Alumni Reunion- Confab in Houston a Great Success

The recently concluded 27 th Annual Reunion and Scientific Convention of the FEU-DRNR School of Medicine Alumni Foundation (USA), held July 5-8, 2006, at the Westin Oaks Hotel in Houston, Texas, was a success.  

The traditional yearly gathering of FEU alumni mostly from the United States and a few from the Philippines, the festivity was ushered in by a reception and a dinner-dance, where alumni talents displayed their singing and ballroom dancing prowess.  

Guests from the Philippines included Dr. Jospehine C. Reyes, chairman of of the board of FEU-NRMF; Remedios T. Habacon, dean, FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine; Rey de Vegas, director, FEU-NRMF Hospital; Matias “Sonny” Habacon, president of the FEU-NRMF Alumni Medical Society, and this year’s recipient of the Most Outstanding Alumnus award. Dr. Lilia Luna, Class ’61, former director of the FEU-NRMFHospital, also came from the Philippines for this celebration.  together with Azora B. Capuchino, Class 72, consultant ophthalmologist, and Paz Leticia Anacta, Class '70, consultant in OB-Gyn.

The reunion also featured The Filipiniana Night on Friday, the 7 th, where the Class ’61, the Sapphire (45 th) Jubilarian, presented a “sexy” skit, participated in by its 20 members, all in their grass skirts, with the men topless, performing an ancient Hawaiian fertility dance ritual.  

On Saturday, following the last morning of scientific session, the General Membership Luncheon-Meeting was held. The festivities concluded with a spectacular Grand Ball the same evening, which included the oath-taking of the newly constituted officers and board of trustees of the alumni foundation, officiated by Dr. Josephine C. Reyes, chairman of the FEU-NRMF in Fairview, Quezon City.  

During the Grand Ball, the celebrating jubilarians were the Class ’81, Silver, (25th); Class ’66 , Ruby (40th); Class of ’61, Sapphire (45th); and Class ’71, Coral (35th). Next year, the first Golden Jubilarian of FEU (Class ’57) will be honored.

The scientific sessions featured a roster of alumni and some guest lecturers which includes: Rey de Vega, FEU-NRMF Hospital director (The Health of the Filipino People); Joyce S. Jumangit, Cardiologist, Philippine Heart Center (Current Issues- Rheumatic Fever and Rehumatic Heart Disease;

Philip S. Chua, Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery, Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital and Vice President for Far East, Cardiovascular Hospitals of America, Wichita, Kansas, (Laser TransMyocardial Revascularization as an Adjunct to Coronary Bypass Surgery); and Ed Relucio, retired general surgeon (JB Nolasco Legacy Lecture: Medical Tourism).  

The others were: Susan Nunez, Faculty, Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC (Pediatric Metabolic Syndrome: Myth or Truth?); Lilia Luna, chairman, Ob-Gyn, Capitol Medical Center (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Consequences and Evidenced Based Management); Regina L. Lantin, Pediatric Cardiologist, UT-Houston Medical School Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital (Congenital Heart Disease for the Primary Care Physician); Emilie Ongcapin, Manuel Malicay, Ruby Obaldo, Dia Abochamh, Cardiologist, South East Texas (Clinico-Pathologic Conference); Rowena Sim (Saving 100,000 Lives); Ed Casalmir (Vascular Access Made Easy); Joseph Kong, Easley General Surgeon (Advances in Modern Radiation Treatment); Nunilo Rubio, Endocrinologist, Illinois (Updates in Endocrinology); Allan J. Parungao, Plastic surgeon, Oak Park, Illinois (Breast Reconstruction).  

Bienvenido Yangco, MD, MPH, spoke on Avian Flu, A Pandemic in the Horizon?, as the Dr. Nicanor Reyes Jr. Memorial Lecturer, introduced by Renato Ramos, committee chairman of the DNRML.  

The Keynote Speaker was Sheldon Kaplan of BaylorCollege of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, who spoke on Community Acquired MRSA Infections. Other guest lecturers included Dr. Akisan Dosekun, Associate Professor of Nephrology, University of Texas Health Center (Chronic Kidney Disease); and Fred Hackney (Investments).  

Moderators were: Manny Malicay (CME Chairman), Brenda Narcelles-Banez, Dr. Pascual, Marielou Guzon. CME Co-chair were Manuel Malicay and Leonidas Andres. CME Program Director was Arsenio R. Martin and CME Liason was Celso Del Mundo. Co-chair of the 27 th Annual Reunion and Convention were Avila E. Arcala and Marielou R. Guzon.

Drs. Arcala, Guzon, their spouses and their entire team members of the Houston FEU alumni, are to be commended highly for a fantastic job in making this reunion-convention a great success that it was.