PARM Bulletin
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From Synapse to Synchrony to Symphony:
Exemplars of Essential Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Melecio M. Pena III, MD, FPARM
Championing the core values of the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (PARM), the academy conducted a series of interdisciplinary scientific conferences, featuring the tenets of professional competence, integrity, resilience, and collaboration. The Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (PARM) collaborated with the PARM National Capital Region (NCR) Chapter, conducted a face-to-face synchronous musculoskeletal, neurological, and medical conference last May 20, 2023 at The Westin Manila, Mandaluyong City. This was the PARM 1st Quarterly Scientific Conference 2023 and PARM NCR 11th Scientific Conference for PARM physiatrists. Themed SYNAPSE: Physiatry and Lifestyle Medicine – The Body, The Mind, The Gut, & The Soul, this program focused on enhancing the knowledge and skills of physiatrists in these armamentaria of the physical, psychological, and medical assessment and management in Rehabilitation Medicine with a symbiosis of the revolutionary Lifestyle Medicine.
Demystifying the puzzling tapestry of exercise, functional wellness of the body and mind, and nutrition, is a critical artillery in the synapse of interdisciplinary management intertwining Physiatry and Lifestyle Medicine. The program showcased blockbuster topics with topnotch speakers, namely the BODY lecture entitled, Exercise for All: Synapsing towards Functional Wellness of the Body and Mind, delivered by Melecio M. Pena III, MD, FPARM, a physiatrist from The Medical City Clark in cooperation with Maria Lourdes Corazon Fernandez-Tapang, MD, FPARM, a physiatrist from Capitol Medical Center. This was succeeded by the MIND lecture entitled, Fortitude: Mindfulness for Mental Resilience presented by Jannel G. Cleto, MD, FPPA, a psychiatrist from The Medical City Ortigas. Then, The Quandary: Trilemma of Nutrition, Inflammation, and Environment in Lifestyle Medicine, which is the GUT lecture was presented by Jeimylo C. De Castro, MD, FPARM, RMSK, DABRM, CIPS, a physiatrist from The Medical City South Luzon. The program was concluded with the SOUL lecture, entitled The Essence of Lifestyle Medicine delivered by Richard D. Nelson, MD, an internist from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. The program emphasized the importance of including lifestyle medicine in the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine management, and the effects of a healthy lifestyle in the preservation of longevity. This blockbuster interdisciplinary scientific conference was granted four (4) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
Left image: Official poster of the 1st PARM Quarterly Scientific Conference. Right image: PARM physiatrists in attendance.
Continuing the scientific program series, PARM conducted the 25th Midyear Scientific Conference, entitled SYNCHRONY: Physiatry and Human Kinetics in Sports and Exercise last September 1 to 3, 2023 at The Marriott Clark, Pampanga. Celebrating the silver edition of the PARM Midyear Scientific Conference, the academy commemorated this milestone with a breakthrough scientific program showcasing the correlation of Physiatry and Human Kinetics in Sports & Exercise. Physiatry, also known as Rehabilitation Medicine is a branch of medicine which aims to enhance, restore, optimize and prevent loss of functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments and disabilities, including injuries sustained in sports and exercise. Human Kinetics is a discipline focused on the comprehensive study and practice of human movement and exercise, and its impact on health and physical performance. This includes the human movements involved in sports and exercise. Sports is an organized, structured, competitive, skillful, fun and interactive physical activity, requiring physical prowess. It aims to maintain or improve physical ability and skills of the athlete, while enhancing one’s physical and psychological health. On the other hand, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, exercise is a planned, structured, and repetitive physical activity characterized by movements of the body, which aims to motivate or improve and adhere to or maintain physical fitness.
