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Pinoy Abroad

Pinay pediatrician Francisca Tolete Velcek one of America's top doctors


Dr. Francisca Tolete Velcek's name may not ring a bell in the Philippines but in the United States, she is recognized as one of the top doctors in the field of pediatric surgery.

A Filipina originally from Ilocos Sur, Velcek has been practicing medicine in the US for over four decades, according to the Asian Journal news site.

With 44 published medical articles and 155 national and international lectures tucked under her belt, she currently serves as the chief of pediatric surgery at the University Hospital in Brooklyn at Long Island College Hospital  in New York.

Velcek is also a professor of surgery at the State University of New York which has over 467,000 students.

Castle Connolly, a site that identifies America's top doctors, has ranked Velcek among the top one percent of the best US doctors since 2002.

For her achievements, Velcek was recently named as one of the 2012 Presidential Pamana Awardees by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.

According to the doctor's profile site “Vitals,” Velcek's major awards include:

  • Castle Connolly America's Top Doctors (2002 - 2012)
  • Castle Connolly Top Doctors: New York Metro Area (1999 - 2012)
  • Patients' Choice Award (2010 - 2012)
  • Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2010 – 2011)

The same site gives her the highest ranking — four stars.

Some of her patients posted positive feedback on Vitals.

“Twenty years ago my son was diagnosed with Diaphragmatic Hernia with no chance of survival. Thanks to Dr. Velcek, our son is doing remarkably well,” said one of the patients.

Others described Velcek as an excellent doctor who has saved their young and newborn children by performing surgeries on them.

Giving back

Despite her tremendous success in the US, Velcek gives back to the needy in her homeland.

She conducts regular medical missions in the Philippines and maintains a student scholarship fund at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Medicine.

She also joins medical missions in parts of South America and Europe.

A native of Ilocos Sur, Velcek took up medicine at the University of the Philippines and graduated in 1966.

Her becoming an intern at the New York's St. Clare's Hospital and Health Center opened up opportunities to her in the US.

She married the late Dr. Damir Velcek, a New York urologist who passed away in 2008.

Velcek is the President of the Board of Trustees of the Women’s Health Care Foundation and Chairperson of the National Ethics Committee of the Philippine Health Research and Development Council. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News
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