Dr. Leo DP Cubillan, an ophthalmologist and University Researcher IV of the Philippine Eye Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health, was appointed UP Vice President for Academic Affairs by the UP Board of Regents on April 27, 2023.

Dr. Cubillan is a leading advocate of eye health in the Philippines. He took his undergraduate degree at the UP Diliman (magna cum laude) and finished his medical degree from the UP Manila College of Medicine where he was cited as one of the Most Outstanding Interns. He obtained his master’s degree in Public Health from the University of California Berkeley with the highest honors. He then completed his fellowship on Cornea, Uveitis, and External Diseases at the University of California San Francisco.

He held several leadership positions including director of the Philippine Eye Research Institute, deputy director for administration and finance (DDAF) of the NIH, and special assistant to the Chancellor for the NIH Building and New Clark City Projects. He also serves as clinical faculty of the UPCM-PGH Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (DOVS).

He spearheaded various eye health projects and policies with both national, regional, and international institutions for the prevention of blindness and improvement of eye health care among Filipinos.

He played an active role, in collaboration with the DOH and DepEd, in the policy development of the National Vision Screening Program (NVSP) for the Kindergarten (Republic Act 11358) which was signed into law on July 31, 2019. NVSP provides early detection and prevention of blindness among children and was awarded the 2017 Alberto Romualdez, Jr. Outstanding Health Research Award (AROHRA) in the Health Services Research Category.

He was a recipient of the 2008 Jose Rizal Award for Academe and Research, an honor conferred on exceptional Filipino physicians whose lives, work, and values emulate the national hero’s ideals in their love of God and country, dedication to profession, and concern to fellowmen. He also received the UPAA Distinguished Alumnus in Public Health Promotion Award in 2016 for his continuous dedication and contribution to improving the health of Filipinos.

I Reports from the www.up.edu.ph