AwArdEEs 2023

eMiLiO quines, Jr. MD, KGCR

General Medical Practice and Humanitarian Missions

A renowned Family Medicine practitioner whose civic efforts include medical missions and support for immigrants as well as small entrepreneurs, Dr. Emilio Quines, Jr. (Ret.) is a Diplomate of the American Association of Family Medicine. For nearly 30 years, he served as Attending Physician at the Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center. He also made his mark as Medical Director at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Center, and as an HIV Specialist for 20 years at Suffolk County Department of Health Services on Long Island. He was a Founder of, and serves as an Advisor to, the UERM Medical Foundation. He was a Charter Member of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Foundation and Museum. With his wife, Dr. Felicisima DavidQuines, he has provided capital to the EQFQ Credit Corp., which extends micro-loans to small Filipino businesses. A lifetime Knights of Rizal member, he rose to the post of Commander of the KOR’s Long Island Chapter in 2014-2015. He received the TOFA (The Outstanding Filipinos in America) Heritage Award in 2022.

rOnie MaTaqueL PhD

Education Management and Civic Affairs

Before his appointment as Adjunct Lecturer at Brooklyn College (2020 to the present), Dr. Mataquel served as Adjunct Lecturer, now College Instructor, at Queensborough Community College. Since 2018, he has been an Adjunct Professor at Touro University System’s Lander College for Men. He received his Doctorate in Development Administration from Philippine Christian University, a Master of Arts degree in Education from National Teachers College, and a Diplomate in Mathematics Teaching from the UP Open University. He has led various civic groups, including the United Federation of Fil-Am Educators, the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc., and the Association of Filipino American Teachers in America. Among his awards are The Most Outstanding Migrant Award for Community Service and Promotion of Cultural Diversity from the USA In – Global Migrant Heritage Foundation; New York Family Magazine’s Excellence in Education Award; and Model Fil-Am Teacher of the Year from the Philippine American Communities Executive Council.

MSN, RN, CNL Professional Development in Nursing Education

Currently the Program Director for Nursing Continuing Professional Development at New York Presbyterian, Laarni oversees the continuous skills improvement and training of more than 11,000 nurses at 11 New York Presbyterian campuses, including the prestigious NYP Cornell and NYP Columbia University Hospitals. She teams up with the Cornell and Columbia Medical Colleges, as well as the Columbia School of Nursing under their Inter-Professional Continuing Professional Development program. Laarni is the President-Elect of the Philippine Nurses Association of New York; she will assume the post in 2024. She volunteers for the American Nurses Association, Maryland Nurses Association, the Association of Nursing Professional Development, the American Organization of Nursing Leadership, and other institutions at the forefront of continuous nursing instruction. A civic-minded leader, Laarni has founded the Thinking of You Kindness Campaign and Nurses Advocating for Nurses.

TeresiTa Medina

DNP, MAS, RN-BC Behavioral Healthcare Administration

With over 30 years of psychiatric and behavioral nursing care management behind her, Dr. Medina exemplifies the healthcare professional. She currently serves as Assistant Vice President, Behavioral Health Services, at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, NJ. Previously, she distinguished herself as Chief Nursing Officer, Patient Care Services, at RWJB Behavioral Health Center in Toms River; Administrative Director, Behavioral Health Services, at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch; Administrative Director of Behavioral Health and Acute Care at Saint Clare’s Hospital in Boonton; and Administrative Director, Behavioral Health Services, at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. She sits on the faculty of the School of Nursing, Felician University. She has also taught psychiatric nursing theory and clinical practice at other famed nursing schools in New Jersey and in her native Manila. She is the incumbent President (20222024) of the Philippine Nurses Association, NJ. >>>