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...

SCARLET MAY 2015 in Cebu, Philippines

SCARLET MAY 2015

Lantern walk to help promote awareness on cervical cancer prevention last May 2, 2015. 

This activity was spearheaded by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center under the able leadership of Dr Belinda Panares and Dr Helen Amorin, participated in by VSMMC employees, POGS Cebu Chapter members, the provincial health office, the city health office and by several Cebu-based non-government organizations (NGOs), foundations and people's organizations.

The walk from Fuente Osmena circle to the Provincial Capitol was followed by the symbolic lighting of the Provincial Capitol building which would be "red" for the whole month to signify support to the cervical cancer prevention cause.

The program ended with Zumba-all-you-can where our OBGYN consultants danced to the beat of face-paced and energetic music.

On May 4, 2015 after the flag ceremony, the Scarlet May celebrations were officially opened with Ribbon-Cutting of the Exhibit at the lobby of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center with the Medical Center Chief Dr Gerardo Aquino Jr and Chief of Clinics Dr. Roque Antonio Paradela, doing the honors.

Guiness Book of World Records Mass Screening for Cervical Cancer at the Cebu City Central Elementary School last May 9, 2015.

We were able to beat the existing record for the most number of women screened for cervical cancer, set by India.  We were able to successfully screen 808 Filipino women for cervical cancer through visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA).

Daily "pulong" health education classes at the VSMMC outpatient department on cervical cancer prevention, screening and treatment.

Month-long free papsmear and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and Community-based papsmear missions sponsored by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

Residents of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology offered daily free papsmear for the first week and free visual inspection with acetic acid linked with treatment with cryotherapy - known as the single visit approach for the rest of the month of May to patients from all walks of life.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) Workshop on Cryotherapy was conducted at the VSMMC Auditorium last May 27, 2015, sponsored by the Philippine Society of Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy (PSCPC) with Dr. Jericho Thaddeus Luna, Dr. Ana Dy Echo and Dr. Renee Sicam.

Dr. Luna in a photo opportunity with the training officer and the residents of the VSMMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

On May 28, 2015, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Staff Conference on Fertility Sparing Surgery for Early Stage Cervical Cancer was presented by Dr. Christine Rose Nonan and discussed by Dr. Sola Viste.  Invited special guest reactors include our supporter and advocate Mr. Ronaldo Delos Reyes from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc and our idol, champion and mentor Dr. Cecilia Llave, the chair of the Cervical Cancer Prevention Network (CECAP) and the first lady chair of the Cancer Institute at UP Manila.

Active staff of the department attended.

Consultants and residents of the VSMMC Department of OBGYN

Insights include that the patient was one lucky lady because the cervical cancer was detected early enough to preserve her fertility, not just to extend her life but to give forth life.  It was also stressed that no woman should die from cervical cancer, and that it only takes one minute to save a woman's life for cervical cancer. 

The month-long celebrations of the Scarlet May 2015 for Cervical Cancer Prevention was culminated with a lecture on Cervical Cancer by Dr. Cecilia Llave at the CIM auditorium, organized by the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society Inc (POGS) Cebu Chapter.

Congratulations to the VSMMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology particularly to Dr Helen Amorin, to the POGS, to our friends from the EJACC (Ramon Aboitiz Foundation), She Matters and the Cebu City government and the Provincial Health Office for a very successful Scarlet May celebration!