UST Professorial chair holder: Do as much good

THE global trend toward internet-based education and communication, especially about the pervasive social media landscape, has made it more difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction, leading to an infodemic of contradictory ideas, misinformation and disinformation, a bioethics expert said.

Dr. Angeles Tan Alora, a University of Santo Tomas (UST) alumna and former dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (FMS), made the remark in her lecture “Enhancing Ethical Behavior: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic,” delivered during her conferment as Doña Victoria Ty Tan Professorial Chair.

UST Professorial chair holder: Do as much good

In her lecture, she shared insights and observations from the pandemic experience that she hoped would help health care professionals to take actions that lead to “ethical comfort in doing as much good as one can, and achieve what Pope Francis tells us: ‘Be joyful, help without hesitation, and persevere’ to become better persons.”

Tan Alora said the urgency of the pandemic “catapulted preprint servers and predatory journals without peer review that lead to a reproducibility crisis.”

An ethical person, however, must summon the courage to do the ordinary tasks in extraordinary manners despite adversity and unpleasant consequences, she said.

Dr. Tan Alora taught at the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery for 44 years and served as the head of the Department of Medical Education. She was conferred the professorial chair in a solemn investiture held at the Dr. George SK Ty Hall of the Bl. Buenaventura García Paredes, O.P. Building, on Nov. 14, 2023.

The academic chair is named after Doña Victoria Ty Tan, mother of Dr. George S.K. Ty, founder of Metrobank.

UST FMS Dean Ma. Lourdes Maglinao said the conferment of the professorial chair to a foremost specialist in bioethics and infectious diseases like Dr. Tan Alora “honors excellence in the field of medical education, celebrates the profound impact of knowledge and mentorship, and explores the insights gained from navigating ethical challenges in these unprecedented times.”

“May this occasion inspire continued dedication and provide lessons to shape a more ethical and resilient future,” Maglinao added.

Metrobank Foundation Executive Vice President Philip Francisco Dy congratulated Tan Alora on the conferment of the professorial chair, which “supports UST in its endeavor to develop programs in medical education and contributes to the global competitiveness of our country’s medical practitioners.”

Besides her affiliation with UST, Tan Alora is a fellow of the Philippine College of Physicians and the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, the latter of which she served as the first woman president.

She also taught at the University of the Philippines Manila and was director of the National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions for five years.

Tan Alora is the third recipient of the Doña Victoria Ty Tan Professorial Chair, which started in 2019. She joins the ranks of medical doctors Sandra Navarra and Fidela Moreno.

Upon conferment to 10 medical educators and researchers, UST and the Metrobank Foundation will publish a book containing the collated lectures and research works.