(Left to Right) Dr. TJ Robinson Moncatar, Assistant to the Dean for Planning and Development, CPH; Assoc. Prof. Marian Fe C. Lomboy, Coordinator; Dr. Tammy Dela Rosa, Director, Office of International Linkages; Dr. Michelle Segarra, Dean, CD; Dr. Keiko Nakamura, Professor, Head of Global Health Entrepreneurship; Dr. Carmencita Padilla, UP Manila Chancellor; Dr. Fernando B. Garcia, Jr., Dean and Center Director of the College of Public Health; Dr. Sheila Bonito, Dean, CN; and Prof. Ana Kriselda Rivera, PhD-Student, TMDU, and Assistant Professor (CPH)
February 27, 2023 — Dr. Keiko Nakamura, professor and head of the Global Health Entrepreneurship of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) Japan visited UP Manila on January 17, 2023 to discuss ways to enhance the two universities’ existing agreement and how else to strengthen this partnership.
“It’s good to share because our problems are different,” Chancellor Carmencita Padilla said in support of a pathway where the University can continue pursuing student exchange activities. Dr. Nakamura cited current opportunities on infectious diseases’ management, particularly on antimicrobial resistance research. The plan is to have TDMU students learn about medical sciences outside Japan during their spring vacation. Learning about the Philippine healthcare setting prepares their students for future global partnerships.
Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla and Dr. Keiko Nakamura shake hands during courtesy visit
Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla and Dr. Keiko Nakamura exchange gifts to mark the occasion
The College of Public Health (CPH) will come up with a list of activities for students in the community and other agencies working on public health. Likewise, UPM students can go to Japan and learn from its rich experiences and connections. Both sides will learn how things stand under differing scenarios in the partner country.
CPH dean and SEAMEO TROPMED Center Director Fernando B. Garcia, Jr. shared that previously, their workforce development project focused on inter-professional collaboration in the ASEAN region and with universities in Vietnam and Thailand. Back then, they received a grant from the World Health Organization Center for Health Development based in Kobe, Japan for a research project. Through this research, they were able to publish three articles in high-impact journals, exhibit several posters, and make oral presentations not only in Japan but also in fora organized in Southeast Asia and receive awards.
Looking at Japan’s available scholarships and reviving their popularity in UP Manila, Chancellor Padilla suggested having a regular continuous identification of faculty who will go through the Monbukagakusho (MEXT Scholarship) program in the future. Exploring the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) scholarship, as a short program that would complement the MEXT Scholarship program, was also hinted at in the meeting with the JSPS RONPAKU program also mentioned as a possible revived scholarship path.
UP Manila CPH leads in the collaborative work for educational, scientific research, and scholarly exchanges joined by the College of Dentistry and College of Nursing. Chancellor Padilla emphasized that their projects must end with a publication so that the work will not be forgotten. She believes that everything being done should be documented and published since it is part of the metrics for future collaborations.
Haziel May Natorilla | Published in UP Manila Healthscape No. 48 (February 2023)
