Three faculty members of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Medicine (CM) finished a six-month program from the Harvard Medical School.
Assistant Dean Dr. Marita Fuentes, College Secretary Dr. Hazel Turingan, and Assistant Professorial Lecturer Dr. Maria Cristina Edquilag completed the “Training to Teach in Medicine” course from Harvard this June 2022. The tandem of Drs. Fuentes and Edquilag also won an award for their assignment on curriculum design, where they crafted an outline on how to perform an educational needs assessment.
The postgraduate medical education program targets medical professionals who are teaching in hospitals and in the academe around the world. The CM professors got into Harvard as scholars of PLM, part of the University's continuing faculty development program.
The intensive program was conducted remotely due to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. The course requirements include attendance to workshops, modules, a capstone application, quizzes, and a final exam.
“The main things we learned are basically what are the teaching strategies, what are the alternative ways of teaching in the classroom,” Dr. Turingan said, putting focus on collaborative learning and active teaching techniques which allow students to be more involved and ready to apply textbook knowledge to hands-on practice.
“What we saw immediately when we entered the program is this is something we can apply immediately in our curriculum in Medicine… This is the best way to veer away from traditional teaching to the more active type of teaching,” added Dr. Turingan, who specializes in general surgery and cardiovascular surgery.
University President Emmanuel Leyco congratulated the three CM professors for their dedication to help improve the quality and method of teaching at PLM.
“We are proud of Doctors Fuentes, Turingan, and Edquilag for a job well done! You inspire our students and your fellow professors in elevating the quality of education that the University offers,” he said.
In response, Dr. Turingan thanked PLM for the support that she and her colleagues received.
“It was a frantic six months of balancing academic work, clinical practice and studies but perseverance paid off. This would not have been possible without your foresight, generosity and boundless support,” she added.
The PLM College of Medicine is home to thousands of practicing medical professionals and aspiring doctors who contribute to nation-building as health frontliners.