February 1, 2012 Version

Of IFMSA, by IFMSA, for IFMSA

A New Global Health Future

Candidature for the position of

President

of the

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations

2012-2013

by

Ramon Lorenzo Luis R. Guinto

Regional Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific, IFMSA

Former President, Asian Medical Students’ Association - Philippines

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Renzo seeing a pediatric patient in a community medical mission in the Philippines.

A Final Offering as a Medical Student

I started my life in IFMSA as vice president of my local committee in the University of the

Philippines. Since then, I have cherished the fundamental principles on which IFMSA is

anchored – collegiality, professionalism, global perspective, local impact. These values guided

me in my personal journey within the Federation – as national public health officer (NPO) and

later, president of the Asian Medical Students’ Associations-Philippines, the official IFMSA

national member organization in the Philippines; as facilitator of the Small Working Group on

Health Inequities and member of the IFMSA Task Force on External Representation; and now,

as Regional Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific.

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Today, four months before my graduation in medical school, I now present my candidature for

the position of IFMSA President, as my final contribution to IFMSA and to the world as a

medical student (definitely not the last as a proud member of this Federation). Through this

candidature, I honor the legacy of a long but select roster of medical students, from Erik Holst

to Chris Pleyer, who, in the 60-year history of our Federation, once attempted to dedicate a

year of leadership and service to our medical students worldwide, and to the entire humanity

at large.

Furthermore, I also dedicate this candidature to the present and future members of IFMSA. I

am grateful to friends and colleagues from around the world who have shared a bit of their

lives for IFMSA and global health, and who will continue to do so in the months and years to

come. I also offer this candidature to the medical students who are still yet to become

members of our growing IFMSA family – they who will enrich the Federation more, and for

whom this new future for IFMSA is envisioned.

Like my candidature for Regional Coordinator, this one is inspired by support from friends and

colleagues from around the world, who have witnessed what we have done for the past four

years for IFMSA and for global health, and who are hoping that these successes can be achieved

at the highest level and broadest scope in IFMSA.

I feel blessed that I was bestowed with rare opportunities to serve in IFMSA at all levels, from

reviving an NMO in the brink of extinction to helping strengthen a region in all its dimensions to

putting global health equity in the IFMSA agenda. I commit to use these rich experiences and

the invaluable knowledge I gained for the further strengthening of IFMSA and improvement of

global health.

I thank all of you who keep on believing in me, and for those who helped shape these visions

for IFMSA with me for years, through diverse ways from small chats to collaborative projects.

This journey’s finished product is a vision of IFMSA, by IFMSA, for IFMSA, towards a new

global health future.

Together, we will envision the future, resuscitate the passion, set the direction, challenge the

conventions, and inspire genuine change.

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Finally, this vision, no matter how visionary and revolutionary it is, will only be turned into

reality if all of us in IFMSA share her or his contribution. We should always treat every

opportunity as a final offering, and therefore we should offer only the best.

You are assured that I will never shrink from this responsibility, but rather welcome it with

sincerity and wholeheartedness and an undying commitment to the future. It would be an

immense honor and deep personal privilege to serve you as President for the term 2012-2013,

and to gain your trust and confidence, which is a priceless gift.

Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Thank you very much.

RENZO

Ramon Lorenzo Luis R. Guinto

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Renzo as head of the IFMSA delegation to the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health, held

last October 19-21, 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A New Global Health Future –

of IFMSA, by IFMSA, for IFMSA

After sixty years, IFMSA has grown into a Federation comprised of trademark projects, working

procedures, and growing organizational structure. This time, I wish to see our Federation

elevate the focus from structure to function, from operations to results, from skeleton to

substance, from visibility to relevance, and from outcomes to impact.

The first part of this candidature describes the different roles the new IFMSA President will

play, the very roles I commit to fulfill should I be given the opportunity to serve as leader of our

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1.2 million medical students, 106 national member organizations, and 99 countries (and more

to come!).

The second part is where I wish to present a new platform of governance, anchored in the

values of innovation, relevance, sustainability, and equity. This platform can be summarized

into three overarching goals:

• A 21st

Century Professional Global Organization. We want an IFMSA that maximizes the

gifts of technology and democracy in the way we run our global organization at all

levels.

• A Genuine Voice of Medical Students Worldwide. We want an IFMSA that speaks for

the million voiceless students, and that leads the field of medicine in its quest for

relevant and effective education.

• A New Level of Global Health Leadership. We want an IFMSA that is relevant to all

peoples of the world, and that is a dynamic leader in global health action.

Furthermore, the final portion reminds us of the bare essentials of IFMSA management – a

commitment to keep on doing what we already know best – but doing them much better.

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Renzo with Professor Sir Michael Marmot, renowned British social epidemiologist and chair of the WHO

Commission on Social Determinants of Health

The roles the IFMSA President will play

Every year we hold our Executive Board elections, we remind ourselves of the roles and

responsibilities of an IFMSA President, as laid down in our Constitution and By-Laws. We can

sum up the long array of tasks into four major roles:

• Administrative role. Calling for Executive Board and Team of Officials meetings.

