University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

University of Santo Tomas
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

Former names	1871 – Facultad de Medicina y Farmacia (Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy)
Type	Private Research University
Established	May 28, 1871 (1871-05-28)
Dean	Ma. Lourdes Domingo-Maglinao
Regent	Angel A. Aparicio
Students	2,072 (as of 2016) [1]
Location	St. Martin de Porres Building, UST, Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines
Patron saint	Saints Cosmas and Damian
Colors	Yellow
Website	medicine.ust.edu.ph

The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (USTFMS) is the medical school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines.

Contents

• History
• Historical Timeline
• Academics
• Programs
• Admissions
• Performance and rankings
• Research
• Research Center for the Health Sciences
• Journal of Medicine, University of Santo Tomas (JMUST)
• San Martin De Porres Building
• Henry Sy Sr. Hall
• Student organizations
• Sesquicentennial
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Notable students and alumni
• Historical Figures
• Secretaries of Health
• Medicine
• Politics
• Entertainment
• References

Established in 1871, the faculty is the first medical school in the Philippines. It is proclaimed to be a Center of Excellence by the Commission on Higher Education.

In 2018, LEAPMed, a special preparatory course for the UST medicine program was offered to a limited number of highly exceptional high school graduates ranking among the Top 200 of the University entrance exams, taught completely under the supervision of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery ^[2]

History

Petition for the establishment of colleges dedicated to medicine and pharmacy started in 1682, ^[3] Sixty-one years after the foundation of the university. In November 22 of the same year, the Spanish granted the petition but nothing came of it due to financial and technical difficulties. By 1785, the Dominican Friars put it on the priority list and despite the enthusiasm of Governor General Mariano Folgueras, the planned colleges failed to materialize until the late 19th century.

The faculty was founded in 1871 as the Facultad de Medicina y Farmacia by virtue of the modified Moret Decree of 1870 which supplants the Philippine educational reforms of 1865 by the Spanish Government. ^{[4] [5] [6]} The original Moret Decree calls for the secularization of the university to be renamed as "Universidad de Filipinas," ^[5] Upon the protests of religious groups, parents and the Archdiocese of Manila, the decree was modified to remove the inimical provisions. The modified decree was approved and promulgated on October 29, 1875, by the Governor General of the Islands, Don Rafael Izquierdo. ^[5]

The faculty was eventually associated with Colegio de San Jose as both were suffering from lack of financial support. Both institutions were saved by Dr. Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa's last will and testament which stated that his wealth be given to the Society of Jesus. ^[3] The haciendas of Colegio de San Jose were turned over to the University of Santo Tomas as ordered by Governor General Domingo Moriones y Muralla in 1879. These were returned to the Society of Jesus in 1910 which was to fund a seminary now known as the San Jose Seminary.

From 1871 until 1927, the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery conducted its classes in the Intramuros campus of the University of Santo Tomas. It was also associated with the San Juan de Dios Hospital which functioned as the faculty's clinical arm as decreed by King Alfonso of Spain on October 29, 1875. ^[3] This setup continued until 1941 when the Japanese took over Quezon Institute and transferring all of its medical staff and patients to San Juan de Dios Hospital. Clinical training during this time was in partnership with Saint Paul Hospital in Intramuros until the walled city's destruction during the Liberation of Manila.

After the war, the entire school moved to the present campus, occupying the four-story building it now resides in. Today, the Medicine Building, later renamed the St. Martin de Porres Building, features eleven air-conditioned lecture halls, seven laboratories, a dissection hall, an Ossarium, the Medicine Museum, and the Anatomy and Pathology galleries. It also includes a large 1,200-seat auditorium, a 350-seat state-of-the-art Continuing Medical Education auditorium, a medical library, a high-tech learning resources unit, a building for the Research Center for the Health Sciences, and numerous shared classrooms with the UST College of Nursing and the UST College of Rehabilitation Sciences.

