Joel Blackwood has made history in his family by becoming its first medical doctor.
But this wasn’t the path the recent graduate of the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Faculty of Medical Sciences had in his plan.
He initially wanted to be a veterinarian because of his deep love for animals. He was so passionate about achieving that goal that he would volunteer at the RSPCA when he was only 11 years old.
“….I got introduced to helping living beings through animals. I also got to see some surgeries that were performed at that hospital, and my love for sciences expanded,” Dr Blackwood said.
It was in third form, while studying biology, that Joel’s passion shifted from veterinary care to human medicine. He set his sights on becoming a doctor, with hopes of specialising in neurosurgery.
With the support of family and friends, Joel pursued his dream. After completing secondary school, he enrolled at UWI’s Cave Hill Campus, embarking on a five-year journey.
Along the way, he witnessed life and death and encountered and overcame many challenges.
His consistency paid off on Thursday, when he officially earned the title of Dr Joel Blackwood and took the Hippocratic Oath in a ceremony in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Auditorium.
Joel hopes to make a difference in stroke care in Barbados.
He explained to Barbados TODAY that his decision to pursue neurosurgery was influenced by a close relative’s experience overseas.
“They had a stroke, and they were in a country where they could get one of the leading endovascular procedures,” Joel said. “If they were in Barbados, I don’t think they would have gotten that care.”
While he doesn’t expect to fix everything, he hopes to contribute through service and eventually investment to building a better system.
“If I can come back and help others who may be having a stroke, that’s what I want to do. Just to make Barbados better,” the young doctor said.
As he embarks on the next step, he offered some words of advice to young people who have similar aspirations of becoming a doctor: “To the youngsters that are probably in primary or secondary school that are thinking that it’s too big of a dream, I think that you can do it. I told myself it was possible, and I worked long tireless nights to get through.”
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