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AMSA- UST Attends the Forum on Filipino Youth Volunteering For HIV and AIDS

by: Fatima Soraya T. Santos and Stephanie Marie C. Seno, AMSA-UST

In the latest statistics of the Department of Health (DOH), 14 people are diagnosed with HIV everyday in the Philippines. The DOH predicts that the numbers will continue to rise in the next decade. DOH Assistant Secretary Enrique Tayag admits that as of now, they have no official plan or strategy to curtail the rising number of HIV cases in the country. So they have decided to consult the youth for hopefully ingenious and feasible solutions to this problem. They believe that all of us, the youth especially, can contribute by volunteering and brainstorming ideas to educate the public about the nature, transmission and proper preventive measures for HIV.

The morning consisted of talks and lectures about the current state of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines while workshops were held in the afternoon. The participants in the forum were divided into small groups and were asked to propose probable interventions to prevent further spread of HIV. Some of the ideas that were suggested included simple programs like conducting informative talks (HIV 101) to students, lay people and especially to high-risk groups like the LGBTs. Spearheading training seminars for medical-related personnel who can give HIV 101 to the lay people and conducting screening programs were also suggested. Other proposed interventions were made by really thinking outside the box like holding theatre plays, dances and flash mobs, etc. 

The proposed interventions were based on the premise that the behavior of people nowadays is a product of environment and context. To get a better grasp of the “environment and context”, the DOH has made a bold and strategic move to try and see the situation from the point of view of the people affected—they tried to put their selves in the shoes of our youth. Through the proposals made by everyone, the DOH also hopes to collaborate with the different youth groups present in the forum and make these proposals not just something that is seen on paper but also to actually follow through and act upon these ideas.

Come to think of it, who else could better propose practical solutions for the community than the community itself? Than the actual people who are exposed to and know or meet people with HIV everyday? And as future clinicians, we will probably be exposed to more cases than our predecessors did in their medical practice. It is therefore wise that while we prepare to care for these patients in the future, we should also do something about it now.

from left to right: Charles Tan, Marki Sanchez, Dr. Eric Tayag, Stephanie Seno and Fatima Soraya Santos

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NMSC 2014: the Doctor as the Leader, the Innovator, the Builder of the Nation

by: Sachiko Estreller, AMSA-UST

With over a hundred of student doctors from 14 participating medical schools, it goes without saying that the National Medical Students’ Conference 2014, held last April 5-6 at the Ateneo De Manila University, hosted by ACSIS-ASMPH in coordination with AMSA Philippines, was nothing short of a success.

AMSA-UST at day 1 of NMSC 2014, (c) Ivan Zapanta

AMSA-UST at day 2 of NMSC 2014, (c) Ivan Zapanta 

But more than the number of delegates, the success of NMSC 2014 greatly lies in the accomplishment of its purpose to serve as a gathering for student doctor leaders build a unified vision in achieving Kalusugang Pangkalahatan for our beloved country.

The event was formally opened with an inspiring message from former DOH Secretary and current ASMPH Dean, Dr. Manuel Dayrit, followed by an introduction to the conference by Mr. Paulo Cabrera, ACSIS President, and Mr. Greco Malijan, AMSA Philippines President.

In line with its theme “Building the Nation with Leadership, Innovation, and Medicine,” the conference was graced by the presence of distinguished speakers who tackled various health issues within their respective fields of expertise. The conference began with an enlightening keynote sessionby renowned National Scientist Dr. Ernesto Domingo on The Philippine Health Situation, a relevant and suitable start to what was to be two days of fuelled discussions about the Filipino Physician’s role in nation-building.

The ball was kept rolling by the succeeding talks on: Leadership in the Health Sector by the current FDA director Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go, Innovations in Medicine by Dr. John Wong, Medical Students on Nation-Building by Dr. Edsel Salvana, Technology and Healthcare by Dr. Bien Eli Nillos, and Leadership and Governance by Fr. Bienvenido Nebres.

The conference also offered an opportunity for the participants to choose from a smorgasbord of eminent speakers for the parallel sessions: Leadership by Dr. Frederic Ivan Ting, Hippocrates, Horace, Poets and the Movies by Dr. Michael Benedict Mejia, Delayed by Design by Dr. Christopher Joseph Soriano, Disaster Medicine by Dr. Joanna Marie Choa, Linguistic Competence by Dr. Michael Tan, Health Policy and Kalusugang Pangkalahatan by Dr. Albert  Francis Domingo, Wellness for Students by Dr. Maria Christina Reyes, Stocks and Wealth Management by Dr. John Francis Lee Hok, MBA and Medicine by Dr. Deogracias Alberto Reyes, Traditional Medicine and Acupuncture by Sr. Philip Nino Tan-Gatue, Life after Medicine and Good Patient Care by Dr. Ronnie Baticulon, and Critical Care Medicine by Dr. Jude Cinco. 

[From left to right] Charles Tan; Jenny Zerda; Dr. Ronnie Baticulon; Jemie Sebastian, Marki Sanchez, Lark Flauta, Ivan Zapanta and Jewel Calimbas      

NMSC 2014 not only provided an avenue for student doctor leaders to acquire new ideas through the numerous talks, but also to exchange ideas through the project competition and the research competition: 

The Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health won first place for the 2nd Gawad AMSA project competition for their project, Ignatian Build. 

For the research paper category with 10 competing entries, the winners were: Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila for first place with their research entitled, “Acute Toxicity and Anti-diarrheal Effect of Crude Corchorus Olitorius Methanolic Extract on Castor-oil Induced Diarrhea in BALB/C Mice; Angeles University Foundation for second place with their research, “Determination of the Anti-Angiogenic Activity of White Angel Leaf Extract using Chorioalantoic Membrane Assay”; and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila once again for third place with their research entitled, “Confirmation of the Ethnobotanical Cytoprotective Effect of Psychotria Luzoniensis Leaves against Hydrochloric Acid-Induced Gastric Ulcer in Mice.” 

West Visayas State-University-Medical Center, with their research entitled “Compassion Fatigue among Resident Physicians at WVSU”, bested 7 entries for the research poster category. The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery’s entry, “Patient Perception of Medical Students’ Engagement in Community-Based Outreach Activities during Community Health Clerkship”, came in second place; while Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila’s study on the “Association of Behavioral, Socioeconomic Factors, and Smoking with Increased Blood Pressure among Adolescents aged 13-17 in Manila High School” came in third.

The conference was chock-full of new learnings and experiences even towards the very end when the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies conducted a workshop on Filipino Sign Language with the aim of equipping the young future doctors with the empathy and competence in delivering care to persons with disabilities.

The event was concluded with a motivational closing keynote from Dr. Ma. Luz Casimiro Querubin, who presented the challenges that medical students will soon have to face as physicians, and emphasizing their pivotal role not only as clinicians but as leaders and innovators in the field of medicine.

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AMSA-UST A.Y. 2013-2014! What year for us! 

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Official Video of AMSA-UST Executive Board 2014-2015. President - Charles Jeffrey Tan Internal Vice-President - Jesser Serrano  External Vice-President - Mark Anthony Sanchez  Secretary - Jemie Amielle Sebastian Treasurer - Gem Angeli Burgos Alumni Relations Officer - Anna Mayleen Fermin Local Exchange Officer - Racine Elaine Reinoso Academics Officer - Aaron Pierre Calimag Socio-Civic Officer - Virli Anne Sebastian