Nathalia Montemayor

MD, DPBA, FPSA

Exhibiting an exceptional drive to practice and propagate the art and science of Peripheral nerve blocks (PNB) in the country, Lia was inspired by the art and science of peripheral nerve blockade at her Yale University New Haven Hospital’s One Day Surgery Unit rotation in 1996-1997 under Dr Roberta L. Hines, Dr Sorin J. Brull and Paul G. Barash. Inspired by the use of the Peripheral Nerve Stimulator upon returning to the Philippines, she ventured doing PNBs based initially on external landmarks and fascial clicks. Then with a Peripheral Nerve Stimulator, which turned out a good success rate, though not perfect. Eventually, she learned the art of using the ultrasound for nerve blocks under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Jesus Montemayor, one of the Philippine pioneers of Clinician POCUS (Point of Care Ultrasound).
Lia honed the knowledge of PNB and its transfer into skills through frequent and numerous workshops conducted by the New York School of Regional Anesthesia (NYSORA) and European Society of Regional Anesthesia (ESRA), later on becoming part of the NYSORA-Asia faculty, holding workshops in the Philippines and Malaysia. Through the years of workshops and congresses, Lia has met and made friendships with many of the stars in the field of RA.
Gaining proficient skills in peripheral nerve blocks through its constant application of the discipline and technique in private practice and able to properly apply the different nerve blocks to each patient, her clinical practice featured the majority of patients being under the joint replacement program of the TMC Department of Orthopedics. Mentoring anesthesia residents and regional anesthesia fellows on Upper and Lower Extremity and Truncal Blocks in the clinical setting, Lia religiously attended weekly didactics for the further education of the fellows in training.
Developing the Procedural Notes for Peripheral Nerve Blockade for use during nerve blocks and incorporating these into the Operations Manual of the Department of Anesthesiology, Lia pioneered the first Fellowship Program in Regional Anesthesia in the Philippines on February 2016 at The Medical City. Its basic training program was adopted from the US Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship curriculum. Currently on its 5th year, the Program has graduated 6 fellows.
Representing the fellowship program at the RA/APM Fellowship Directors Group in 2017, she sought a continuous improvement and development of the RA fellowship program in conjunction with performance assessments of the RA fellow graduates. She is currently editing the 5th edition of the RA Training Manual due to the advancements in the field of RA. Lia firmly is of the belief that PNB will soon be an essential basic skill of an anesthesiologist in the Philippines. It may take decades to master the art. But as one of the pioneers, Lia is forever hopeful.