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 […]
A Performing Arts Medicine Weekend in Cebu
Last Thursday, I flew to Cebu to fulfill one of the “deliverables” for the Balik Scientist Program award grant: consulting work to help establish a Performing Arts Medicine clinic in the city. Something along the lines of what we have at the UP College of Music, but a little more multi- and inter-disciplinary since we […]
Chairman’s Rounds at St. Luke’s Medical Center Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Two talks in March and April 2026 with the St. Luke’s Medical Center Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation faculty and residents, through support from the Balik [returning] Scientist Program of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. We discussed Performing Arts Medicine in March, and Functional Outcomes in Spinal […]
Medicine Meets the Performing Arts: A Tuesday Conference in Four Acts
The University of the Philippines College of Medicine has this regular Tuesday morning conference for “anything under the sun that is related to medicine but can’t fit in the curriculum”. In preparation for the annual variety show Tao Rin Pala (TRP) next month, our Performing Arts Medicine team from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine collaborated […]
Hellohello from Iloilo
I am in Iloilo as part of the Balik Scientist Program “give as many talks as possible while we are funding you till May 2026” task. Iloilo positions itself as a cultural, heritage and culinary destination in the Visayas. The Iloilo trip organizers took my “I am a museum geek” statement to heart and ran […]
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: […]
