SCOPE NEWSLETTER
Maiden Issue | April - May 2014
NEWSLETTER THE MAIDEN ISSUE APRIL - MAY 2014
THE EDITORIAL BOARD 2014-2015 Editor-In-Chief MICHAELANGELO CRISTONI GUBALLA Associate Editor DENISE NICOLE VILLANUEVA
Batch 2019 Class Picture
ASMPH Community Welcomes Batch 2019
Managing Editor MIKHAIL JOHN ESPIRITU Secretary General KAYE CABALLAS
with OrSem 2014: LIYAB
Finance Officer ARRA FRANCESCA CASTRO
By Gabriel Lim
Through the annual Orientation Seminar (OrSem) the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) Batch of 2019 was able to meet the various organizations and personalities within the school. The event, which was entitled OrSem 2014: LIYAB, took place last May 22 from 1:00pm to 7:00pm at the 5th floor lecture hall. Orsem 2014: LIYAB was organized by Batch 2018 in cooperation with The Medical City, FILED, Patient First Medical Center, and White Space with special thanks to Chatime Eton Emerald Lofts, and Manang’s Chicken. The event started off with welcoming remarks given by Year Level 5 (YL5) coordinator Jose Anthony Jocson, M.D. Afterwards, Batch 2018 executive officer Tiffany San Juan and legislative officer Gio Alejo gave a short presentation on how to thrive in YL5. Batch 2019 was then treated with a performance by the Ateneo Med Dance Group (AMDG).
They also went through the OrSem Walking Tour which featured the different organizations and student groups of ASMPH. Among those that were part of the tour were SCOPE, AMDG, VOX, DOCS, Surgical Society, Eskwela, ACSIS, Athletics Council and the Student Council. Moreover, the fourteen trans groups of Batch 2019 were engaged in three challenges that allowed them to learn more about themselves and the ASMPH community. More performances highlighted the second half of the program with the participation of the all-male dance groups Flying High Men (Batch 2018) and the Homohyoids (Batch 2017). With the new school year almost at hand, OrSem 2014: LIYAB was a great event to show Batch 2019 that ASMPH is not just about academics, but that there is so much more in store for them in their five years in the school. More importantly, the message was clearly given: in ASMPH, they do not have to merely survive, but thrive.
Batch 2014 with Pugad Agila 2014 Core Team, Dr. Dayrit and Dr. Querubin
PUGAD AGILA 2014 TAKES OFF By Mico Guballa
Last May 2 marked yet another important occasion in the ASMPH community as Pugad Agila formally launched its operations for the coming 2014 Physician Licensure Exams. While the launch is usually done 100 days before the board exams, this year’s launch happened a few days days earlier, designating the first Friday of May as its official day hereon. With batch 2013’s impressive 100% passing rate, the challenge to do well is not only posed to batch 2014, but to the current Pugad Agila members who have to soar high in order to match PugadAgila 2013’s outstanding performance.
WINNING TRANS GROUP TEAMS (L-R): Trans Group 11, 6 and 10
Present in the event were batch2014, ASMPH Dean Manuel M. Dayrit, M.D.; Associate Dean Ma. Luz S. Casimiro-Querubín, M.D.and Enrico Paolo C. Banzuela, M.D. of TOP NOTCH Board Prep. Doing things a bit differently this year, the Pugad Agila team was introduced
through a rap and dance number. The morning was graced by performances from 2017’s Sessionistas, surprise number by the Lenon brothers (John Lenon of 2018 with Carlo Lenon of 2014). Aside from this, Pugad Agila’s services were officially launched, which includes daily wake-up calls (Team Tandang), bunk visits (Team Inahin), academic support (Team Kuwago), surprises (Team Kalapati), logistics and board operations (Team Tariktik), creatives and promos (Team Loro), documentations (Team Paboreal) and finance and marketing (Team Uwak).
NO ATENEAN LEFT BEHIND Amidst the fun atmosphere and pleasantries were key messages that highlighted the importance of unity in achieving a common goal. According to one of the overall heads Kathleen S.
