A Month of Trainings, Seminars and Meetings

I realized that there were so many activities, trainings, seminars and meetings for the month of May that I decided to document these here for future use:

Scarlet May

The month of May is dedicated for awareness of cervical cancer prevention, dubbed as Scarlet May.

May 3, 2017.  To knock out cervical cancer, we decorated our hospital lobby like a boxing ring with round 1 (HPV vaccination), round 2 (cervical cancer screening) and round 3 (cancer treatment), with our medical center chief Dr. Gerardo M. Aquino giving the "opening punch"

May 6, 2017.  Lantern Walk with a Glow at SM Seaside.  Parade from the Pedro Calungsod chapel to the Garden Wing of the SM Seaside, where there was a program with a short lecture followed by singing and zumba dancing.

May 14, 2017.  To make good on our advocacy, we trooped to Lapu-lapu City Health Department where we screened more than 800 women for cervical cancer thru visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and directly linked to care with cryotherapy for those VIA-positive.  With 12 women dying of cervical cancer every day, it only takes one minute to save a woman's life from cervical cancer.

Research Activities

May 3, 2017.  Research Training for Consultants.  To address a need to improve research capabilities of our consultants, we conducted a day-long training on basic research methods.

For the whole month of May, we conducted research technical reviews for our residents' research proposals.  Trained consultants review and comment to hel

June 1, 2017.  I was invited to participate in the oral defense of undergraduate students of political science at the UP Cebu College of Arts and Sciences.

June 5, 2017.  Department Resident Interesting Case Contest with guest judges Dr. Ronald Capito, Dr. Mary Girlie Veloso and Dr. Nelson Elle. 

First Place: Dr. Maria Floribeth Daraman/Helen Amorin - Basal cell carcinoma of the vulva

Second Place: Dr. Diorelle Malaque/Helen Amorin - A Rare Case of Ovarian Gonadoblastoma

Third Place: Dr. Kristina Plaza/Marilou Viray - A Case of Papillary Serous Cystadenofibroma

Fourth Place: Dr. Justine Galdo/Kristina Dosdos - Intramural pregnancy

Fifth Place: Dr. Genevieve Vista/Helen Madamba - Aspergilloma in Pregnancy

Maternal Death Reviews

May 4, 2017.  POGS Quarterly Morbidity and Mortality Conference and Continuing Medical Education on Asthma in Pregnancy

May 10-11, 2017.  Cebu City Health Department Maternal Death Review at Montebello Villa Hotel

May 19, 2017.  Department of Health Regional Office VII Maternal Death Surveillance Response  at Crowne Regency Guadalupe, Cebu City

May 24, 2017.  The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology conducts its own monthly Morbidity and Mortality Conference, inviting our friendly consultants and residents from the Department of Internal Medicine to help us with the verbal autopsy of our maternal mortalities.

Advocacy Lectures on HIV/AIDS

May 17, 2017.  Department of Health Regional Office VII Technical Updates on HIV/AIDS and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV in Bohol

May 20, 2017.  The Cebu Velez General Hospital conducted a lactation management education training (LMET) and I talked about the issue of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in relation to breastfeeding.  Some issues that still need to be addressed is the safety of wet nursing when the donor mother is not tested for HIV.

May 31, 2017.  The VSMMC HACT conducted an HIV Awareness Seminar for VSMMC hospital staff, and I shared about prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV.  My main message that "HIV will end with me" opines the ABCDE to prevent HIV transmission: 

A - abstinence 

B - be faithful 

C - check your HIV status

D - don't do drugs 

E - educate yourself and others about HIV

...and here a bit more of a month worth of a peek into my life as a trainor, mentor, advocate...