ADZU-SOM: A NEW BREED OF DOCTORS

ADZU-SOM is Ateneo De Zamboanga University -School Of Medicine, previously known as the Zamboanga Medical School Foundation.
Historical Background
In 1990, Fr. William H. Kreutz, SJ, president of the Ateneo de Zamboanga, called together members of the medical profession and civic-minded community leaders for a series of consultations to determine if there was a need to establish a medical school for the region. In these consultations health data of the region were looked at, leading to the following conclusions:

1. Western Mindanao has the highest infant mortality rate in the Philippines.
2. Of the nearly 100 municipalities and 3,000 barangays in the region, more than 80% lack medical attention.
3. Zamboanga City has enough doctors with training in specialty areas who can be tapped to teach in the medical school.

These series of consultations led to the consensus that there was indeed a need to establish amedical school for the region and that this school should be in Zamboanga City. Subsequent to this, a corporate body was established to affiliate with the Ateneo de Zamboanga. Thus, the Zamboanga Medical School Foundation, Inc. (ZMSF) was finally incorporated as a non-stock, non profit corporation. It's 15-man Board of Trustees is composed of seven doctors, five civic leaders, and three educators. During the first few years of its operations, the ZMF will be using the facilities of the Ateneo while a building for the medical school is planned once a sufficient financial base is established.

This is a video on: Social Accountability in the 21st Century Medicine:  the ADZU-SOM Model


This You Tube Video by Genner Cerna shows the very unique method of education of the ADZU-School Of Medicine who not only uses books or lectures within the four walls of the classroom, but have pioneered in Problem-Based learning (PBL) as well as extended their education to the community.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is now adapted by many medical schools in the country.

EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY

The entire four year program is designed around the concept of learning through problems and management of those problems. Small group learning composed of eight (8) students is utilized as they have been documented to be the core of PBL ( Albanese & Mitchell, 1993; Barrows and Tamblyn, 1980; Norman & Schmidt, 1992). Table 1 outlines the division structure of the curriculum into learning modules. These form the base for the case problems.

The graduates of ADZU-SOM finish a double course of  M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) and M.P.H. (Masters of Public Health). This is the first school of Medicine in the country to offer two degrees.***

Here are news updates which I gathered from the ADZU -SOM website which may be of interest to you.

ADZU-SOM DEAN AWARDED EXCELLENCE IN HEALTH PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION 
2014-02-11 14:52:51(excerpt)

Dr. Fortunato L. Cristobal, Dean of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University School of Medicine (ADZU-SOM), was awarded a "Special Award for Excellence in Health Professional Education" during the international Prince Mahidol Award Conference held last January 26-31, in Pattaya, Thailand. This award is given in honor of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla, Thailand. 

Two Prince Mahidol awards are conferred annually upon individuals or institutions which have demonstrated outstanding and exemplary contributions to the advancement of medicine, public health and human services throughout the world. 

This year however for the first time, 7 Prince Mahidol awardees were selected from 32 nominees worldwide. The final 7 awardees came from USA, Canada, Sudan, Belgium, Beijing, South Africa with Dr. F. Cristobal from the Philippines. 

Dr. Cristobal received this award for his establishment of the ADZU-SOM and its innovative curriculum utilizing problem-based learning, community-based learning, and competency-based assessment. This pioneering school opened twenty years ago, long before The Lancet published the study "Health professionals for a new century: transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world". This study underlined the pressing need of a competency based curriculum integrating education systems with health systems on local, national, regional, and global levels. 

The ADZU-SOM has been instrumental in dramatically decreasing the morbidity and mortality rates of the region, and in improving access to health services. Its graduates have been deployed to previously doctorless areas in Mindanao, and have been contributory to the increase in the health literacy of the region. 

With Dr. Cristobal were two of ADZU-SOM's graduates, Dr. Pascualito Concepcion, and Dr. Caroline C. Fabian. Dr. Fabian presented findings from her Team's community health plans entitled "Community Mobilization Through Experiential Learning: The ADZU-SOM Experience," detailing the creation of sustainable health projects in the rural community of San Miguel, Mutia, Zamboanga del Norte. 

This year's Prince Mahidol Conference on "Transformative Learning for Health Equity," was organized in cooperation with the World Health Organization, World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, China Medical Board, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. 

As the Philippines struggles to address the still ubiquitous problem of health inaccessibility, Dr. Cristobal and the ADZU-SOM continuously employ transformative ideas to champion health for all.

Ten Accomplished Youth Organization (TAYO) of the Philippines
2013-01-17 08:48:50 (an excerpt)

The year 2012 marked as the 10th year search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organization (TAYO) of the Philippines. From a total of 269 national nominees, only 20 youth organizations made it to the national semi-finalists. These semi finalists, after field validation and a gruelling oral defense, were narrowed down to 10 (TAYO) finalists. 

Last December 6, 2012, President Benigno S. Aquino III, bestowed the TAYO award to the I CAN make a difference Inc as one of the 10 finalists, in a glittering ceremony held at the Heroes Hall of the Malacanang Palace. I CAN make a difference Inc, is a group of social-change makers who bring simple, cost efficient, environment-friendly, and synergistic solutions to health and other health-related problems within communities thru inter-sectoral participation and inter-community development. 

The group started as an advocacy spearheaded by John Michael F. Dellariarte, a medical student of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University School Of Medicine, upon discovering that the piped in water from the shallow-well of Poblacion Lakewood Zamboanga del Sur were tested positive for fecal contamination with E. Coli. In partnership with the Schools and Universities in Zamboanga City, Dellariarte and 5 other core members ventured on an advocacy entitled: I CAN Make a Difference. The program involved collecting 5,000 empty aluminium soda cans that were converted into solar reflectors to aid in Solar Disinfection of water (SODIS). The solar reflector renders bottled water safe for drinking after 2-3 hours of sunlight exposure. 

Ateneo De Zamboanga University - School of Medicine has indeed gone a long way from its beginnings in 1990.

P.S. 
1) I am proud to be one of the part-time faculty of the ADZU-SOM!
Last September 2013 during the Ateneo De Zamboanga Centennial, we got a 15 year Service Award as ADZU-SOM faculty. 

Dr. Mansueta Sabellina, Dr. Mary Ann Torregosa, Dr. Filipinas Rojo, Dr. George Rojo 

2) Thanks for supporting the CMZ B.R.A. (Bra to Raise Awareness) Campaign Project through Dr. Fortunato Cristobal and Kerwin Faustino (Medical Student)

3) I am just one of the part-time teachers in Radiology and I am not a moving force of this institution!