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 […]
Chinese Lion Dancers – Without the Costume!
I saw this post today from photo blogger Jan Sy, while looking for a clip of lion dancers to get into the lunar new year vibe. These lion dancers from Manila’s Chinatown (Binondo) are practicing their dance steps. Interesting to see their movements without the costume! #performingartsmedicine commentary: Aside from the usual dance-related concerns, there […]
Educating the Educators-in-training: Two Days with the Music Education Majors at the UP College of Music
More fun than clinic! We wrapped up two days of hybrid talks for future music educators regarding performing artists’ health, scheduled for February 5 and 6, 2026. Thankful to everyone who joined us in-person and over Zoom for each of the four sessions (yes we did every informational talk 4 times, to accommodate all the […]
The Medicine in Art: Launching the Medical Humanities “Extra” Program
We did a thing last Wednesday, February 11, 2026. The University of the Philippines College of Medicine has an annual Wellness Week that started in 2023, celebrating all the ways that students can decompress from all the stuff they have to do on the way to becoming six-star physicians. This year’s week organized by the […]
A glimpse into a full teaching schedule
So this is how it feels to be a full-time teacher… for one day: January 21, 2026, Wednesday. No clinic, no research, no writing… just teaching! 8:00 to 10:00 AM: I typically designate Wednesdays as my “St. Luke’s Day”. The St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine-William H. Quasha Memorial has its General Faculty and […]
Glass Harp: Making Music with Water and Wine(Glasses)
Enjoy GlassDuo’s rendition of Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming – a German Christmas carol first printed in 1599, harmonized and translated to English by Michael Praetorius in 1609. #performingartsmedicine commentary: The glass harp consists of multiple wine glasses that contain varying amounts of water, with each glass representing one note. Aside from possessing musical […]
Playing the Recorder, and other Similar Instruments
Today I watched a video from Ensemble Amarilli, a group of musicians who mostly play music from the Renaissance, Baroque and early Classical periods. This particular video had a recorder ensemble playing the Christmas carol, Ding dong Merrily on High. I wrote the following and posted it on Facebook along with the video: #performingartsmedicine commentary: […]
A Field Trip to Antipolo – the Pinto Art Museum and Arboretum
Th University of the Philippines College of Medicine Committee on Student Resilience and Wellness sponsored a field trip to the Pinto Art Museum for the 2nd year medical students today – about 200 of them! Some of us faculty, mentors, along with psychiatry residents and fellows went with them to facilitate their small group discussions, […]
Slay and Sashay Away Part 2: We Held a Webinar on Drag Queen Health
Following our recent publication about the health of drag queens, we presented our findings and discussed their health and healthcare access in a webinar hosted by the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA). It featured three of our authors: If you missed it, the webinar was recorded and should be available on the PAMA website soon. […]
Health Screening at the UP College of Music (DIVA Protocol)
We were busy this week! Thank you very much to the University of the Philippines College of Music (UPCMu) for hosting our group last September 9 and 10 for the students’ health screening event. We saw dancers and musicians, undergrads, postgrads and even some staff and faculty during the two days we spent in Diliman. […]
Slay and Sashay Away: We Wrote a Paper on Drag Queen Health
From data collection and analysis in 2017, to poster presentation in 2018 and oral presentation in 2023 at the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) Annual International Symposium… our paper on health issues in drag queens is finally published! What a long and winding road, but here we are. And a webinar is in the works […]
