In an unprecedented academic achievement, Dr. Kerrone Courtney Stanislaus has etched his name in the annals of Caribbean educational history by becoming the first English-speaking Caribbean national to earn a Doctor of Medicine degree from Morocco’s prestigious Mohammed V University in Rabat. The historic graduation ceremony took place on February 13, 2026, marking the culmination of years of rigorous medical training and research.
The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission confirmed that Dr. Stanislaus represents multiple firsts: the inaugural medical graduate from Saint Lucia, the pioneering citizen from the Eastern Caribbean region, and the first English-speaking Caribbean student to achieve this distinguished qualification from the North African kingdom.
Dr. Stanislaus’s doctoral research broke new ground in oncology support care with his thesis titled “The Impact of Physical Exercise Therapy on Cancer Patients: Clinicians’ Perspective.” His innovative work exploring how structured physical activity interventions can improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients earned him the university’s prestigious thesis graduation award.
This milestone achievement symbolizes the strengthening educational partnership between Morocco and Caribbean nations. Reflecting on his journey, Dr. Stanislaus expressed profound gratitude to the Moroccan government for their hospitality and educational support system. “My heartfelt appreciation goes to the Kingdom of Morocco for its generosity and for offering an enriching educational environment that made this achievement possible,” he stated.
The personal dimension of his success was equally poignant. Dr. Stanislaus dedicated his accomplishment to his late mother, who had passionately supported his medical aspirations but passed away at the beginning of his academic journey. “I want to dedicate this moment to my mother, who invested everything in me becoming a doctor, but she just wasn’t here to see it happen,” he shared emotionally.
This pioneering achievement underscores Morocco’s expanding educational outreach to the Caribbean region. Annually, the North African nation offers up to 20 fully-funded scholarships to each OECS member state for undergraduate and master’s level studies. Currently, over 100 students from Eastern Caribbean nations are pursuing various disciplines in Moroccan institutions, including approximately 32 in medical and pharmaceutical fields.
The application window for these scholarships runs from May to July each year, providing valuable opportunities for students from Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to access world-class education through this bilateral educational partnership.