The University of the Philippines Manila takes great pride in celebrating the remarkable achievements of Dr. Edsel Salvana, MD, DTM&H, FPCP, FIDSA who has been named the sixth annual IDea Incubator Innovator of the Year by the IDSA Foundation. Dr. Salvana, director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the National Institutes of Health, has not only secured this prestigious title but has also been honored as the 2023 People’s Choice award winner, a testament to his outstanding contributions in the field of Infectious Diseases (ID).

Dr. Edsel Salvana’s “Portable HIV drug resistance testing in resource-limited settings” earned him the first-place award at the 2023 IDea Incubator. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize the landscape of HIV treatment, making drug resistance testing more accessible and efficient in resource-constrained environments.

IDea Incubator, an initiative designed to promote innovation within the field of Infectious Diseases (ID), serves as a platform for early-stage ventures and innovators to secure funding for their groundbreaking inventions and ideas. The selection process adheres to rigorous criteria, including a well-defined and articulated problem statement that emphasizes the scale of the issue, quantified patient numbers, healthcare costs, and societal impact. Furthermore, it necessitates precise definition and quantification of the target population, innovative solutions with the potential to address the problem and meet the needs of the target population while being economically viable and accessible, and an estimated health impact that must be reasonably predicted, requiring a novel and innovative solution to the problem.

Dr. Salvana serves as a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila. His dedication to the field is further highlighted by his role as a Special Adviser for HIV and AIDS to the Secretary of Health and as adjunct faculty for Global Health at the University of Pittsburgh.

In recognition of his invaluable contributions as a senior government adviser during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Salvana was conferred the Order of Lapulapu by the President of the Philippines. His commitment to science communication extends to his weekly column, “Clinical Matters,” in the Manila Bulletin, where he provides scientific perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases.

IDea Incubator – IDSA Foundation with Charmaine A. Lingdas