9th Annual Balik-Scientist Convention

September 27, 2023 Today’s (out of of town) event: 9th Balik Scientist Program (BSP) annual convention. Arrived at the convention center Tuesday the 26th, did a dry run of the presentation, had dinner with local relatives in the Angeles City area. To refresh your memory: I received a Balik Scientist Program award grant for a […]

First day of clinic: look, I match the wall!

I suppose that’s a good sign, right? After leaving the clinical world in 2019 for a 2-year expensive and soul-searching sabbatical + 1 year of health issues + easing back into medicine after that year through teaching duties… here I am! Outpatient clinic every Thursday afternoon. May consider doing Tuesday afternoons too, if needed. But […]

The “M Collaborations”: U.P. Music x Medicine

A mid-August visit to the University of the Philippines College of Music: it felt like coming home! Soon after we launched our series of health talks with the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra, I attended a wonderful, productive, inspiring meeting with the College of Music dean, college secretary, faculty members and a music therapist […]

Hello, UP Symphony Orchestra!

(PGH DRM x UPSO) Establishing rapport: hello orchestra, we are the Philippine General Hospital Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and would like to be your physicians. Our team from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine started our Musicians’ Health Series of short-ish talks this morning with the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra. We joined them before […]

Performing Arts Medicine Association 41st International Symposium

July 6-9, 2023. It was great to be back among “my people” in New York City after missing the first post-pandemic in-person conference (Chicago, 2022) due to illness. Bonus: we [Dave the Travel Pig and I] “met” the inventor of the Pap smear. Special thanks to the organizers, and also to my presentation co-author John […]

From the New York Times: When to Try Physical Therapy before Surgery

Some sociocultural commentary:Compared to the American population, I’ve found Filipinos are more receptive to starting with conservative therapy first (e.g., physical therapy or the local indigenous “hilot”). Partly because of the financial cost of medical care: the lack of insurance options, and sub-optimal coverage by Philhealth (universal healthcare), and partly because of surgery and strong […]

8. My Tumor Specimen Goes to Amsterdam… Can I Go Too?

May 7, 2022 Update: Friday with Doreen, breast cancer mascot. Doreen and I decided it was time to add 2 lb weights to my post-mastectomy rehabilitation (I am a little over 5 weeks post-op and the incisions are healed). Ice/cold packs and the occasional naproxen help with muscular pain. Then a trip to the medical […]

A Holistic Approach to Dancer Wellness

That’s a wrap! Thank you World Dance Alliance Singapore for having us speak about the holistic approach to Dancer Wellness today, January 23, 2022 (Asia). Optimizing dancer health needs to address the physical, emotional and mental aspects of health – while you can focus on just one aspect, we must recognize that all of these […]

Communication and its Importance in Rehabilitation, Part 2

In the last blog post, we tackled communication’s importance in a patient’s active participation in rehabilitation and adjusting to their “new normal” after a life-changing event. The rehabilitation team’s patient-centered care involves communicating information in a timely manner, promoting a supportive environment and building good relationships with the patient and family and delivering both bad […]