Layout Artist Katrina MARIE Hernandez SCOPE Adviser and Moderator AMIHAN PEREZ
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Contributors Yves Garcia Gabriel Lim Isabelle Martinez John aaron mendoza Joanne Pamin Iya Sanchez Miguel Torrijos KAYE YOINGCO Photographers GELO APOSTOL ZECHARIAH ENRIQUEZ MARIA ARCELI FLORES BRAYLIEN SIY Yoingco (2017): “Pugad Agila symbolized the ASMPH culture of ‘No Atenean left behind’ which is now being introduced even in YL5, with the help of the Student Council. The spirit of moving up together can never be more felt than with these operations. That is why we don’t need fraternities here in ASMPH. We’re already one big team of sixth men for our pioneers.”
SCOPE NEWSLETTER
ASMPH Participates in First Ever APMC-SN NationaL PlevSem By Yves Garcia
The 5-day event had the theme “Voyage: Setting Sail towards Nation Building,” and mainly focused on setting the projects for the year, both on the national and regional levels. Team-building activities and leadership talks were also held and important procedures were discussed. On the 3rd day, the participants also joined the GK Bayani Challenge in Tabuelan, a Yolanda-stricken area in Northern Cebu, where participants painted the sea walls and the school, and conducted a needs assessment of the communities through interviews with the BHWs. A tour of Cebu was also conducted on the last day. Approved National Projects of the APMC-SN that the students can look forward to for the year are Cura Institutio (co-headed by Bugayong), One MED for Juan, Magna Carta for Philippine Medical Students (headed by Reyes), Research for Medical Students, and the Student Exchange Program. On the regional level, approved projects for NCR are the Medical Students Summit (MSS), MedGroove MedRhthymia (MGMR), Palarong Medisina (Palarong Med) and Mentoring Program. Students can expect a change in the schedule of NCR projects this year, wherein MGMR will be held prior to Palarong Med; the former is tentatively
ASMPH Delagation in Tabuclan, Cebu (L-R): Reyes, Bugayong, Recto, Sy, Kintanar, Garcia
set in November and the latter in January. This is to avoid the natural disasters usually disrupting Palarong Med, and to have MGMR serve as a fundraiser for Palarong Med. This year, ASMPH will be coheading MGMR with the Far Eastern University – Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation (FEU-NRMF), main project head, and St. Luke’s College of
Medicine – William H. Quasha Memorial (SLCM-WHQM), project co-head. The APMC-SN National PlevSem was attended by 28 of its 31 member schools across the Philippines and was headed by the Cebu Institute of Medicine. Behind it was also the APMC-SN National Officers, led by Red Miguel (ASMPH Batch 2016), APMC-SN National` President.
Student Council Facilitates Transsum Group Dynamics Activity By Iya Sanchez and Denise Villanueva
For the first time since the program started, the Student Council (SC) took part in the group dynamics (GD) weekend of this year’s YL5 Transition Summer Program (Transsum). They facilitated a series of activities introducing the SC, the ASMPH culture, and the life of a medical student. These activities took place on May 18, 2014, the last day for the GD, at the Capuchin Retreat house in Lipa City, Batangas. It is envisioned that these activities be instruments towards achieving the vision, mission, and values ofASMPH, and furthermore, the avenue to transform each student to become the “Doctors of the
SCOPE NEWSLETTER
Maiden Issue | April - May 2014
Future”–social catalyst, dynamic leader and outstanding clinician. This year’s SC thrust: “Be More. Be ASMPH.” was also launched during this activity, encouraging Batch 2019 to go out of their comfort zones and take other opportunities to learn and grow Dr. Ruth Gerochi, head facilitator of the Transsum, inspired these series of events through her desire of making the SC more involved with the incoming batch. The SC hopes that these would strengthen the YL5’s aspiration of being a “Doctor of the Future”. It also hopes that the activities done will become a tradition for the future batches coming into the school.
BE MORE. BE ASMPH.
Maiden Issue | April - May 2014
THE ATENEAN VOICE:A personal Take on the asmep The west teaches us to keep distance from our patients but people at Tzu Chi University think otherwise. The relationship is necessary, as Mr. Guo-Fang Tseng, Chairman of Tzu Chi University’s Medical Simulation Center, told me. Last April 27 until May 4, an academic, cultural and social exchange took place. Started in 1996, the Asian Medical Student Exchange Program (AMSEP) fosters the Asian Medical Student’s Association’s (AMSA) vision of knowledge, action and, friendship. I represented the Advocates for Consciousness and Social Involvement Society (ACSIS) and ASMPH as one of the 14 delegates from AMSAPhilippines accredited organizations that were sent to Tzu Chi University. The university is an AMSA chapter based in Hua Lien, Taiwan.
