CPU-COM representatives, Cojuangco, Vijar, and Dela Cruz, for NHCI.
Central Philippine University (CPU) College of Medicine (COM) students continues to excel as they bag several awards at the 5th Association of Philippine Medical Colleges – Student Network (APMC-SN) National Convention, April 9-10, 2022.
CPU-COM received a Seal of Governance – Silver Awardee while the COM representatives, namely Florenz Dean Cojuangco, Pamela Marie Dela Cruz, and Jasper Ruby Vijar, bagged 1st Place during the APMC National Convention Healthcare Innovation (NHCI) with their project “Botikab: Tsek-ap and Delivery.”
Dela Cruz said that they all brainstormed on how they can make their project better by consulting the mayor and the Municipal Health Office of Miagao, revising some of their plans in relation to the judges’ comments, and praying for greater outcomes in answering the judges’ questions.
“We felt really good after the interpolations with the judges, but we managed our expectations. We’re all still in such a shock that our simple project—Botikab: Tsek-ap and Delivery—won first place! It was such a journey, from getting a message from our Governor that we will be representing the CPU College of Medicine again in the same competition to emerging as victors in the NHCI,” Dela Cruz added.
Meanwhile, COM team for the National Medical Quiz Bee, in the persons of Maria Athena Monica Emancen, Anselm Raphael Garvida, Karll Denzel Lao, and Ellen Grace Valdespina, reached Top 6 in the said event.
Vijar, one of the representatives of the said college, was awarded Natatanging Mag-aaral ng Medisina ng Pilipinas (MNMMP) with another special award, Natatanging Mag-aaral sa Lanrangan ng Tungkuling Panlipunan.
According to Vijar, his experience being given the award was an honor and a humbling experience. “Truly unexpected. Since high school, I never applied or got nominated in these kinds of award giving institutions because only the cream of the crop are the ones who are qualified and prioritized. That’s why being nominated and eventually being part of the top 10 national winners has been very liberating for me because I felt that medical students like me feel represented.”
“That’s why this award is important because I share this award with all the medical students who have once thought they don’t belong in this profession, for the students who still pursue their passion and the love for the arts even if the medical degree demands so much time and to the students who think they have been spending time in the grassroots serving and doing average in their academics. If someone like me could be deemed Natatanging Mag-aaral, take it as a sign that you are doing just fine, that you belong in the path you’ve chosen and that there is a place for us misfits in the world of medicine and nothing could tell us otherwise.” Vijar added.
Vijar also said that if medical students want to be one of the Natatanging Mag-aaral ng Medisina ng Pilipinas, they must reflect on their core values and look into the reasons why they entered medical school. “Treat academics and research not as a chore but as an opportunity to learn every day, your extra-curricular activities not as wasted energy but an opportunity to enhance your skills outside the corners of your future clinic, and your community work not as wasted time but a reality check on the health inequalities people are experiencing in the grassroots and assess where you could contribute as a medical student. Continue soaring future doctors for healthier Filipino communities. Para sa ikaaangat ng buhay nating lahat.”