The Guinayangan Republic

M.D., M.M., F.A.C.C., F.C.C.P.

Born in the forested hills of Guinayangan during Japanese Occupation to Chinese immigrant Chan Fu, merchant and copra dealer who raised his children adapting the Filipino ways and custom. After finishing elementary grades in 1956, Tony left Guinayangan for Mapua High School, and persuaded his college education in UST, where he graduated with honors as Most Outstanding Medical Intern in 1968.

He then left for Baltimore, USA where he was a Rotating Intern of Union Memorial Hospital and John Hopkins University Graduate Program, 1968-1969.

From 1969 to 1971, he was Resident in Internal Medicine, Michael Reese Medical , University of Chicago, Illinois, where he trained under Dr.Alfred Pick & Richard Langendorf in Clinical Electro physiology, becoming a Fellow in Cardiology, Cardiovascular Institute of the same institution. He then stayed in Chicago from 1969 to 1991 as Cardiologist.

In 1992, he moved to San Jose, California after founding Chanwell Clinics and joined Stanford University Hospital as Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine in Cardiology.
As Chairman of Chanwell Clinics, he sees about 15,000 patients a year, many of which are from Northern California, Philippines and Southeast Asia. A substantial number of his patients are from China, Taiwan, and Hongkong, plus high ranking government officials and religious leaders of the Philippines. Dr. Chan and his team has provided much needed healthcare to the elderly minorities and poor immigrants, rendering free healthcare services particularly to Filipinos, where his clinics are open for them six days a week.

From time to time, he travels to Manila to assist the Philippine Heart Center improve its healthcare services through Congressional leadership. To help young Cardiologist in the Philippines upgrade their knowledge and skills, he also established the Chan Visiting Fellow at the Stanford University where he is currently working at the cardiovascular division in health care delivery strategy and teaching of cardiology fellows.

With Dr. John Cooke of same university, they founded the Cooke Pharma that is involved in the research and development of medical foods that prevent and treat cardiovascular disease. He has imitated the Chan Scholar Program which has funded a Diocesan Priest (UST graduate) for a 4 year Doctorate in Theology in Rome. He and his wife Estrelita , a pediatrician finds time to act as leaders and volunteers of San Jose Filipino Cursillo, and is a Eucharistic Minister, Lector of the Catholic Church of San Jose.
In the summer of 1998, Dr. Chan traveled to Washington D.C. to lobby White House and the US Congress regarding the passage of Veterans Equity Bill for Filipino-American soldiers that fought in World War II.

For his outstanding performance, he has been receiving several Awards and Citations, from different entities such as:

• United States Congressional Award in 1994 for “Outstanding Contribution to Education and Community Medicine”.
• “Physician of the Year Award”, 1994 from the National Filipino Media Association of America
• “Most Outstanding Alumni Award”, 1994-UST Alumna Association of America
• “Dr. Martin Luther King Good Neighbor Award”, 1999-Dr. Martin Luther King Association

and citations as:

• Who’s who in American Medicine
• Who’s who in America
• Who’s Who in Internal Medicine

all from Cambridge, England.

Author and co-author of scientific publications in leading medical journals such as Circulation, American Heart Journal.
He speaks fluent Filipino, Cantonese, Mandarine, Fukienese and English.
He says he never forget his father’s last words to him upon his graduation in the college of Medicine which is “Treat all sick persons regardless of status, race, age and sex, but most particularly the penniless ones” thus for this virtue he always manifest, it is not surprising that he was selected for the “Good Neighbor Award” by the Dr. Martin Luther King Association.

from the book "Guinayangan Noon At Ngayon" by Mrs. Alodia F. Molines