ARCHIVES
2020
PPA Annual Meeting was canceled. (click here for President's Message)
2019
PPA 45th Annual Meeting (click here) at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco
Where: Wyndham Canterbury, San Francisco
When: Sunday, May 19, 2019
PPA Annual Meeting was canceled. (click here for President's Message)
2019
PPA 45th Annual Meeting (click here) at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco
Where: Wyndham Canterbury, San Francisco
When: Sunday, May 19, 2019
2016
PPA 42nd Annual Meeting at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta
Where: STATS Food + Drinks 300 Marietta Street NW
When: Sunday, May 15, 2016, from 11:30am-2pm
PPA 42nd Annual Meeting at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta
Where: STATS Food + Drinks 300 Marietta Street NW
When: Sunday, May 15, 2016, from 11:30am-2pm
| 2016 PPA 42nd Annual Meeting Program |
2015
PPA 41st Annual Meeting at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Toronto
Where: Pearl King Chinese Restaurant
291 King St. West, Toronto
+1 416 506 8886
When: Sunday, May 17, 2015, from 11:30am-2pm
PPA 41st Annual Meeting at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Toronto
Where: Pearl King Chinese Restaurant
291 King St. West, Toronto
+1 416 506 8886
When: Sunday, May 17, 2015, from 11:30am-2pm
| 2015 PPA 41st Annual Meeting Program |
2010
Dr. Francis Sanchez' message at the Philippine Psychiatric Association Meeting January 2010
2010
Dr. Francis Sanchez' message at the Philippine Psychiatric Association Meeting January 2010
"I am back from the Philippines with warm felicitations from our colleagues at the Philippine Psychiatric Association. We had a meeting that outlined a proposal for strengthening the affiliation between our two groups [which is outlined in the Spring 2010 newsletter]. As the emissary of the Philippine Psychiatrists in America, I am bringing this back to you and mentioned to our Philippine counterparts that we will be discussing this further with the body at large."
"On a different note, may I also report that the recently concluded Philippine Psychiatric Association Meeting at Dusit went very well and I was welcomed with warmth and collegiality that was truly wonderful and unmatched! I hope this is the start of more collaborations between our two groups as I believe we can achieve much together" - Francis Sanchez, MD (previous past president)
Join us in New Orleans for the May 2010 meeting
The event will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2010 from 7pm-10pm at the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center. The hotel is located at 859 Convention Center Boulevard New Orleans, LA 70130. . Registration and a light reception will start at 6:30pm at the Blaine Kern Room A, 1st floor.The theme of this year’s meeting is “Recovery: the Biopsychosocial Model and Around the World”.
We are fortunate to have Dr. Lourdes Ignacio, the president of the World Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation with us as our guest speaker. She will be focusing on her experience with recovery in third world nations with her talk ““The World of Being One in Recovery”.
For the business segment of our meeting we have important issues to discuss and decide on: projects, membership, financial issues, and our relationship with the Philippine Psychiatric Association.
We look forward to seeing old friends and getting acquainted with new ones! See you there!
Please RSVP if you are coming to the meeting - we would greatly appreciate it. Email us at ...
Interested in sponsoring the meeting? Place an ad in the souvenir program.
"On a different note, may I also report that the recently concluded Philippine Psychiatric Association Meeting at Dusit went very well and I was welcomed with warmth and collegiality that was truly wonderful and unmatched! I hope this is the start of more collaborations between our two groups as I believe we can achieve much together" - Francis Sanchez, MD (previous past president)
Join us in New Orleans for the May 2010 meeting
The event will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2010 from 7pm-10pm at the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center. The hotel is located at 859 Convention Center Boulevard New Orleans, LA 70130. . Registration and a light reception will start at 6:30pm at the Blaine Kern Room A, 1st floor.The theme of this year’s meeting is “Recovery: the Biopsychosocial Model and Around the World”.
We are fortunate to have Dr. Lourdes Ignacio, the president of the World Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation with us as our guest speaker. She will be focusing on her experience with recovery in third world nations with her talk ““The World of Being One in Recovery”.
