Obstetrics and Gynecology may not have been her first choice, but they eventually enabled her to change lives. Dr. Rebecca Singson, a magna cum laude in B.S. Biology at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and a graduate from the UP Manila-College of Medicine, proves that it pays to work hard, study well and, for all it’s worth, listen to your parents.
A pioneer in robotic surgery in the Philippines, Dr. Rebecca “Becky” Singson is all but mechanical with her patients. Armed with a bright and sunny personality, she is warm and nurturing with them, showing that a listening ear is just as therapeutic as medicine.
“I really wanted to become a plastic surgeon at first,” Becky, who took up Medicine upon the prodding of her mother, reminisces, “because, I thought to myself, it was a marriage between the arts and science.” Eventually, it became apparent that it wasn’t God’s will for her. “I ended up seeking a spiritual guide to help me choose my specialty. We randomly opened the Bible three times. And in those three times, it led me to a passage of a woman in childbirth.” At that time, Becky was reluctant. “But then it was God’s will. I succumbed, and He’s blessed my practice ever since,” Becky, a mother of twins, adds with a smile.
Female forward
Becky was one of the first in the country to introduce and practice robotics surgery. She performed the first robotic hysterectomy in 2011 while she headed the Gynecologic Robotic Surgery Section of St Luke’s Global City. Robotic surgery is a relevant advancement in the field of medicine because, in reality, nobody likes to have a big scar. The technology makes it possible to minimize not only scars, but also postoperative pain, and enables the patient to resume certain activities within days. “I had a high-powered banker patient who had a huge uterine myoma complicated with huge left and right ovarian cysts. She needed surgery. I performed her robotic surgery on a Friday, then she went back to work on a Monday. I mean, it’s like they didn’t even have any surgery at all,” she cites as an example.
A woman of style and substance
During a recent trip to Italy, Becky had a talk with a 17-year-old girl sitting beside her in a restaurant. “From the moment I saw her, I already knew what her medical condition was through her physique, and it’s Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).” According to Rebecca, the girl has seen six doctors, but none of them gave her answers about her condition. So, Rebecca explained to her everything she needs to know about PCOS. “She told me, ‘with this short chat with you, I had understood more about my illness compared to all the other six doctors I have been seeing in my entire life’,” she shares with a smile.
As a fairly attractive fashion plate, how does she define a woman of style and substance? “A woman of style is timeless and presents herself in an aesthetically pleasing way—elegant to the eye without being loud. Couple that with woman of substance, who is someone who makes you grow and learn with every interaction, and you have a tasteful, discerning woman who impacts your life,” Becky concludes.
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Erratum
In an article titled “Of Women & Robots,” which appeared in PeopleAsia’s Women of Style and Substance August-September 2019 issue, the writer stated that Dr. Rebecca Singson graduated magna cum laude from the UP College of Medicine. Dr. Singson actually graduated magna cum laude with a degree in BS Biology at UP Diliman and not the UP College of Medicine where she later earned her medical degree.
