By: Flordeluna Z. Mesina
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It’s been seven months since the lockdown, kumUSTa ka na, Thomasian MD? KumUSTa ka na mahal naming alma mater?
At the start of the year the energy was high, and the momentum of the UST-FMS was starting to peak as it prepares for its 150 years founding anniversary. Though the pandemic affected us, there is no stopping to the great plans and vision for our alma mater. The primary objective for the recently conducted on-line activity last October 10, 2020 entitled “KumUSTa Ka Na?” was to update the whole UST-FMS community. This successful event was done through efforts of our dean and the Anargyroi-FMS Foundation Inc.
Dean Odette Maglinao, our vibrant dean who is at the helm of everything, highlighted the faculty’s achievement for the past years up to the present. Beaming with pride, she presented the UST-FMS marks of distinction:
1) It is the flagship program of the University
2) It is a CHED Center of Excellence in Medicine
3) It is the Center of Innovative Medical Curriculum
4) PRC’s Top Performing Medical School
5)Best Philippine School to study Medicine
6) Asia’s first medical school to integrate Ultrasound in the Medical Curriculum
7) 2019 Top 500-Quakerelli-Simons (QS) World Ranking by Subject (MEDICINE).
Check out the gallery for more details!
Dean Maglinao further discussed how the UST-FMS handled the challenges of the pandemic? It successfully hurdled the rapid transition to on-line learning and continue to improve the delivery of excellent medical curriculum in the virtual platform. One of the pride of the faculty, is the implementation of the first ever online oral revalida, where all faculty members from the most senior to the youngest staff participated. She mentioned since 1877, the revalida was done continuously even during the war or any national crisis, hence it was a great challenge for the FMS. The successful exercise of the online revalida was a breakthrough achievement! To support the change in teaching environment, there was continuous and intensive faculty training on the new platform. There was also revision and redesigning of medical and clerkship curriculum to make it relevant, appropriate and accountable. And some of the non-curricular activities implemented during this pandemic were mental health and financial support for students and non-teaching staff.
Dean Maglinao presented the landmark projects of the UST-FMS.
The third part of Dean’s talk emphasized the future and the vision that UST-FMS become an epitome or paragon of excellence in medical education. She enumerated the principal elements to achieve this include faculty development, student scholarships, research endowments, trailblazing programs like LEAPMED, international collaborative degrees, new educational strategies or assistive technology and strengthen alumni relations. Transformational change is an element that is most difficult to achieve but most important since it will lead to transformational agenda towards greater social accountability.
Lastly, Dean Maglinao said that a powerful indicator to distinguish an exceptional medical institution is the availability of resources to move rapidly and seamlessly forward. She underscored the importance of partnership of the UST-FMS and the Anargyroi FMS Foundation, Inc with the support of all the alumni, the synergy among the three is tantamount in achieving our vision for our alma mater. Fortunately, Dean Maglinao is also the current President of the Anargyroi: FMS Foundation Inc. hence there is perfect alignment of the Foundation’s goals towards the attainment of the initiatives of the Medical School. The KumUSTahan web session concluded with a Q&A from the thousands of online viewers, mostly alumni from all over the world. One could feel the sense of pride, excitement and delight from the audience as the session came to an end.
