Member-Photo: 

Every day must: Give my husband and daughter kisses

Most missed when at work: My family

What do you love about practicing family medicine? Being able to build health partnerships with patients and their family

I champion family medicine by: Keeping abreast of legislation affecting family physicians via the CAFP.

Best lesson learned in residency: Perspective is key.

Wanted to be a doctor when I was 6 years old and my ob-gyn aunt made me tag along on weekends while she did clinic and post-partum rounds.

Currently reading: Treasures of Khan by Clive Cussler and the Belly Button Book

Favorite getaway: Going home to the Philippines

If I wasn't a family physician, I would like to be a: pre-school teacher

In her own words

On why she chose to complete a US residency program...
Even as a medical student, I already wanted to train in the US just to see if I could. It was a challenge that I could not resist. I felt it would be a "what if" for me down the road if I passed up on the opportunity. After I graduated from the University of the East, I stayed and completed a three-year pediatric residency at the Philippine General Hospital, a free government hospital that caters to the poorest of the poor. I felt that was my way of paying it forward.

As a pediatric resident, I felt that I had a lot of hands on experience but limited supervision. I heard from friends that, in the US, attendings went on rounds daily and were constantly available to help the residents. I craved that learning format and so that was my motivation for coming to the US. I realized two things at the end of my pediatric residency: I really enjoyed working in the clinic and working with adolescents. I felt that my training came up short on both since I only did one month of adolescent rotation and was heavy on in-patient rotations. I realized that by entering into family medicine, I would be hitting two birds with one stone. I get to do all the clinic I want by learning to take care of patients across all age groups.

On the most difficult challenge she faced as an IMG...
I think that the biggest hurdle for an IMG is the cost of the USMLE steps followed by the ability to get visa sponsorship. There is also no reliable roadmap to taking the USMLE and getting into a residency program. I was fortunate to have had a friend who was traversing the intricacies of the process before me and gave me some guidance. One of my future goals is to someday be able to create that roadmap for future IMGs so they can avoid wasting precious time and money.

On providing any words of advice for IMGs looking to apply to US residency programs...
My advice to IMGs who want to come to the US for residency is to make sure they do well in the USMLE because that is the key to getting interviewed. It is our way of getting our foot in the door.

Dr. Gandingco plans to join Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento in September 2008. She is married to Lorens Gandingco and they have an 8-month old daughter Larra.