UPCM Class 1975:
Celebrating 35 Years of Excellence in Health Care Leadership, Education and Service
by Francis Sy

UPCM Class’75 celebrates its 35th year anniversary this year, and we are honored to highlight our class collective achievements and commitments to academic excellence, leadership and service in medicine and health care fields in the Philippines, US, Canada and other countries. Majority (57 or 61%) of our class members are practicing in the Philippines and 36 (39%) are practicing overseas including the U.S.

We have contributed physicians in the following fields of medicine: 13 Pediatrics, 11 Internal Medicine, 7 Surgery, 7 Psychiatry, 6 Orthopedics, 6 Obstetrics/Gynecology, 6 Anesthesiology, 5 Neuroscience, 5 Otorhinolaryngology, 4 Ophthalmology, 4 Pathology, 4 Family Medicine, 3 Radiology, 2 Dermatology, 2 Emergency Medicine, 2 Pharmacology, 2 Public Health, 2 General Practice, and 1 Rehabilitation Medicine.

UPCM Class 1975 is proud to have produced four Deans of medical schools and health professions in the Philippines:

• UP College of Medicine-Alberto Roxas
• Southwestern University in Cebu- Marilyn Tiro-Zarraga
• De La Salle University (DLSU) in Dasmarinas, Cavite – Josie Amigo Ferrolino
• Perpetual Help College in Laguna – Nelia Tan-Liu
  

We have three Associate Deans: Elma Maranon, West Visayas State University College of Medicine; Brendan Ferrolino, DLSU; and Asuncion Abaya-Morido, Emilio Aguinaldo College.

Fifteen (16%) are leaders in government agencies and directors of hospitals. The six government leaders are:

• Undersecretary of Health, Dept. of Health – Jade del Mundo
• National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD, USA) – Francisco Sy
• Philippine Blood Center – Raymond Lo
• Councilor, Dingras, Ilocos Norte – Bibiana Caoili-Albano
• Public Health Officers – Sofia Guanco-Chua and Mila Viacrucis

We have 7 hospital directors in Manila and in the provinces:

• Manila Medical Center – Asuncion Abaya-Morido
• Cebu City Hospital – William Buot
• Marcelo Hospital in Baliuag, Bulacan – Severino Marcelo
• Estrella General Hospital in Silang, Cavite – Angel Estrella
• Our Saviour Hospital, Rosario, Cavite – Alfredo Trias
• Rodolfo Poblete Memorial Hospital, Cavite – Brendan Ferrolino
• Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Cotabato – Ben Pajaro

Thirty nine (42% are teaching in medical schools (10) Professors, 17 Associate Professors, 3 Assistant Professors and 9 are Clinical Faculty). Twenty eight (30%) have served as Department Chairs and Section Chiefs in medical schools and teaching hospitals in the Philippines:

• Anatomy – Reynaldo Cariaga
• Anesthesia – Loreto Fellizar, Ariel Larosa
• Cardiology – Raul Jara
• Colorectal Surgery – Alberto Roxas
• Family Medicine/ Community Medicine – Zorayda Leopando, Mila Viacrucis
• Hematology – Cynthia Dominguez
• Neuroscience – Carlos Chua
• Nuclear Medicine – Angel de Guzman
• Obstetrics/Gynecology – Josie Amigo Ferrolino, Amy de Castro-Estrella
• Ophthalmology – Tito Chan, Pearl Tamesis-Villalon, Ricky Gallaga
• Otorhinolarngology – Carlos Dumlao, Brendan Ferrolino, Ben Pajaro
• Orthopedics – Reynaldo Cariaga
• Pathology – Raymundo Lo, Nelia Tan-Liu, Marilyn Tiro-Zarraga
• Pediatrics – Patsy Velez
• Pharmacology – Cynthia Valencia
• Surgery – Asuncion Abaya-Morido, Armando Santos
• Thoracovascular Surgery – Joselito Danguilan

As physician-scientist, members of UPCM Class 1975 have published numerous scientific articles in national and international peer reviewed journals. Four members of our class are editors of 5 peer reviewed scientific journals:

Acta Medical Philippina – Cynthia Valencia
AIDS Education and Prevention Interdisciplinary Journal – Francisco Sy
Asia Pacific Family Medicine – Zorayda Leopando
Filipino Family Physicians – Zorayda Leopando
Philippine Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery – Joselito Danguilan

As leaders in their respective fields of medicine, thirty five (38%) members of UPCM Class 1975 have served as Presidents of professional organizations at local, national and international levels. Our class members have received numerous accolades and awards for excellent performance as teachers, researchers, clinical practitioners, professional and community leaders.

The members of our class significantly contributed to the training of thousands of physicians in the Philippines and in the US. Our class has produced the next generation of physicians. There are 28 children of Class 1975 members who are practicing physicians now. There are 7 who are medical students.

We have lost 4 classmates who excelled in their respective specialty areas including Crisostomo Garcia, Plastic Surgeon; Nestor Ilagan, Neonatologist; Roberto Montevirgen, Pulmonologist; and Felix Salgado, Obstetrics-Gynecologist.

87 strong, 35 years removed from the college, we are grateful for our roots in UP College of Medicine, recognizing that our individual achievement and success is every much our alma mater’s pride as it is ours. Jubilees intensify the acute awareness that we must give back to our university as unselfishly as our university gave to us. We hear our alma mater’s call.