For the business segment of our meeting we have important issues to discuss and decide on: projects, membership, financial issues, and our relationship with the Philippine Psychiatric Association.
We look forward to seeing old friends and getting acquainted with new ones! See you there!
Please RSVP if you are coming to the meeting - we would greatly appreciate it. Email us at ...
Interested in sponsoring the meeting? Place an ad in the souvenir program.
2009
Dr. Norma Panahon awarded 100 Most Influential Filipino Women in the US
Congratulations to Dr. Norma Calderon-Panahon, recipient of the Filipino Womens’ Network’s 100 Most Influential Filipino Women in the US. She was awarded as the founder/chair of the UPMASA Western New York Chapter and a member of the Board of Governors of the UPMASA National. This award is the culmination of a “… nationwide search for the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. … is the ultimate showcase of the Filipino American community’s most inspiring individuals in the private and public sector, which exemplify innovation, mentorship, professionalism, gender empowerment and leadership.”
- FWN website, www.filipinawomensnetwork.org
Dr. Norma Panahon awarded 100 Most Influential Filipino Women in the US
Congratulations to Dr. Norma Calderon-Panahon, recipient of the Filipino Womens’ Network’s 100 Most Influential Filipino Women in the US. She was awarded as the founder/chair of the UPMASA Western New York Chapter and a member of the Board of Governors of the UPMASA National. This award is the culmination of a “… nationwide search for the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. … is the ultimate showcase of the Filipino American community’s most inspiring individuals in the private and public sector, which exemplify innovation, mentorship, professionalism, gender empowerment and leadership.”
- FWN website, www.filipinawomensnetwork.org
APA San Francisco 2009
2007
Website Op-Ed Article
Website Op-Ed Article
Baptism By Fire
By Katherine M. Napalinga, MD
I started my psychiatry residency in the thick of things. I leapt straight from the US Embassy at the heart of smoggy Manila into the geriatric psych ward on the second week of the residency training year, feeling somehow like one of those babies they throw straight into a swimming pool after leaving their mother’s womb. Wide-eyed and adrenaline still pumping from the battleground of visa-approval red tape, I was assigned to shadow a second-year resident for my first two weeks on the job, then venture out on my own.
Leaping into the thick of things, or to be more specific about some none-too-pleasant incidents, from the frying pan into the fire, seemed to mark the trend of my life as a psychiatry resident delving into her first year of training in the US. I started out this sheltered fresh-off-the-plane-and-medical-school doctor going on her first trip to the US, dealing with being cut off from the safe umbilical cord of a stereotypical Filipino extended family, diving into total independence, with all its perks and drawbacks, for the first time in her life.
I think my biggest challenge starting fresh was getting over not having rice three times a day. Well, come to think of it, there were several big challenges. Not having a car, for instance, found me doing a full 24-hour call with the resident I was shadowing just to avoid having to catch a bus by myself at an abandoned bus stop at Monument Road at 11 PM (we were required to do just six hours for a shadow call, 5 to 11 PM). And of course, two eventual post-call car accidents made me regret not maximizing my driving lessons in the Philippines to the fullest (but then again, one could easily argue that driving in the Philippines teaches you zilch about driving in the US – unless you throw in stuff NOT to do). Those gave me a crash course on the vagaries of auto insurance and predatory towing companies against the backdrop of finding the right apartment and stuff to fill it with.
As if those things weren’t enough, for some reason, my calls started attracting situations seemingly from the Twilight Zone (at least by psych ward standards): a patient slipping and getting a broken leg; a dialysis patient with no accessible veins (and it didn’t help that the IV catheter here looked and worked differently than the ones I got used to inserting in medical school); nearly getting punched by a huge agitated patient (who ended up punching a hole in the wall instead after I ducked my head just in time, plus I guess being a petite Filipina also helped); nearly getting strangled by a demented 80-year old little old lady with Amazonian strength; and to top it all off, this 90-something-year old woman, whose medical comorbidity was still being tossed around by medicine and surgery, suddenly coded on my second night on call solo. My co-interns started calling me “The Black Cloud” of our batch because my calls were marked by such unpredictability and excitement (sometimes too much excitement). They were even joking about making me write “The Extreme Psychiatry Resident’s Survival Manual.” By the end of my first year, I’d had to deal with four acute myocardial infarctions, a kid with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, two elopements, uncountable IV placements (almost unheard of in a psych ward) and NGT insertions, and nearly getting mugged in my apartment’s parking lot.
