From

Dr. Malou De Leon - Matsuda

I wish I were there to personally extend my deep gratitude to one of the, if not the greatest mentor I have had in my professional career. The mark of a great teacher is in one's ability to stimulate the learner to ask questions and develop critical thinking, to plant the love of learning and the passion to improve on what is, to achieve better outcomes, and to role model the great virtues of empathy and compassion, and of understanding the patient's illness experience. Dr Rey Joson is all of these, and more.

He is really one tireless teacher, one wonders where he , as a busy surgeon and hospital administrator, found the time and the energy to develop and teach his learning modules. He would always be working on his laptop and would show us a newly developed teaching module or an actual case report each week. But yes,  he is no ordinary man, and his passion as a teacher is unparalleled; and one can see that he is really driven by his goal to improve health outcomes, and improve health care by promoting evidence based, cost-effective, and efficient solutions for surgical problems, working within the context of his local community and his country.

Let me add that I admire Dr Joson not only as a teacher; but as a human being as well. He had a very kind and compassionate heart, always reminding us to think of the person who has the disease , his or her circumstances in life; not to think of patients as mere cases, but to think of them as persons and empathize with their illness experience. He was simple and humble, always inviting critique of his work, not afraid to acknowledge his limitations, or admit to mistakes as they come. He was not in the profession for money. He had the highest morals. I cannot forget a piece of advice he gave us one evening. He told us to let our conscience be our guide at all times. He said: “An honest man is able to sleep well at night because his conscience is clear, and he is at peace with the world.”

Let me just say that I am truly one grateful disciple of our great mentor RJ. And I think the best thank you that I can ever give back to him is to let him know that I cherish, and carry his teachings with me wherever I go. He has planted good seeds and his efforts have borne abundant fruit. He certainly has changed his community and his country, not only through his prodigious output of learning materials; but more importantly by teaching and developing thousands of competent, caring, and compassionate surgeons and physicians. His disciples are countless; and are scattered throughout the Philippines and in the world.

He certainly has one proud disciple in this far-flung and wintry place, called Canada where I now practise Family Medicine. Maraming maraming salamat sa iyo Ninong Rey. I wish you good health, comfort, sufficiency, satisfaction, peace of mind, joy, happiness, and lots of well deserved time in your retirement, to spend with your family: Jackie, Lance and Therese. Most Sincerely, and May God Bless You Always,

Malou