With the reopening of the faculty in Sampaloc campus, it experienced substantial growth. In 1932, the faculty began to accept female students and by 1937, about 30 women physicians graduated. ^[3]

The faculty consistently ranks among the top performing medical schools in the country.

Academics

The faculty offers the four-year Doctor of Medicine degree, a comprehensive professional academic program which combines lectures, case analyses, and practical simulation exercises. The entire curriculum focuses on the basic, clinical, and emergency medical sciences. Teaching methods make use of both classic and modern medical practices and technologies.

In 2001, the faculty adopted the problem-based learning method for use in the curriculum. ^[8] The move was highly controversial. Several professors complained that the medical students were not learning the basic sciences adequately. In 2003, the curriculum format combined elements of both traditional (lecture-based) and problem-based methods. Contrary to what was expected as a decline in the quality of the learning of students by some faculty members, the first and second batches of PBL-trained physicians garnered 92% & 96% passing percentages, respectively. This data complemented the 10-year study on outcome improvements using PBL conducted at Harvard School of Medicine from 1994 to 2004.

The graduating students undergo a series of written and oral exams known as the revalida, a qualifying examination prior to graduation. In the oral examinations, groups of three students each are questioned by panels composed of three professors on basic, clinical, and emergency medical sciences. Passing the revalida is a prerequisite to graduation. Medical school graduates qualify to take the licensure exams for physicians conducted by the Board of Medicine, and under the control and supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines.

The faculty regularly conducts postgraduate courses covering specialties and subspecialties (i.e. sports medicine, family medicine, geriatrics and gerontology, alternative medicine).

Research

San Martin De Porres Building

The San Martin de Porres building was erected in 1952, named after Saint Martin de Porres, the building houses the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, and the College of Nursing. Designed by Architects Manuel Francisco and Julio Victor Rocha, the building follows a Bauhaus style, and houses the largest auditorium in the University.

Henry Sy Sr. Hall

The Henry Sy Sr. Hall houses the Saints Cosmas and Damian Center for Simulation and Research of the faculty. In January 2020, the faculty began its sesquicentennial celebration with the reveal of the building. It was initially named after the patron saints of the college Saints Cosmas and Damian. ^[13]

In October 2022, at the end of the faculty's anniversary celebration, the building project was relaunched as the Henry Sy Sr. Hall. ^[14] It was named after the founder of SM Supermalls, as requested by his daughter Teresita Sy-Coson, whose foundation donated ₱300 million to the UST Research and Endowment Foundation. ^{[15] [16]}

The hall houses the William F. Austin Center for Ear and Hearing Healthcare, an audiology laboratory that is named after Dr. William F. Austin, the founder of the United States–based company Starkey Hearing Technologies. The Starkey Foundation donated $200,000 for the naming rights of the laboratory.

Student organizations

• Medicine Student Council
• Asian Medical Students’ Association
• Medical Missions, Inc.
• UST Medicine Glee Club
• UST Pax Romana – Medicine Unit
• UST Terpsichorian Circle

Sesquicentennial

The faculty opened its 150th foundation anniversary celebration in January 2020. A fundraising and dinner-dance ball entitled, UST Med Gala was held at the Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila. One of the goals of the event was to fund the Anargyroi Foundation Inc., an independent organization that manages donations and supports the faculty's scholars. ^{[17] [18]} In the same month, the groundbreaking rites for the construction of the Saints Cosmas and Damian Simulation and Research Center was also held in front of the Miguel de Benavides Library. ^[19] The legacy project was later named Henry Sy Sr. Hall, following the donation of ₱300,000,000 of Teresita Sy-Coson to the foundation.

COVID-19 pandemic

In February 2021, Manila city mayor Isko Moreno, approved the university's plan to hold face-to-face classes for the students of medicine and other health programs. ^[20] However, because of the surge of COVID-19 cases in March, the plan did not materialize. On June 9, 2021, medical clerks or fourth year medical students had limited face-to-face classes for the first time since March 2020. The faculty was the first college to hold actual classes in the university. ^[21]

Notable students and alumni

Related Research Articles

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References