A Journey of Wisdom and Heart: Honoring the Storied Career of Professor Maria Concepcion C. Cabatan
As we look back on the halls of the College of Allied Medical Professions and the Department of Occupational Therapy, it is impossible to separate the history of our institution from the story of Professor Maria Concepcion C. Cabatan. For nearly four decades, she has been a constant presence—a steady hand and a guiding light through the changing seasons of the College. Her journey began here not just as a faculty member, but as a student who walked these same grounds, graduating in 1985 before returning to shape the minds of future generations of rehabilitation professionals starting in 1989.
A Lifetime of Mentorship
To her students, Professor Cabatan was more than a teacher; she was a mentor who truly understood the heart of learning. Recognized as UP Manila’s Outstanding Teacher in 2002, she possessed a unique ability to connect with students across generations. Whether in the physical classroom or navigating the new digital landscape, she always prioritized the human element of education. In recent years, her heart for her students was most evident in her research on student-faculty interactions and mental health, ensuring that even in remote learning, no student felt left behind. She taught us that education is not just about transferring knowledge, but about fostering resilience.
Stewardship through the Decades
Nostalgia takes us back to the many years she stood at the helm of our ship. We remember her tenure as Dean from 2009 to 2012, and the long, foundational years she served as Department Chair throughout the 1990s and early 2000s . During times of transition and growth, she was the quiet strength that held the Department and the College together. Her love for the University community was tangible, seen in her efforts to establish the OT/PT Clinic at the University Health Service, ensuring that the very people she worked alongside had access to care.
The Art of Adaptation
Perhaps most poignant is how Professor Cabatan’s life work mirrored her own scholarly pursuits. She dedicated her later academic years to understanding “occupational adaptation as a lived experience,” earning her PhD in 2020. She showed us that growth has no age limit and that adaptation is a lifelong process. From earning her Master’s in 1995 to becoming a One UP Professorial Chair Awardee multiple times over, she embodied the very resilience she studied.
A Heart for Inquiry and Discovery
Beyond the classroom and the clinic, Professor Cabatan’s legacy is etched into the very literature of our profession. Her research was never merely academic; it was a reflection of her deep empathy for the human condition. In exploring the “lived experience” of educators adapting to change, she gave a voice to the silent struggles of her peers. When the world shifted during the pandemic, she turned her scholarly lens toward the mental health of students and the participation of persons with disabilities, seeking ways to help us all not just survive, but thrive in isolation. As the Head of the College Research Committee and an Associate Editor who meticulously guided the work of others, she treated research not as a solitary pursuit, but as a communal act of service—ensuring that the path for future scholars was clearer than the one she walked herself
As Professor Cabatan steps away from the academe, we are filled with a deep sense of gratitude. She leaves behind a legacy woven into the fabric of the college—in the curriculum she internationalized, the faculty she mentored, and the countless occupational therapists who carry her teachings into the world.
Inday, thank you for sharing your life’s work with us. While you may be leaving the classrooms of CAMP, your legacy will forever remain a cherished part of our story.
