Having grown up in Puerto Rico, Dr. Canales enjoys returning to Latin America for volunteer plastic surgical work, repairing cleft lips and other birth defects in children. He has operated in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina, and Kenya.
For many years, Dr. Canales was a member of the national team in his native Puerto Rico. He served as captain of the Harvard Swim Team during college, and he competed in a great number of international events, culminating with the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Dr. Canales is married to Dr. Heather Furnas, his partner at Plastic Surgery Associates. They have two children, Diego and Siena.