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“I believe the Filipino language
is not sufficient to describe or teach
the field of medicine. Even in law,
the way Filipinos talk in court is
mostly in English. So there was not
really a language barrier when we
moved here,” Dr. Balatbat said.
Dr. Balatbut eats with his wife, Grace Maria, and son, Lucas.
Originally, the stay in America
was only going to last a year, but
Dr. Balatbat’s friend and mentor,
Dr. Mushtaque Juneja, began to
convince him otherwise. Although
the fellowship officially began at U
of L, most of the work was done
at Norton downtown where Dr.
Juneja was practicing as chief of
obstetric anesthesia.
“He was and is my mentor,” said
Dr. Balatbat. “His role was not only
showing me how to practice obstetric anesthesia, but also how to
truly care for sick pregnant patients. He taught me his life experience at the same time. He treated me as his family and taught me
all the experiences he had in medicine and in life.” Today, the two
physicians still work closely at Norton Suburban where Dr. Balatbat
began practicing in 2001.
Dr. Larry Griffin, who delivered hundreds and hundreds of babies
in the company of Dr. Balatbat, said, “I have worked with many
great anesthesiologists, but there is no one whom I‘d trust more
in a difficult case. His ability to deal with any problem that might
arise, his professionalism and kindness that always show his focus
is only on the patient’s care and well-being in that moment: these
are the qualities that lead us, doctors and patients both, to trust and
respect him so much. On staff, he provided the leadership that led
to improving our obstetric services in so many ways. I consider
him one of the finest in his field, a highly valued colleague, and a
trusted friend.”
“When my wife and I moved to downtown Louisville, it was a
very quiet city. We found it strange to see downtown so quiet and
empty during weekends, not like in San Francisco where all the
people are out,” said Dr. Balatbat. “But, overall, I think it’s a safe
place to live and a good place to raise a family.”
In 2003, The Balatbats welcomed their son, Lucas, at Norton
Suburban. He didn’t practice that day, however. “I wasn’t an anesthesiologist that day- just a father and a husband.”
Although much of Dr. Balatbat’s time is devoted to his practice,
he and his family love to travel and have been on several one-of-akind trips including Italy, France and China. Over the 2015 holidays,
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they traveled to the Philippines for three weeks to see family and
friends, as well as celebrate his in-laws’ 60th wedding anniversary.
In his spare time, Dr. Balatbat still reads history and biographical
novels. He has recently begun Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing” series. He
practices with Obstetric Anesthesia Consultants, an independent
office based in Norton Suburban.
“While most of my time is geared toward my career and practice,
I’m thankful I have a very understanding and supportive wife who
is always there to listen to my successes and failures, also a son who
brings us joy every day.”
Aaron Burch is the communications specialist for the Greater Louisville Medical Society.