For Filipino American History Month, Dr Tim was a featured member of the UOP Dugoni Family.

October is Filipino American History Month

My History

I was born in Palo Alto, California at Stanford Hospital. I attended Catholic grade school in Sunnyvale and then graduated from Saint Francis High School. I earned a BS in Genetics from UC Davis. I completed dental school at UC San Francisco and a General Practice Residency at the VA Palo Alto. I have worked at an FQHC, Gardner Family Health Network in San Jose, CA for 7 years. I was an attending dentist at the VA Palo Alto for 7 years. I have worked as a dentist at Solano County Jail.

I operate a private practice in Hayward, CA. I have hospital privileges at Alameda Hospital, and I am a consultant dentist for many skilled nursing facilities. I also provide concierge onsite dental services for home bound patients.

I currently am the supervising faculty for the Special Care Clinic at the UOP Dugoni School of Dentistry. Every senior dental student spends one week with me on rotation in the special care clinic.

I am also faculty for the UOP Dugoni AEGD program.

I have been married to Marilou for 23 years. I have a 21-year-old daughter, Victoria, who is a senior studying accounting at the University of San Francisco. I have a son, Jonathan, who is a 19-year-old sophomore who is studying business at Gonzaga University. My youngest son Christopher is 15 years old and is a sophomore at Saint Francis High School.

What does the identity of Filipino/Filipinx mean to you?

Being a second-generation Filipino American is particularly important to me. Over my lifetime, I have tried to learn as much as I could about the Filipino culture. As an American Born Filipino that cannot speak Tagalog, I often feel left out of conversations with other Filipinos that can speak the language. I still try my best to connect with my Filipino brothers and sisters, as I will continue to learn to speak Tagalog. However, I am so happy that my own children are seeking to be involved with the Filipino groups at their college campuses. My daughter has agreed to be the co-chair of the 50th annual USF Filipino Cultural night in the Spring of 2023. I am so happy to support her journey to become more connected to her Filipino cultural heritage. I am proud to be a member of the large UOP Filipino community because as a group we are continually active here on campus.

What does this month mean to you?

This month is a chance for all in America to learn more about the Filipino culture. Filipinos are the second largest population of Asian Americans. The first documented presence of Filipinos in what is now the United States, dates to October 1587 around Morro Bay, California. It is estimated that there are currently over four million Filipino Americans. I am immensely proud to be Filipino American and I am grateful that we have a month dedicated to share our collective stories and proudly share our culture.

Share your journey and what has led you to where you are now.

My maternal grandfather was a Manong, a Filipino man who came to the US in the 1920s to work in the agricultural industry in Hawaii and the West coast of the United States. He suffered much discrimination. He loved being in America so when the opportunity came up, he volunteered to serve in the US Army to fight the Japanese in WWII. After the war was over, the US government passed “The War Brides Act,” enacted on December 28, 1945. This allowed my grandfather to go back to the Philippines and find a wife. He brought my grandmother to San Francisco in 1947 and my mother was born in 1948. My father immigrated to San Francisco in the 1960s from the Ilocos region of Luzon to study electronics. He met my mother and married her in 1966 and I was born in 1967. My parents valued education and sent me to Catholic schools till I graduated High School. I graduated from UC Davis and then dental school at UC San Francisco. I have always embraced my Filipino Heritage so; it was easy for me to be involved in the different Filipino cultural groups after high school. All through college and dental school I served as a leader in our Filipino student groups. Professionally, I am grateful to my mentors, Dr Paul Subar and Dr Allen Wong that have guided me in my career that led me to my current position as a full-time faculty member at UOP Dugoni School of Dentistry. Being a leader in the dental community is especially important to me and I wish to serve as a positive role model for our dental students and for all new dentists.

How are you shaping your history?

I am embracing my past experiences and forging new pathways for my career here at Dugoni. This is only my second year as a full-time faculty, and I am trying my best to be the best dental educator I can be. I am inspired by the legacy of Dr. Dugoni, and I am incredibly grateful that I have this opportunity to continue his vision of making the Dugoni School of Dentistry the very best dental educational center in the world.

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