Things weren’t always all that bad, however. Several things about being Filipino helped me survive this struggle.
The first of these was the resilience instilled upon me by my training at the Philippine General Hospital. No matter what people say, the level of toxicity there cannot compare with hardships experienced in the hospitals here, where supplies and resources are almost always available, where patient quotas are more strictly followed, where call rooms are actually comfortable (and are always present), and where 24-hour air conditioning is always available. When things seem to get a little too heavy with my work here, I always think back to my clinical years in the PGH battlefield and like magic, start realizing I should be thankful I actually have it easy.
Getting involved in the Filipino community has been a huge source of support, both in the hospital and my apartment block. Friends, both old and new, have been invaluable in helping me deal with the stresses of everyday living and assuring that I get my share of play in this profession where work can consume you if you aren’t careful. If not for my Filipino friends, I would have no one to speak Filipino with, nor would I have sources of cholesterol-laden Filipino food (very essential for survival). Their support is worth the trauma of having been visited by three firemen and two policemen at 3 AM after I fell asleep cooking adobo for a potluck lunch party. They have also been good models for vicarious learning, having been in the exact same, or similar, situations I am in now. They are also facing or currently dealing with situations I am likely to encounter in the future. Truly, my friends have carved me a home away from home.
This is not to say I haven’t made friends outside of the Filipino community, for I think this too, is an essential task to anyone new in the country wanting to blend into the scenery. My co-residents, American friends, and other friends from different countries have figured into making my life here constantly exciting. Being exposed to different perspectives and lifestyles has broadened my own perspective of the world and has made me look forward to discovering more.
While discovery and venturing forth has been important, I have also found comfort in going back to my roots. Constantly keeping in touch with my family and my faith has been an anchor, a reminder of where I started, how far I have gone, where I need to go, and how I need to go about achieving my goals.
Behind all these lie the primary reason for getting involved with the whole process in the first place: an all-encompassing fascination with the field of psychiatry, an endless well of curiosity about the nuances of the mind, and a promise to dedicate myself to the discovery and rediscovery of the ever-changing terrain of the human brain and the mechanisms of both deciphering and healing it.
Sometimes, little everyday conflicts tend to overpower and obscure the big picture. My friends laugh when I relate another new foible or another new hurdle won or have yet to overcome. But at the end of the day, when I pause and remember to see the forest for the trees, the future illuminates itself more clearly and allows me to sleep more soundly yet another night.
-----------------
Dr. Napalinga is a PGY-3 resident from the Albert Einstein Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Program in Philadelphia, PA.
By Katherine M. Napalinga, MD
I started my psychiatry residency in the thick of things. I leapt straight from the US Embassy at the heart of smoggy Manila into the geriatric psych ward on the second week of the residency training year, feeling somehow like one of those babies they throw straight into a swimming pool after leaving their mother’s womb. Wide-eyed and adrenaline still pumping from the battleground of visa-approval red tape, I was assigned to shadow a second-year resident for my first two weeks on the job, then venture out on my own.
Leaping into the thick of things, or to be more specific about some none-too-pleasant incidents, from the frying pan into the fire, seemed to mark the trend of my life as a psychiatry resident delving into her first year of training in the US. I started out this sheltered fresh-off-the-plane-and-medical-school doctor going on her first trip to the US, dealing with being cut off from the safe umbilical cord of a stereotypical Filipino extended family, diving into total independence, with all its perks and drawbacks, for the first time in her life.
I think my biggest challenge starting fresh was getting over not having rice three times a day. Well, come to think of it, there were several big challenges. Not having a car, for instance, found me doing a full 24-hour call with the resident I was shadowing just to avoid having to catch a bus by myself at an abandoned bus stop at Monument Road at 11 PM (we were required to do just six hours for a shadow call, 5 to 11 PM). And of course, two eventual post-call car accidents made me regret not maximizing my driving lessons in the Philippines to the fullest (but then again, one could easily argue that driving in the Philippines teaches you zilch about driving in the US – unless you throw in stuff NOT to do). Those gave me a crash course on the vagaries of auto insurance and predatory towing companies against the backdrop of finding the right apartment and stuff to fill it with.
