Dr. Dalisay graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1984 (AB English, cum laude), the University of Michigan (MFA, 1988) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Ph.D. English, 1991). He teaches English and Creative Writing as a full professor at the University of the Philippines.
Among his distinctions, he has won 16 Palanca Awards in five genres (entering the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2000), five Cultural Center of the Philippines awards for playwriting, and Famas, Urian, Star and Catholic Film awards and citations for his screenplays. He was named on the The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of 1993 for his creative writing. He has been a Fulbright, Hawthornden, David TK Wong, Rockefeller, and British Council fellow.