Dr. Abulencia is a board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon who practices in Long Island. He has been in
practice for 22 years.

Born in the Philippines, he and his parents and siblings immigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area when he was three years old. He attended the University of California at Berkeley for college and then Stanford Medical School. He served his residency in orthopedic surgery at Yale and completed a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Chicago.

He was in private practice in Long Island for 11 years before joining Mount Sinai Doctors of Long Island where he has been in practice for the past 11 years. His practice focuses on sports medicine, arthroscopy, and reconstructive shoulder and knee surgery, although he also does general orthopedics and fracture care. He has been the team physician for SUNY Old Westbury for the last 10 years and has enjoyed taking care of the athletes and helping them return to competition. He has also been deeply involved in the teaching of orthopedic residents at Huntington Hospital.

In addition to clinical practice, he has taught at Hofstra University for the past 18 years. He teaches anatomy and orthopedics in the physician assistant program and has found this, along with taking care of patients, to be one of the most rewarding parts of his career.

Family is an integral part of Dr. Abulencia’s life. His wife, Alyssa, is a registered nurse. His son, Jacob, is 23 years old and graduated from Stony Brook University. His daughter, Mia, is 21 years old and is a senior at the University of Virginia.

Life changed dramatically for the family when Jacob was 13 years old and became very ill. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He underwent three and half years of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical procedures. During that time, the family traveled back and forth to the hospital and even stayed for days either at the hospital or the Ronald McDonald house nearby. It was a challenging time for all, but Jacob did well and has been cancer-free. While both parents traveled back and forth to the hospital, Mia, who was 11 years old at the time, was frequently cared for by family, friends, and sitters. Dr. and Mrs. Abulencia knew that siblings of children with life-threatening conditions could be easily and overlooked, so they made sure that Mia was given the love and time she needed. As an 11-year-old, it is difficult to understand the reasons why parents may not be home for dinner or to help with homework. They knew that they were so lucky to have such caring friends and family members to help with Mia.

This is why SIBS means so much to Dr. Abulencia and his family. SIB’s Place provides a supportive program for children who have siblings with cancer or other life threatening conditions. It provides, among other services, peer support, homework support, and even food. Dr. Abulencia’s family never had the chance to use SIBS, but it would have helped so much as they struggled with the challenges of cancer.

Alyssa continues to work as a nurse. Jacob, inspired by his leukemia, is applying to medical school. Mia is finishing her senior
year at the University of Virginia. She is on the track team and is pursuing architecture.

The Abulencia family continues to support cancer research, programs for children, as well as services for families with cancer and terminal illnesses.