As if those things weren’t enough, for some reason, my calls started attracting situations seemingly from the Twilight Zone (at least by psych ward standards): a patient slipping and getting a broken leg; a dialysis patient with no accessible veins (and it didn’t help that the IV catheter here looked and worked differently than the ones I got used to inserting in medical school); nearly getting punched by a huge agitated patient (who ended up punching a hole in the wall instead after I ducked my head just in time, plus I guess being a petite Filipina also helped); nearly getting strangled by a demented 80-year old little old lady with Amazonian strength; and to top it all off, this 90-something-year old woman, whose medical comorbidity was still being tossed around by medicine and surgery, suddenly coded on my second night on call solo. My co-interns started calling me “The Black Cloud” of our batch because my calls were marked by such unpredictability and excitement (sometimes too much excitement). They were even joking about making me write “The Extreme Psychiatry Resident’s Survival Manual.” By the end of my first year, I’d had to deal with four acute myocardial infarctions, a kid with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, two elopements, uncountable IV placements (almost unheard of in a psych ward) and NGT insertions, and nearly getting mugged in my apartment’s parking lot.
Things weren’t always all that bad, however. Several things about being Filipino helped me survive this struggle.
The first of these was the resilience instilled upon me by my training at the Philippine General Hospital. No matter what people say, the level of toxicity there cannot compare with hardships experienced in the hospitals here, where supplies and resources are almost always available, where patient quotas are more strictly followed, where call rooms are actually comfortable (and are always present), and where 24-hour air conditioning is always available. When things seem to get a little too heavy with my work here, I always think back to my clinical years in the PGH battlefield and like magic, start realizing I should be thankful I actually have it easy.
Getting involved in the Filipino community has been a huge source of support, both in the hospital and my apartment block. Friends, both old and new, have been invaluable in helping me deal with the stresses of everyday living and assuring that I get my share of play in this profession where work can consume you if you aren’t careful. If not for my Filipino friends, I would have no one to speak Filipino with, nor would I have sources of cholesterol-laden Filipino food (very essential for survival). Their support is worth the trauma of having been visited by three firemen and two policemen at 3 AM after I fell asleep cooking adobo for a potluck lunch party. They have also been good models for vicarious learning, having been in the exact same, or similar, situations I am in now. They are also facing or currently dealing with situations I am likely to encounter in the future. Truly, my friends have carved me a home away from home.
This is not to say I haven’t made friends outside of the Filipino community, for I think this too, is an essential task to anyone new in the country wanting to blend into the scenery. My co-residents, American friends, and other friends from different countries have figured into making my life here constantly exciting. Being exposed to different perspectives and lifestyles has broadened my own perspective of the world and has made me look forward to discovering more.
While discovery and venturing forth has been important, I have also found comfort in going back to my roots. Constantly keeping in touch with my family and my faith has been an anchor, a reminder of where I started, how far I have gone, where I need to go, and how I need to go about achieving my goals.
Behind all these lie the primary reason for getting involved with the whole process in the first place: an all-encompassing fascination with the field of psychiatry, an endless well of curiosity about the nuances of the mind, and a promise to dedicate myself to the discovery and rediscovery of the ever-changing terrain of the human brain and the mechanisms of both deciphering and healing it.
Sometimes, little everyday conflicts tend to overpower and obscure the big picture. My friends laugh when I relate another new foible or another new hurdle won or have yet to overcome. But at the end of the day, when I pause and remember to see the forest for the trees, the future illuminates itself more clearly and allows me to sleep more soundly yet another night.
-----------------
Dr. Napalinga is a PGY-3 resident from the Albert Einstein Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Program in Philadelphia, PA.
2005
PPA Newsletter, Fall 2005
PPA Newsletter, Fall 2005
| ppa_newsletter_fall_2005.pdf |