Pathologists' Reflections on Filipino Heritage: Determination, Adaptability, Resilience

To celebrate Filipino American History Month, we spoke with two leading Filipino American CAP members, Dr. Victor Cabañas and Dr. Anthony Victorio. Now retired from pathology practice, Dr. Cabañas served the CAP as regional laboratory commissioner for the Great Lakes Region until 2022. Dr. Victorio was inspired to get involved with the CAP after going through the inspection process in medical school and now serves as an inspection team leader. Both doctors reflect on how their Filipino upbringing and culture influenced their experiences and careers in pathology.

Dr. Victorio: I was born in the United States to Filipino parents. My parents actually met here, in Michigan. My grandfather was able to come across from the Philippines to help raise me while both of my parents worked. And so, I feel like I got that double dose of being raised by my parents with an immigrant mentality, meaning, if you want anything, you have to really earn it. But then I also had my grandfather there to kind of anchor me in the traditional values of the Philippines—the importance of family and respect for your elders.

Dr. Cabañas: People may not realize that there are over 7,000 islands in the Philippines and, consequently, the so-called "traditional Filipino values" may differ somewhat. But there is certainly a commonality amongst Filipinos.

I was born in the Philippines on the island of Leyte, the eldest in a family of nine. When we were growing up, my parents always emphasized that we have to be honest, hard-working, polite, considerate, and steadfast in our faith. As in many Filipino families even now, my parents insisted that we obtain a good education, and this [attitude] is probably why the population in the Philippines today has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. According to what I have read, the latest estimate is that at least 96% of Filipinos can read and write. And most of us can speak pretty good English.

Dr. Cabañas: The national language is Tagalog, but in Leyte, there are two main dialects. The southern part of the province speak Waray, which I used to speak because I went to school in Tacloban, which is the largest city in Leyte. The [people in the] northern half, where I was born and raised until 6th grade, speak Cebuano. So, technically, I speak multiple languages.

Dr. Victorio: I only spoke Tagalog for my first three years because it's what we spoke at home. So, I had a recent revelation that when we talk about English as a second language, I actually do qualify as that.

Dr. Victorio: We moved to Southern California when I was still young, and there we had the benefit of having such a large [amount of] diversity. I recognized I was Filipino, but I never really considered myself different from any of my other classmates of all different ethnicities.

Dr. Cabañas: Because of our culture, we are usually reserved. This may mean that we are often quiet during meetings in the workplace. Unfortunately, in this country, that can be misconstrued as being aloof, disengaged, indifferent, or what have you, which can lead to being marginalized, not listened to, or even taken advantage of.

The greatest asset of Filipinos can be summarized in a few words: determination, adaptability, and resilience. Sometimes, people compare us to the bamboo plant, which is often found on Filipino farms. Bamboo can flex either way, and even during a storm, the plants usually don't break. If they do, they grow new shoots. And that's how I characterize Filipinos: as being resilient in any career, including those millions of Filipinos abroad doing various types of work as professionals.

Dr. Victorio: My mom was a nurse, and we had a lot of family friends who were nurses and med techs. So, I saw a lot of the medical field growing up, but I was always encouraged to choose something because I wanted it, not because it was something predetermined in terms of the pathway.

Dr. Cabañas: During my time practicing pathology, I have never really felt discriminated against by anybody for being brown or being an IMG, except for one instance. While working in my first job as an associate pathologist in a Cincinnati-area hospital, our director of pathology was let go. Senior members of the hospital staff expressed that they wanted me to take over as director of laboratories. The CEO at that time had to approve all department head appointments. He came to me and said, "I like you, I like your work, but I'm worried the medical staff may not accept you because you’re a foreign medical graduate."

For the first time while living in this country, I felt really discriminated against and offended. I told him [the CEO] that I hadn't applied for the position and I had job offers from other hospitals in the area, which was true. His response was to wait before I made any decisions. The next day, he came back to me and said that I had the job and was approved by the hospital board of trustees and executive committee.

I started my new position in January 1980. Some time after that, the CEO was fired; the medical staff did not like his management style. But I stayed on through five more CEOS, until I finally retired in 2012.

Dr. Cabañas: For those pathologists working as a laboratory director, you have to closely work with the CEO, whether or not you like the person. If you don't, you will not be able to justify the personnel and equipment needed. And that's how my culture of being adaptable helped me tremendously, because I could have just said, "Goodbye, I don't want to put up with you." But that is not the reality of most Filipinos—or most people—and that's actually a very good lesson to learn.

My general advice to people in the workforce, especially Filipinos, is when the need arises, speak up. You have something to contribute.

Dr. Victorio: I wholeheartedly agree with Doctor Cabañas. My advice to every pathologist, especially those like my younger self, would be to say that you do have a voice. And if you don't speak up, people won't speak up for you.

Dr. Victor Cabañas began inspecting CAP-accredited laboratories in 1983 and has performed more than 70 inspections since then. A state commissioner since 1990 and a regional commissioner since 2009, Dr. Cabañas has also been a member of the CAP’s Continuous Compliance and Complaints and Investigations Committees. He served as medical director of laboratories at Mercy Franciscan Hospital-Mt. Airy in Cincinnati, Ohio, for more than 30 years, before retiring in 2012. After retiring from practice, Dr. Cabañas continued to serve the CAP as regional commissioner for the Great Lakes Region until 2022.

Dr. Anthony Victorio obtained his medical degree at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, in Loma Linda, California, and completed his residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at Loma Linda University Medical Center. He is board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology, as well as hematopathology. Dr. Victorio is the president and medical director of Yosemite Pathology, and he also serves the CAP as a laboratory inspector.