3. Meet Doreen
March 30, 2022 Meet Doreen. She is the wife of Dave the Travel Pig. Doreen was gifted to me in 2010 by my coworker and good friend Lori. Fast forward to 2022 and Doreen is now my personal breast cancer mascot. We are headed to the hospital tonight for surgery tomorrow – mine, not hers! […]
2. The Breast Cancer Experience: Frequently Asked Questions
How was it discovered? Screening mammogram and ultrasound. Did you feel a lump? No. Did you do self-breast exams regularly? Yes. Which side? Left breast. Right breast was normal, no cancer there. What stage was it? Based on imaging – 1A. Based on final pathology – 2A. The mass was actually bigger than what was […]
1. Plot Twist!
Blog readers may have noticed I haven’t been posting regularly in 2022. There’s a very good reason for that. I’ve been writing stuff – but they’re not here on the blog, because of the personal and sensitive nature of the topic. One year later I’m ready to put it out there, so here goes. In […]
What is Rehabilitation Medicine?
Rehabilitation Medicine is also known as Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), Physical Rehabilitation and Medicine (PRM) or Physiatry (fizz-ee-AHT-ree, or fee-SIGH-ah-tree; from the Greek physio = of nature or physical, iatrea = act of healing or doctor). As you can see, this medical specialty has some sort of an identity crisis… which does not help […]
Injury Prevention at Artists En Pointe Dance Studio
Third in a series: today Dr. Ria Mikhaella Panis and I visited Artists En Pointe Dance Studio once again in Alabang, Muntinlupa for the much anticipated talk on Injury Prevention, after January’s Nutrition for Dancers and February’s Dance Anatomy presentations. BRAVA Doc Ria, for delivering a comprehensive but very easy to understand presentation via hybrid […]
Musika at Ginawa (Music and Comfort): Holistic Health for Music Teachers and Students
Musika at Ginhawa (Music and Comfort): a two-day symposium focusing on the holistic health of tertiary level pre-professional musicians brought to you by the University of the Philippines College of Music and the PGH Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. The first day (Monday, March 17, 2025) was for an audience of music teachers in the UPCMu […]
Medical Humanities Elective, third edition
The third offering of the Introduction to the Medical Humanities elective for graduating medical students is in the books! Very grateful for St Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine – William H. Quasha Memorial for letting me design this course in which we all immerse ourselves in how medicine and healthcare are portrayed in arts […]
Clinic Now Open to the Arts and Letters Cluster!
Yesterday was our first clinic with an expanded population serving the University of the Philippines Diliman Arts and Letters Cluster – the Colleges of Human Kinetics, Fine Arts, Media & Communication, Arts & Letters and of course our host, the College of Music. We had patients from 3 of the colleges so I guess that’s […]
Dance-specific Physical Therapy (Physiotherapy) Collaboration… Woohoo!
This past week, my Rehabilitation Medicine colleague Dr. Ria Panis and I met up with En Pointe Health and Wellness Center owner and physical therapist (physiotherapist) Arlene Mackinlay. We are grateful to have finally met Arlene in person, after connecting through Dr. Mandy Zhang, a Singaporean physician colleague who specializes in sports medicine and performing […]
The Society for Strategic Education Studies National Conference 2025 (S4SES: Ehs-for-sehs)
I enjoyed the last two days (Februrary 27-28, 2025) at the Society for Strategic Education Studies National Conference at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts in Diliman, Quezon City. The theme for this year’s S4SES (prounounced “ehs-for-sehs”) was “Enhancing Cultural and Arts Education with Critical Discourse on the Interface of Ecological Issues, […]
Sinag: the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (PARM) Annual Conference
PAMANA PH represent! After last year’s session on dance medicine, we are grateful for the opportunity to shine the spotlight on musicians this year during the Performing Arts Medicine track at the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (PARM) and ASEAN Rehabilitation Medicine Association joint convention in Manila. The three talks on the performing voice by […]
Dance Anatomy at Artists En Pointe Dance Studio
What muscles are you using during a plie? A releve? If you know what a plie and a releve are… this talk is for you! Suitable for dancers of all ages, their family members and teachers. Even if you don’t know what these French terms mean, you’re invited to join dancer and rehabilitation medicine physician […]
Hiraya: Diplomate Oath Taking Ceremony of the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine Specialty Board
Today’s stamp of approval from the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine Specialty Board. Now board certified in physiatry (rehabilitation medicine) in the USA and the Philippines. What a journey it has been! With much thanksgiving to God, family, friends, mentors, colleagues and all. Note: “Hiraya” is an ancient Filipino word for “the product of one’s […]
Nutrition for Dancers at Artists en Pointe Dance Studio
On Saturday morning January 11, 2025, Dr. Ma. Carissa Abelita (Doc Issa) and I were very grateful for the opportunity to give a talk titled Nutrition for Dancers: Myths and Facts. Doc Issa is in her last year of specialty training in Rehabilitation Medicine at the Philippine General Hospital. I half-jokingly said I was the […]
