By Kumar Balani

NEW YORK, NY – For anyone among tens of thousands of US Filipino doctors to achieve distinction, or just stand out, it takes almost superhuman effort. Tough initial steps to recognition include choosing a field one really likes, going through adequate years of a fulfilling experience, then making a firm lifetime decision to practice in that chosen specialty. It can be a make-or-break outcome. William (Bill) H.E. Romero MD, a 1981 graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, traveled this path and succeeded.

Recently, good news was out there racing to reward him for all the obstacles he overcame, including physical disability. That huge reward – an award – is actually the outcome of his tough mental decisions and acts of determination he was unconsciously pulling towards himself The multi-millionaire motivational speaker T. Harv Eker has said: Whatever you focus on, expands!

How did that news reach its intended destination? In a message, the selection committee for awards of The Outstanding Pilipinos informed him that he was “unanimously chosen to be honored with the prestigious TOP Award for Achievement in Medicine.”

In its own words, the organization “honors very distinguished Pilipinos who, for 20 years or more in their chosen field of endeavor, have achieved exemplary success, made invaluable contributions of outstanding significance to their profession and field of expertise…”

Dr. Romero will receive this award at a gala ceremony on Sunday, 27 January at the Hilton Doubletree Hotel in Whittier, California. This achievement is made all the more significant by the fact that he had to undergo five separate surgeries on his spine since 1988. After his third spinal surgery in 1997, he was left virtually disabled for two years until 1999. He writes: “my neurosurgeon admitted having cut a nerve tissue that he thought was a scar tissue.”

That did not deter him. Despite being unable to work due to physical impairment, his courage to carry on, his dedication to helping patients, his persistence to remain in medical practice to later resume what he loved doing, he took “odd jobs in HMOs as a medical reviewer of appeals from patients for treatment.”

‘Human Face Sculptor’

The path to his specialization in cosmetic medicine was a winding one. Dr. Romero calls himself a ‘ human face sculptor’ and his workplace in Dix Hills on Long Island, New York as “a medical clinic dedicated to non-surgical cosmetic procedures: Botox, Juvederm, Kybella and Vi-Peel chemical peels.”

Dr. Romero says in essence: ”Everything I do is meant to create a more beautiful and youthful appearance.” Based on years of experience with patients, he “understands the cause and concomitantly, the correction of volume loss, using the natural contours of the face to enhance the corrections.” He reduces wrinkle lines and creates a refreshed, relaxed, rejuvenated, youthful face.

In today’s world, your reputation can build or destroy you. An Internet search on physicians in rating websites Healthgrades, Vitals, and Yelp, yielded very high scores for Dr. Romero. The average on Heathgrades: 4.9 stars, with 202 out of 210 patients giving him 5 stars. On Vitals, the patients’ average was 4.7 stars out of a 5.0 stars maximum, On Yelp Dr. Romero’s average was 96 percent, with 36 patients each giving 5 stars equaling 180 stars among total 188 points

Compassionate and Caring

Dr. Romero received for eight years straight from 2011 to 2018, two awards that strongly demonstrate the all-important value he places on his unwavering care for patients: the Vitals Compassionate Doctor Award, and the Vitals Patients’ Choice Award.

His professional story begins with completing his general rotating internship at Philippine General Hospital in Manila, then beginning a general medicine private practice, followed by coming to the US in 1983, having been offered an internship in pediatrics, followed by a residency in that specialty by New York Medical College – Lincoln Hospital, where in 1987, in his third year, he was chosen as Chief Resident.

From 1988 onwards, Dr. Romero received board certifications, and had a private practice in three different and distinct specialties: bariatric medicine, medical nutrition, and cosmetic medicine.

Over the years he has written articles for professional journals and popular magazines on a variety of medical problems including eating abnormalities, lead poisoning, polycystic ovary syndrome, and sleep disorders. He has also presented a dozen lectures at medical conventions on these topics, as well as on bariatric medicine, fitness psychology, insulin resistance, Latisse® for eyelash growth, nocturnal eating, and obesity.

Dr. Romero held leadership positions in various student groups at UP Diliman. Continuing his commitment and dedication to serve others, he has led physicians with various roles including importantly, as a Board Member and later, as Chairman of the Board of Governors and National President of the UP Medical Alumni Society of America. He was National President of the Phi Kappa Mu International Medical Society from 2009 to 2011. Since 2016 he has proudly served as President of the Upsilon Sigma Phi Association in North America.

Kumar (Kem) Balani has an AB Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines and an MA in Politics from New York University. He is founder and publisher of Biz India Online News since 2002. Go to www.BizIndia.net to read book reviews, features, news, opinion columns, and videos on business, entertainment, investing, law, sports, technology, and more.

 

This column first appeared in the Daily Tribune in the Philippines on Sunday, Jan, 20, 2019. Read Kumar Balani’s columns in that newspaper: http://tribune.net.ph/index.php/author/kumar-balani/