By Joanne Pamin
THE FOURTEEN DELEGATES from the Philippines who were sent to Tzu Chi University for the Asian Medical Student Exchange Program (ASMEP)
Tzu Chi is unique for their Silent Mentor Program, where the donated cadavers are the mentors. Instruction begins when students are welcomed into the deceased’s family. Students witness the life left behind, his ideals and hopes for the students themselves. They then carry the relationship to gross anatomy dissection until burial ceremony with the family. Furthermore, their Soft Body Surgical Skills Training Program lets interns practice on cadavers that are fresh enough to mimic life-like conditions. Their perspective was a rebuff-immense responsibility is given to us in this profession. We must not waste the opportunity to conduct ourselves perfectly because we have achievable goals. We owe it to those who have been, and those who will be, entrusted to us to never take for granted nor doubt what can be done.
NMSC 2014: Building the Nation with Leadership, Innovation and Medicine By Isabelle Martinez and Aaron Mendoza
It is an annual tradition for the Asian Medical Students’ Association – Philippines (AMSA-Phil) to convene as one community with the aim of learning more about the health profession and the world it affects. Particularly in the field of public health, the national conference is an avenue for medical students of diversified backgrounds to tackle relevant issues and develop a unified vision as aspiring Filipino physicians. Last April 3-8, medical students throughout the country gathered to take part in the National Medical Students’ Conference (NMSC). The Advocates for Consciousness and Social Involvement Society (ACSIS), a homegrown local member organization within the ASMPH, had the privilege of being organizers and hosts for this year’s conference with the theme “Building the Nation with Leadership, Innovation and Medicine.” A first in the entire history of AMSA Philippines, the conference proper and its theme were supplemented by a uniquely designed format of events that included the advent of preconference and post-conference activities. Held with the goal of gearing aspiring physicians to aligning their aspirations with the Philippine context, a 2-day Pre-NMSC officially opened the week for 30 local member organization leaders from various medical schools. They engaged in a full range
parallel sessions in-line with the theme. They learned from only the best speakers such as Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Ernesto Domingo, M.D., former university president president Fr. Bienvenido Nebres SJ, and esteemed members of the ASMPH faculty which included Deogracias Reyes, M.D.; Chris Soriano, M.D.; John Q. Wong, M.D.; Jude Erric Cinco, M.D. and Associate Dean Ma. Luz Querubin, M.D. NMSC Post-Convention Delegates in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija
of topics from ethics, health economics, poverty and development perspectives, social entrepreneurship, as well as the current state of Philippine health. Professional speakers included Antonette Palma-Angeles, PhD, Norman Dennis Marquez, M.D.; Felipe Jocano, Jr., MA, plus student speakers Johnny Raymund Tamon (YL8) and Vincent Anthony Tang (YL5). To reinforce their conceptual learning, the delegates were provided with the unique opportunity as well to visit selected immersion sites like Barangay Happy Land in Tondo and the Asian Development Bank Headquarters in Pasig City. The main conference held on days 3 and 4 at the Leong Hall of the Ateneo de Manila ushered in an open environment for more delegates to convene. Close to 300 medical students participated in plenary and
The 2 days that followed introduced the Post-NMSC, where almost 50 participants travelled to Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija to spend a night with the community in GK Kalayaan Village. The goal was to supplement the conference weekend with an out of the classroom experience for those who joined and more importantly, to engage and empower members of the GK community. This was evident in the Enduro Challenge, a team-building game that was organized by the local teens. Other physically challenging activities included building a bahay-kubo on top of a mountain and harvesting onions with the local farmers. Even though the stay was short, the families that opened their homes for the delegates showed overwhelming hospitality and generosity. At the end of the day, the entire NMSC experience allowed medical students to open their minds and leave with full hearts dedicated in the service of others, as they continue writing in the shared narrative of Philippine health.