Reporting on the status of the IFMSA Board of Recommendation. Helping raise funds for

IFMSA.

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• Supportive role. Assisting liaison officers and other EB and TO officials in their

fulfillment of respective tasks. Providing assistance to NMOs in need of advice and

guidance.

• Coordinating role. Facilitating discussions and decision-making within the Executive

Board. Leading open consultations among NMO presidents.

• Representative role. Bridging the Federation with external partners, in tandem with

liaison officers. Liaising with the United Nations and the World Medical Association.

Should I be given this rare privilege to become President, you are assured that these traditional

tasks will be accomplished. We will also make sure that we will up the ante this term – fulfilling

these responsibilities in a more effective and efficient manner.

In addition, we want our President to exemplify certain qualities needed for a 21st

century

global health leadership. We want our President to transform from a mere administrator,

manager, and facilitator to:

• Vision and direction setter. We need a President who is not contented with business as

usual, but who has an envisioned future for the Federation and who can inspire people

to participate in the vision designing process.

• Drum beater. We need a President who sets the pace, who is in the forefront of action

and not just a mere observer or supervisor who gives his nod of approval. We need a

President who reminds the Federation that time is of the essence, and that for every

delay, someone pays the price.

• Moral guide of medical students. We need a President who adheres to noble, positive,

and universal values, and who consistently adopts these values in every word or deed.

We need a President who can give moral guidance to the Federation should external

forces lead to the detriment of our welfare and of the society we serve.

• Model for all medical students worldwide. We need a President who walks the talk,

who practices what he advocates. We need a President who is a student-leader – an

outstanding medical student and a respected leader, someone who delivers both in

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class and in the real world. We need a President who will show that balance in learning

and leading is the way of IFMSA.

• Staunch voice for truth. We need a President who does not relegate the voicing of our

stands to others or to paper statements, but who can confidently and passionately

speak the words himself, in behalf of medical students worldwide.

These are the positive qualities that should work in tandem with a President’s traditional roles,

and the very qualities we want to “infect” on every IFMSA generation.

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IFMSA during the 60th anniversary conference in Copenhagen, Denmark last August 1-7, 2011

A 21st

Century Professional Global Organization

IFMSA is blessed to have reached the 21st

century, an era of endless opportunities and rapid

growth and discovery. For years, our Federation has already been enjoying new technologies to

make our procedures more efficient and discussions more dynamic. Just like any other

organization, we encounter administrative challenges, but we have not yet maximized the

management tools already available to us in this century. We hope to maximize our material

and human resources, as well as our growing stature and credibility, in order to deliver results

and make things happen.

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• Finalize the Membership Fee Scheme anchored in the principles of equity and

sustainability. Every international organization requires enormous financial resources in

order to deliver tangible results. But just like any other organization today, our sources

are also affected by the many crises that occurred in recent years. For two years, we

have been discussing reforms in our membership fee scheme, and as the new term

enters, there is an urgent call to put an end in this process. Should the debate continue

beyond August Meeting 2012, the new President will assist the Treasurer and the

small working groups responsible for designing the new scheme in accelerating the

process to arrive at an equitable and sustainable financing scheme for the Federation.

• Review the global budget and apply a results-based approach to budget design. Every

year, we discuss and approve the annual global budget of IFMSA. Our current budget

design answers what we will need for the year. In my perspective, our budget should

meet what we want to achieve as a Federation, evaluated through metrics that are

beneficial and tangible. Such a results-based approach to budgeting does not only save

us money from unnecessary expenses, but also maximizes our limited resources in order

to achieve concrete and valuable outcomes. The new President will task the Treasurer

and a small working group to review the budget and the budgeting process and

consider applying results-based approaches to maximize value for money.

• Harness online spaces for greater participation and dialogue. IFMSA loves discussing

and debating, during plenaries and side-meetings, even during night parties and post-

GAs. But not everyone from IFMSA or from the larger medical student community can

participate in such exciting and enlightening discussions, many of which give birth to

innovative ideas and actions. We hope to integrate an online discussion portal in our

website that can be accessed by all members of IFMSA from across the globe. This

portal will contain various discussion “rooms” tackling topics ranging from IFMSA affairs

and projects development to specific global health challenges. Such a portal will also

ensure spread of best practices even outside General Assemblies. The new President

will task the Publications and New Technologies Support Division Directors, with

support from other Standing Committee and Support Division directors, to create

online portals for dynamic discussion that will be opened to all medical students from

around the world.

• Formalize inter-GA decision-making through online mechanisms. The Executive Board

is mandated to make crucial decisions in between General Assemblies. However, there

are critical decisions that are of unprecedented importance for each NMO. We have

already tried a few times to arrive at decisions via online voting, and so we hope to

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maximize this gift while governed by a set of guidelines. The new President will

commission a group to define the types of decisions that should be made directly by

NMOs in between GAs and design an online mechanism and guideline, subject to

approval by NMOs, to make this happen.

