Dr. Joshua A. Canul is preparing to leave the country to pursue a Master’s degree in Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University College London. The British High Commission in Belize confirmed that Dr. Canul was awarded a Chevening scholarship recently to pursue such studies in the United Kingdom (UK). The island doctor has been at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II since 2018, treating San Pedranos with acute and chronic illnesses, among other medical services.
Canul arrived on the island in 2018 for a part-time post at the polyclinic and became a full-time doctor in 2019, leading his team through the COVID-19 pandemic. He has become a pillar of the island community, not only as a medical professional but also rendering his time in acts of service to the youth in San Pedro. Dr. Canul is grateful for this opportunity and shares that he has always been an enthusiast for education. The good doctor believes it is one of the most significant ways to improve oneself. As such, Dr. Canul educates young minds to further that agenda that has also seen him teaching at the Washington University Microbiology and Immunology. Besides his professional career, Dr. Canul loves music.
Dr. Canul hails from Belize City. He attended Canaan Seventh Day Adventist High School, where he excelled. After obtaining an Associate’s degree from St. John’s Junior College, he was granted a scholarship to study medicine in Cuba at the Latina Americana School of Medicine in Havana, Cuba. He completed his studies in Cuba in 2016.
He returned to Belize that same year and completed an internship at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. The following year, 2017, Dr. Canul was registered as a practicing physician in Belize and happily joined the Belize Medical and Dental Association. In 2021, the medical professional completed the Field Epidemiology Training Program, Frontline, and presented his research at the 11th TEPHINET Global Scientific Conference in 2022. He won first place in the photo competition segment of that scientific conference.
Dr. Canul’s work in the public sector with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) has seen him in different health centers in the Belize and Cayo Districts. He has worked tirelessly as the Surveillance Focal point for MOHW since January 2021 and has co-chaired the National Aids Commission San Pedro chapter since April 2021. The island doctor is also on the Emergency Operations Control for the National Emergency Management Organization in San Pedro.
The San Pedro Sun joins the island community in wishing Dr. Joshua Canul all the best as he embarks on this exciting academic journey in the UK.
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