Raquel Barros del Rosario-Fortun is the first
Filipina forensic pathologist
Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...
practicing in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. She is a professor at the
College of Medicine of the
University of the Philippines Manila
The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) is a state-funded medical and research university located in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. It is known for being the country's center of excellence in the health sciences, including health professio ...
and the current chairperson of the Department of Pathology.
Education
Fortun took up primary and secondary education at the
UP Integrated School
, image = University of The Philippines seal.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman
, motto = Honor and Excellence
, established = February 12, 194 ...
before pursuing a
B.S.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in
Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
in 1979 as her pre-medical course at the
University of the Philippines Diliman
, image = University of The Philippines seal.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman
, motto = Honor and Excellence
, established = February 12, 194 ...
. Eventually, she earned her
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...
degree from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center College of Medicine.
Career
Fortun learned about forensic pathology through one of her seniors at the University of Philippines Manila's Department of Pathology, and was offered to specialize in
forensic pathology under Dr. Donald Ray of the King County Medical Examiner's office in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
in 1994. To her, this was a difficult and heartbreaking ordeal, because it also meant leaving her then-three-year old daughter Lisa behind at the time.
Following her one-year training in Seattle, Raquel returned to the Philippines in 1995 and has since been consulted in various cases, her first being the
Ozone Disco fire
The Ozone Disco fire in Quezon City, Philippines, broke out at 11:35 pm Philippine Standard Time on March 18, 1996, leaving at least 162 people dead. It is officially acknowledged as the worst fire in Philippine history, and among the 10 wo ...
. From then on, she has been involved in cases such as the
Dacer-Corbito case, the
2006 Subic Rape Trial, the 2005 Ortigas shooting incident, the
Asian Spirit tragedy, the
Maguindanao massacre
The Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre, named after the town where mass graves of victims were found, occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the town of Ampatuan in then-undivided Maguindanao (which is now Magu ...
, the death of Trina Etong, the wife of
Ted Failon, the
assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr., the death of
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) (Filipino: ''Pambansang Demokratikong Hanay ng Pilipinas (PDHP)'') is a coalition of revolutionary social and economic justice organizations, agricultural unions, trade unions, indigenous ...
peace consultant Randall "Ka Randy" Echanis,
and the
murder of radio journalist and broadcaster Percy Lapid.
Personal life
Growing up, young Fortun loved cleaning the fish that her mother would occasionally purchase from the market. This, along with the influence of her paternal aunt Dr. Lourdes Baens del Rosario, sparked Fortun's love for medicine and inspired the latter to become a doctor, despite coming from a family of lawyers - a decision that, according to her, "slightly disappointed" her father.
She is married to
obstetrician-gynecologist
Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and ...
Vincent Lohengrin A. Fortun; they have a daughter named Lisa.
See also
*
The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortun, Raquel
Filipino women academics
Filipino women medical doctors
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people