Elevating Excellence with a Heart of Healing: 85 Years of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine of the UP College of Medicine

Elevating Excellence with a Heart of Healing: 85 Years of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine of the UP College of Medicine

June 26, 2024

Elevating Excellence with a Heart of Healing: 85 Years of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine of the UP College of Medicine

By Jose Carlos Bognot, UPCM Class 2024

A Light That Illuminates

Founded 85 years ago with health sciences mastery set in mind and service for the Filipino people, the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM), under the UP College of Medicine, has helped thousands of medical health professionals in providing opportunities to further their capabilities and display excellence consistently. The PGIM has served as a lighthouse for these people, illuminating the way towards an elevated level of expertise and knowledge and guiding them on a path of discovery in various fields of medicine and other health sciences — treasures that they may carry with them in their respective careers. Currently, the PGIM oversees multiple graduate programs, involving fields from basic sciences, clinical departments, medical informatics, and social medicine. This vast range of training continues to broaden as the PGIM continuously reviews its programs by seeking the latest and greatest methods of teaching skills, providing opportunities for new experiences, and meeting the standards of other graduate programs internationally.

The PGIM finds its roots during the Commonwealth period of the Philippines, a time wherein the country was undergoing intensive nation-building in order to achieve political and economic independence. Widespread reforms were being made, notably in terms of the industrialization and educational sectors. At this point, the Philippine government was aware that medical education was continuous and ever-developing, thus the need for establishing postgraduate education. However, at the time, there was no refined or centralized method of providing such education for medical professionals. Hence, in 1938, Commonwealth Act 401 was enacted, providing funding for the UP College of Medicine to establish postgraduate courses and fellowships in medicine. Previously, residency and fellowship programs were all handled by the PGIM. Over time, however, this responsibility would be transferred to the Philippine General Hospital, and the PGIM would then be in charge of the graduate programs of the UPCM, both in the medical field and in other health professions. Though the role of the PGIM has greatly expanded, at its core, it has always targeted the end-goal of continuously improving the service provided by Filipino doctors and other health professionals to the Filipino people.

At its helm, currently, is Dr. Teresa Luisa Gloria-Cruz, the Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine. She is from the UP College of Medicine Class of 1992, and a graduate of the Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Residency Program of the UP-PGH. She is now a tenured Professor in the UP College of Medicine. Some time after residency, she was encouraged by her mentor, Professor Emeritus Dr. Generoso Abes, to consider a career in teaching. Thus, she applied for a Master’s Degree in Health Professions Education and completed it in 2002. It was this particular achievement that would eventually lead her to become the Assistant Director of the PGIM under the term of previous UPCM Dean, Dr. Agnes Mejia. Afterwards, she was appointed by the current Dean, Dr. Charlotte Chiong, as the Director of the PGIM in 2018, and Dr. Gloria-Cruz has held this position ever since. Throughout her term, Dr. Gloria-Cruz has led the PGIM with a vision of working towards the institute to be at par with global standards. This has already begun to be fulfilled, and Dr. Gloria-Cruz is ever-inspired to keep on working towards this goal.

Dr. Teresa Luisa G. Cruz, the Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, during the interview with UPCM Inspire on May 11, 2024.

A Light That Guides

At the time of Dr. Gloria-Cruz’s appointment as director, Twenty-seven graduate programs had already existed. She believes that beyond expanding the current range of programs being offered by the PGIM, it is equally important to review and reevaluate the programs being offered presently, in order to adapt with the changing times and to improve all aspects. This was aligned with the mandate of the UP system and the UP Manila to review and revise the curricula of existing graduate programs. Thus, Dr. Gloria-Cruz mobilized the faculty members of the UP College of Medicine to conduct these reviews. Revisions were planned and duly made in order to improve the programs.

