College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila

College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila
Name	College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila
Established	1905
Type	Public
City	Manila
Country	Philippines
Campus	Ermita

College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila is the flagship medical school of the University of the Philippines system, located in Manila on the Philippine General Hospital complex, and is one of the oldest medical institutions in the Philippines; it has produced numerous leaders in Philippine Medicine, public health, and biomedical research. The college maintains links with national institutions such as the Department of Health (Philippines), the Philippine Heart Center, and international organizations like the World Health Organization, and its graduates include alumni who have served in the Senate of the Philippines, the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and various cabinet posts.

History

The college traces origins to the early American colonial period with antecedents in the Philippine Medical School and formal integration into the University of the Philippines system alongside institutions such as the University of the Philippines Los Baños and the University of the Philippines Diliman, reflecting reforms influenced by figures connected to the Taft Commission and policies enacted under the Jones Law (Philippines). During the World War II era the institution and its facilities were affected by events at the Battle of Manila and postwar reconstruction involved collaboration with the U.S. Army Medical Corps and the International Red Cross. Subsequent decades saw curricular and institutional reforms paralleling national developments under administrations like those of Ramon Magsaysay and Ferdinand Marcos, and engagement with global health movements represented by partnerships with the Rockefeller Foundation and the World Bank.

Academic Programs

The college offers the Doctor of Medicine program and allied graduate degrees in collaboration with units such as the College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, the National Institutes of Health (Philippines), and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, with coursework referencing standards from bodies like the Commission on Higher Education (Philippines) and licensure outcomes set by the Philippine Medical Association. Its curriculum integrates clinical rotations at hospitals including the Philippine General Hospital and specialty exposure at centers such as the Philippine Heart Center and the Lung Center of the Philippines, and maintains postgraduate residency tracks aligned with accrediting organizations such as the Philippine Board of Pediatrics and the Philippine Board of Internal Medicine. The college also conducts joint programs with research institutes such as the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH), the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and international partners including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research and Centers

Research activities are centered in units and centers linked to the college such as the National Institutes of Health (Philippines), the Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and the Antonio L. Sison Center for Medical Research; these entities collaborate with external organizations including the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and regional networks like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations health research initiatives. The college’s researchers have published in venues associated with the Philippine Journal of Internal Medicine and have led projects on diseases prioritized by the Department of Health (Philippines) and the World Health Organization, including work on infectious diseases studied at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, noncommunicable disease initiatives connected to the Philippine Heart Center, and health systems research informed by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.

Clinical Affiliations and Training Hospitals

Clinical training is anchored at the Philippine General Hospital with extended affiliations to specialty centers such as the Philippine Heart Center, the Lung Center of the Philippines, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and regional hospitals including the San Lazaro Hospital and the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, and partnerships extend to humanitarian and disaster response collaborations with agencies like the Philippine National Red Cross and international bodies such as Doctors Without Borders. These affiliations provide trainee exposure to caseloads encountered during national emergencies such as the 2009 Typhoon Ketsana response and public health campaigns like immunization drives coordinated with the Department of Health (Philippines) and UNICEF.

Admissions and Student Life

Admissions follow national standards administered alongside examinations influenced by the Professional Regulation Commission (Philippines) and screening practices comparable to those at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, with consideration of applicants from campuses such as UP Diliman and regional universities like the University of the Philippines Visayas. Student life engages organizations and activities tied to entities such as the Philippine Medical Association Student Chapter, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines for scholarly publishing, and civic outreach through programs coordinated with the Department of Health (Philippines) and local government units like the City of Manila. Extracurriculars include involvement in clinical interest groups, global health electives with partners such as World Health Organization, and student research presentations at forums hosted by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty have held positions across institutions such as the Department of Health (Philippines), the Senate of the Philippines, and the University of the Philippines System, including leaders who contributed to the Philippine Medical Association, the National Academy of Science and Technology (Philippines), and governmental health policy during administrations like those of Diosdado Macapagal and Corazon Aquino, as well as clinicians recognized by awards such as the National Scientist of the Philippines and the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists among physician-scholars. Notable figures include medical educators who collaborated with the World Health Organization, researchers who partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and public servants who served in cabinets and legislative bodies including the House of Representatives of the Philippines and the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

Category:Medical schools in the Philippines Category:University of the Philippines Manila