Strength in Numbers : Unlocking the Mysteries of Health through Epidemiology
July 09, 2024
Strength in Numbers: Unlocking the Mysteries of Health through Epidemiology
By Stefan Marcus Ong, UPCM Class of 2027
We should not be afraid to fly. Since its inception, the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM) has never ceased to brainstorm new paths for its students to trailblaze — a myriad of paths to turn the ideal six-star physician into reality.
A clinician whose soles are buried on warm, crisp soil should not stop learning; instead, they should eagerly spread their wings wide and take flight, soaring up high in the skies as they prepare to circle in a bird's-eye view. More than diagnosing and treating individual patients, a clinician should also be aware of the illnesses plaguing the general population and get a bigger picture of what "disease" means on a larger scale, looking down from above.
Jacinto Blas V. Mantaring III, MD, chair of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology (DCE) in UPCM
Fortunately for our future physicians, this path to the skies need not be a long journey, as UPCM unveils its brand-new dual degree graduate program, the Doctor of Medicine-Master of Clinical Epidemiology (MD-MCE), set to be launched in the midyear of AY 2024-2025. At its helm is Jacinto Blas V. Mantaring III, MD, chair of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology (DCE) in UPCM, who has graciously agreed to give us a first look into this striking new initiative.
"The program was inspired by the perception of students that aside from the regular medical education, they can acquire additional skills that will impact on their future as clinicians or future researchers," Dr. Mantaring relates. "The graduate can be a clinician, educator, researcher, organizer, and leader. This dual degree will augment the research career path."
These future career opportunities are nothing to scoff at; as Dr. Mantaring emphasizes, "there is a demand for clinical epidemiologists who can be deployed in government, industry, academe, or hospital; [not to mention,] the additional skills will help make the future physician confident in practicing in an evidence-informed manner."
Solely developed by the DCE, the MD-MCE program is meticulously designed to not interfere with the standard five-year MD program; rather, it runs parallel to it, allowing students to maximize the midyear period for its learning activities alongside utilizing both online and self-directed learning strategies.
Unlike the other dual degree programs, this degree will be open to all interested UPCM students who have completed their first two years in medical school, have demonstrated proficiency in research by having a grade of 2.0 or better in IDC 211, IDC 211.1, and IDC 212, and ranked among the top applicants in the final interview. Scholarship grants will be provided to the students through the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).
"My biggest worry is the teaching load of the limited faculty of the DCE," confides Dr. Mantaring. For this reason, only 5-10 students will be considered in its first year of implementation; however, he narrates that they are leaving room for opportunities to expand this small roster as he adds, "As the department augments their faculty, perhaps more can be accommodated." Although Dr. Mantaring currently oversees the program’s implementation, once developed, the degree will be under the purview of Prof. Cynthia Cordero, the Assistant Chair for Academics of UPCM.
Faculty of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology
Dr. Mantaring also eagerly offers a peek into the curriculum for the nascent program: CE 311, a newly instituted seminar course in critical appraisal that will help students incorporate review of literature in research proposals, in addition to the already existing classes in the Masters of Science in Epidemiology (Clinical Epidemiology) degree. In addition, the program will greatly promote student interaction and collaboration: "The department is in the process of organizing and supporting a students’ organization, [with the goal of] encouraging interaction among students and [introducing] non-academic activities that can augment learning." Although still in the works, one of the planned activities is a students’ summit, where "students can formally present their research output or update other students of their research interests and progress."
In Dr. Mantaring's opinion, the ideal MD-MCE student is one seeking a career in research or one wanting a clinical practice that is informed by evidence. Though new, this project holds promise for the future where young professionals will be trained to think out of the box, generate new ideas and pioneer research projects that can help our Filipino people.