Joshua Munro joins Oaklawn's Homer office

Joshua Munro has a distinguished family history in medicine. A century ago, his great-grandfather, C.D. Munro, was a surgeon in Jackson. The elder Munro’s son Nathan also became a surgeon and Nathan’s son David practiced family medicine.

Joshua, who is David’s son, became the fourth physician in that paternal line more than a decade ago, and in April joined Oaklawn’s office at 420 S. Hillsdale St. in Homer.

Munro, 38, was born in Midland and returned with his family to Jackson when Joshua was a child. There, he attended public schools and met his future wife while they were in third grade.

Despite his family heritage, Joshua originally had no interest in becoming a doctor.

“I didn’t want anything to do with it,” he said. “My folks were pretty hands-off, and believed in ‘do what you like, do what you’re good at.’ I was more interested in scientific research because I was better in math and science.”

Munro’s studies in those subjects took him to Michigan State University’s Lyman Briggs School in East Lansing, then on to Chicago-based DePaul University to further his studies in the biological sciences. He then went on to attend the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine.

An important moment in Munro’s life occurred because of a requirement at DePaul, which brought him to a Chicago hospital to work as a volunteer.

“I actually saw what being a doctor entailed, and it wasn’t what I’d thought,” Munro said. “It’s using your powers of deduction – putting the pieces of the puzzle together to create a treatment plan. It was like Columbo, solving a mystery.

“I realized that, in medicine, you could do the science and still interact with human beings,” he said. “I could interact with people and still be a ‘science nerd’ at the same time.”

In 2006, Munro received his degree as a doctor of medicine from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine at St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles. His experience included clinical rotations in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.

Munro’s residency in family practice took place through June 2009 with the AnMed Health Family Residency Program in Anderson, South Carolina, and his initial position as a family-practice physician was through the Jackson office of his father, David B. Munro, M.D.

While considering his future in medicine, the younger Munro was struck by Oaklawn’s reputation as a community health-care provider.

“I had been looking for something homey and personal,” he said. “The position in Homer looked as though it required a personal touch, so I thought it would be a great opportunity.” Oaklawn’s Homer office may be contacted at (517) 568-4481.

Munro is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons. He also is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians.

Munro met the former Meghan McGivern while attending third grade in Jackson. Today, after 15 years of marriage, the couple reside in Jackson and have a son, McCarty, 7, who plays basketball and soccer on teams that his father coaches on behalf of the city’s recreation department.

“I like to stay involved, be part of the town and just be a dad,” Munro said. “That’s my No. 1 hobby.”