It was in Portugal alongside my mentor, colleague, and now friend Dr. Rochelle Dy — of course, while eating some scrumptious seafood in the city of Cascais — that my ideas sprouted into a full vision of what PAPA could be. I had been tasked with leading this historic organization into the future as a relatively new nonprofit, knowing full well that I had my work cut out for me. This was, in many ways, a clean slate — and it gave me the license to dream as big as I could.
The question was how could I honor the historical motivations that established this group in the first place, and bring together the new generations of Filipino/ Filipino-American physiatrists who were wanting more from a nonprofit organization? To me, the heart of PAPA is family — that sense of community, that spirit of bayanihan. I knew that if this was at the heart of our mission, we could accomplish anything we wanted and stay true to what makes PAPA what it is.
So we set forth with this spirit of bayanihan to nurture the Filipino/ Filipino-American community through the field of physiatry. A special thank you to Dr. Rochelle Dy, Dr. John “Jay” Villanueva and Karen Dispo-De Boos, our consultant, who made the commitment with me to build PAPA into the nonprofit it can be. Since those early COVID days, we have grown our E-board and infused it with “fresh blood” with Drs. Stacey and Tracey Isidro, Dr. Gabrielle Avancena, and Dr. Robbie Badillo. Our vision is to make PAPA the premiere space for Filipino physiatrists and our allies to commune, support, educate, and work together for the good of our community and physiatry as a whole. I have wanted our presence to be felt beyond the walls of AAPM&R where we historically held our annual meeting, and to pursue projects and initiatives that help us take up space and have our voices heard. My goal is to explore different avenues to connect with Filipinos all over the United States and the world.
It is also not lost on me that in this age of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, there is a place for organizations like PAPA — perhaps now, more than ever. It is so important for future generations to find leaders, mentors, and colleagues who share their same cultural awareness and identity.
Filipino-American physiatrists building PAPA at AAPM&R 2022.
We are here to say that this is possible. We are here to encourage (not pressure!) future generations to pursue a career in medicine and especially physiatry. Our community needs physicians like us — after all, do Filipinos not provide some of the best care? It may be a stereotype, but it is one I happily embrace. We are also here to support our fellow Asian, Latin and African -American colleagues. We all know too well the importance of banding and representing together, and sharing our lived experiences as minority communities.
It is an exciting time to be a physiatrist. It is also a really exciting time to be part of PAPA. In less than one year, we have launched multiple projects and initiatives, increased our social media presence, and even made it to Broadway!
This has been the most active our organization has been. I know it is not just me who feels the energy that we are on the precipice of something big. Join us. Help us put PAPA on the map where we belong. We are living in the PAPA Times.
This editorial is just one way to create that connection with our community. It will serve as our historical record, a means to highlight our accomplishments, educate our community about physiatry, reflect on our experiences as Filipinos/ Filipino-Americans, and collaborate with partners who can help support our mission and vision. This is meant to be a safe space, a creative and mindful place. We hope that our content will leave you wanting more, and inspire new thoughts and ideas. I suppose it makes sense that this was born out of a delicious meal – for the PAPA Times is supposed to be food for thought. So let me end this by saying, bon appétit! Kain na!
In gratitude,
Niña Carmela R. Tamayo, DO MS MPH
PAPA President