The scientific interplay of Physiatry and Human Kinetics in Sports and Exercise was the thrust of this conference, highlighting blockbuster topics with their corresponding topnotch speakers. The topics and speakers were Key Role of Physiatrists in Sports & Exercise Rehabilitation (Bee Giok Tan-Sales, MD, FPARM, FACSM, RMSK) who pioneered the very first Midyear Scientific Conference; Neuroplasticity in Exercise and Motor Learning: The Synchrony of Human Movements and the Brain (Reynaldo Rey-Matias, PTRP, MD, MSHMS, FPARM); Physiology of Exercise (Ramona Luisa Pablo-Santos, PTRP, MD, FPARM); Psychology of Exercise & Sport (Coach Marcus Jarwin Manalo, from the University of the Philippines Diliman); Human Biomechanics in Exercise: The PRM Approach (Mae Angeleine Ongchuan, MD, FPARM, RMSK); Nutrition in Sports & Exercise (Vince Leenard M. Yabut, MD, an internist and nutrition specialist from The Medical City Clark); Hydration in Sports & Exercise (Marla Frances T. Mallari, PhD, from the University of the Philippines-Diliman); The Curious Case of the Knee Ligaments (Mark Edmon F. Tan, MD, FPARM, RMSK); The Sports Physiatrist (Jose Bonifacio S. Rafanan, MD. FPARM); The Sports Cardiologist (Lucky R. Cuenza, MD, an internist from the Philippine Heart Center; The Sports Strengthening and Conditioning Specialist (Coach Christian Wisdom M. Valleser, from the University of the Philippines Diliman); and MSKUS Regenerative Interventions in Sports (Jeimylo C. De Castro, MD, FPARM, RMSK, DABRM, CIPS).
The scientific conference encompassed a research forum, and programs to champion our advocacy of “Move Your Body, Move Your Mind”. These included So You Think You Can Dance? and PARM Ninja Warrior Olympics.
The scientific program emphasized the significance of the collaboration of Physiatry and Human Kinetics in Sports and Exercise in the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine assessment and management. Coordinating with other medical and allied health disciplines and specialists truly champions the interdisciplinary approach for the comprehensive physiatric care of our champions in sports and exercise. This blockbuster scientific conference was granted nine (9) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
Left image: Official poster of PARM 25th Midyear Scientific Conference. Right Image: Coach Christian Wisdom Valleser during the multidisciplinary panel discussion. With Lucky Cuenza, MD and Jose Bonifacio Rafanan, MD
The culmination of the trifecta of the scientific program series was SYMPHONY: Physiatry and Dance Medicine, which was the PARM 3rd Quarterly Scientific Conference 2023. This blockbuster scientific program was a collaboration of PARM with the PARM NCR Chapter, and was held last December 10, 2023 at Luxent Hotel, Quezon City. The program showcased Staccato: A Clinical Case Conference, another interdisciplinary scientific conference of an actual case of a ballet dancer. The program featured four generations of distinguished alumni of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery as topnotch speakers, namely Maria Lourdes Corazon Fernandez-Tapang, MD, FPARM who discussed the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine approach; Paschenelle B. Celis, MD, FPARM for the Interventional and Regenerative Medicine approach; Sotero M. Ramos III, MD, FPOA, DPBO, an ankle and foot specialist for the Orthopedics approach; and Sandra T. Torres, MD, FPRA, an internist for the Rheumatology approach.
The scientific conference was succeeded with a social program, themed So You Think You Can Dance? 2 which featured the residents, consultants, and alumni championing our advocacy of “Move Your Body, Move Your Mind”.
Altogether, the scientific program focused on the impact of the collaboration of Physiatry and Dance Medicine in the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine assessment and management. Coordinating with other medical specialists, including orthopedists and rheumatologists truly underscores the essential interdisciplinary approach for the comprehensive physiatric care in dance rehabilitation, highlighting the science in the art.
Left image: Official poster of PARM 3rd Quarterly Scientific Conference. Right Image: Multidisciplinary clinical case conference with the experts, from L to R: Sotero Ramos III, MD, Paschenelle Celis, MD, Malou Tapang, MD, and Sandra Torres, MD.
From “Synapse” to “Synchrony” to “Symphony”, the academy advocates its core values weaving the tapestry of professional competence in scientific conferences, as physiatrists champion these programs as exemplars of interdisciplinary collaboration. Our clinical practice is essentially interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary, as we synapse in synchrony and symphony with other medical specialists, and allied health professionals in the holistic and comprehensive quest of enhancing the functional ability and quality of life of our beloved patients.
