell was a board-certified vascular surgeon in Brooklyn with over 45 years of experience, specializing in vascular, general, and critical care surgery. He was also affiliated with several hospitals, including Interfaith Medical Center, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and University Hospital of Brooklyn.
Dr. Purcell was born in Curaçao, in the Netherlands Antilles, of Grenadian parentage. The oldest of six children, he spent the first seven years of his life in Curaçao before migrating to Grenada.
His funeral service takes place on Saturday, April 11, at Holy Family Church in Brooklyn.
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