Research is another pillar of the academic world, which the UP College of Medicine strongly supports. Thus, the PGIM participates in its own way through its vast selection of post-graduate programs. One of the most notable programs linked with the PGIM is the MD-PhD Double degree program. It is a degree program that is strongly supported by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) of the DOST. Another valuable contribution is the PUSH ONE UP program. This program was started by the alumni of UPCM Class of 1967 as a way to offer grants for UPCM faculty members who are undertaking PhD studies. The PGIM is a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) provider and thus aids in continuing medical education courses as mandated by the Philippine Regulatory Council, and it also participates in the committee of UP Manila’s Office of Continuing Education.

Meeting with LU4 students who were interested in applying to the MD-MPH Program last February 25, 2024

Dr. Gloria-Cruz’s term does not just involve revisiting the past— it also involves innovating and exploring the future. In 2022, the PGIM held modular workshops on Health Technology Assessment (HTA), the first of its kind to be conducted in our country. This aimed to introduce its participants to HTA, which, according to the WHO, is an evaluation of the properties of technologies and interventions in health, aiming to assess the value and consequences of these innovations. HTA also aims to guide stakeholders on how technologies can be used and improved, from the level of the healthcare worker all the way to lawmakers, in order to utilize advancements in health technologies.

Innovations were also being made on a tertiary educational level. At the beginning of Dr. Gloria-Cruz’s term, she, along with Dean Chiong and other members of the UPCM administration, brainstormed on what other programs should be offered by the PGIM for UPCM students alongside their MD degrees. After conducting a student-targeted survey, three degree programs stood out - the MD-MPH (Master’s Degree in Public Health), MD-MCE (Master’s Degree in Clinical Epidemiology), and the MSHTA (Master of Science in Health Technology Assessment). Of these three programs, the MD-MPH dual degree program has already been launched, initially offered to select students of the UPCM Class of 2026. The MD-MPH program aims to provide students with an advanced education in public health alongside the completion of a medical degree. With the initial support and success for the MD-MPH program, Dr. Gloria-Cruz hopes that the MD-MCE and MSHTA programs will also eventually be supported equally, as she feels that these programs will contribute greatly to the mission and vision of the UPCM of exemplifying excellence in medical education directed to the underserved.

A Light That Perpetuates

The PGIM’s service and impact on the health professional community cannot be understated. According to Dr. Gloria-Cruz, the PGIM’s programs were crafted and are continually improved upon to share the UPCM’s knowledge and skills, aiming to nurture dedicated nationalistic experts in various fields of health. The students of the UPCM are not merely trained to be healthcare providers; they are envisioned to be movers of healthcare and health equity, guided by evidence-based practice, integrity, and ethical principles. These are nationalistic purposes that Dr. Gloria-Cruz believes can be practiced even if an individual leaves the country.

The team behind the Master of Science in Clinical Medicine held a meeting on February 25, 2024.

Given the broad range of graduate programs offered now by the UPCM, it is also no surprise that healthcare professionals of all ages apply. These individuals tend to be in high-demand, as the world continues to discover ways to improve on healthcare in all aspects. Dr. Gloria-Cruz mentions that many of the students of the program of Master of Clinical Epidemiology are asked to work in certain institutions before they even complete their thesis. Graduates of programs such as the Master in Clinical Audiology, can easily begin their careers and obtain stable jobs locally or internationally.

After 85 years, the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine is seemingly stronger than ever. Currently, around 300 students apply every year. Each department that hosts a program does its own part in encouraging people to partake in the type of training being offered by the UPCM. The Department of Physiology, for example, hosts an open house and invites stakeholders to learn more about their programs. Dr. Gloria-Cruz foresees even more individuals to apply annually, given that more programs are being developed and are nearing completion. The MD-MCE program is already subject for approval from the UP Board of Regents, while the MSHTA program has garnered substantial support from the Department of Health. Dr. Gloria-Cruz has become one of the people who have heeded the call through the UPCM-PGIM. Being the director has been no easy task, and yet Dr. Gloria-Cruz and Dean Chiong have led the PGIM to greater heights and aim to bring the institute even closer to the international standards. The Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) is an invaluable sector of the UP College of Medicine and of the University of the Philippines as a whole. The oft-mentioned statement that, “learning never stops,” is perfectly exemplified and concisely sums up the essence of the PGIM.