• Accelerate reforms in external representation. Reforms in external representation have

been top in the agenda at least for the past two terms, but no substantial improvements

have been put in place. Problems concerning selection of representatives, crafting of

statements, financing of delegations, and lack of focus and continuity remain to be

perennially faced, even in recent conferences that we have participated in. Having

represented IFMSA in many external events, I feel an urgent need to tackle both the

matter (content) and manner (process) of external representation in IFMSA. The new

President will give extra attention and support to the Task Force on External

Representation that was mandated by IFMSA to design the framework for external

representation within the Federation.

• Seek for more partner institutions that can help expand financial opportunities. It has

always been my mantra that there is money for health, and I am confident that the

same can be said for IFMSA. There are financial opportunities for IFMSA still left

untapped, some of which are earmarked for specific global health programs. In order for

IFMSA to avail of these existing global health grants, we should align our existing

projects and programs with global health priorities and goals. We want to see some of

our SCOPH projects receiving generous grants from global health partnerships and

institutions. The new President will support the Vice President for External Affairs and

Treasurer in identifying potential partners, drafting guidelines, proposals and

contracts, and ensuring access of NMOs to these financial opportunities.

• Set standards and ensure coherence in various internal processes. Our Federation

grows each day, hence the need for better coordination and smoother flow of

transactions, from conveying of updates to selection of regional meeting hosts. Our

internal operating guidelines remain a work in progress, but they need to get finalized

so we can deliver results better. The new President will mobilize the Executive Board in

reviewing existing internal operating guidelines, protocols, and reporting systems and

looking for ways to improve efficiency and coherence.

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Renzo, as Chairperson of the University of the Philippines Manila Student Council, speaking on student

issues during a student assembly

A Genuine Voice of Medical Students Worldwide

Every year, we claim to represent 1.2 million medical students worldwide – but have we truly

spoken about the challenges they face on their behalf? My estimate is that only around 1% of

the total population we represent is given the chance to attend general assemblies, participate

in professional and research exchanges, or even become active members of national member

organizations. I envision an IFMSA that embodies our fellow medical students who have been

invisible because of their circumstances, that speaks for the voiceless while debating in

plenaries, that thinks about the real issues of our profession and education while partying in

GAs, that reflects on global health inequities while doing an elective abroad.

• Lead the worldwide campaign for transformative scale-up of medical and health

professions education. In 2010, a Lancet Commission released a report about

transforming health professions education for a new century. Two IFMSA member

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students were even members of the counterpart student commission. But since then,

there has not been a conscious effort to accelerate this cause within IFMSA – the very

students who are also the main beneficiaries of the recommendations of the

Commission. The new President will provide a much stronger push and clearer

direction to the Standing Committee on Medical Education to adopt and spearhead

this vital advocacy that hopes to cure the mismatch between medical education and

current global health needs.

• Speak out in behalf of medical students who are victims of oppression and human and

student rights violations. When I was president of AMSA-Philippines, I proposed a

policy statement on the protection of physicians, medical students, and other health

workers. It was an effort to enshrine the primacy of our rights and welfare in the

growing body of policy in IFMSA, and a response to the various violations of human

rights and student rights of medical students around the world. In the period of 2010-

2011 alone, we have seen our fellow medical students being detained, tortured, and

even murdered because of their activism and for speaking for truth. I believe IFMSA

should be keeping track of all violations of rights and welfare of medical students, and

should lead our global community in condemning these acts, as guided by our policy

statement. Such efforts can be placed under the Standing Committee on Human Rights

and Peace. The new President will facilitate the creation of a mechanism within IFMSA

that will spearhead efforts towards respect for every medical student across the globe.

• Accelerate expansion in Africa and Asia-Pacific to widen membership and reach of

impact. The bulk of the world’s medical students can be found in the developing world,

particularly Africa and Asia-Pacific. However, many still do not know IFMSA and do not

get to enjoy the benefits of being part of this historic Federation. Moreover, a wider

membership from these regions can increase our credibility and accelerate our

campaigns for global health equity and sustainable development, as these two regions

are the most affected by these crises. While providing full support to all regions, the

new President will provide additional unprecedented support to the Regional

Coordinators for Africa and the Asia-Pacific to fast-track recruitment and increase

membership.

• Evaluate access of medical students to current IFMSA programs and recommend

strategies to uphold equity. We have always talked about increasing IFMSA members’

access to vast educational and personal development opportunities, but we seldom ask

the converse: How accessible is IFMSA to the rest of the medical students’ world? As an

international Federation that adamantly calls for access to health care, we should also

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adopt a stance that champions equitable access of medical students to IFMSA and its

related programs. I hope to launch this exploration within the Federation, hoping to get

answers to questions like “How can we increase the number of SCOPE or SCORE slots in

developing countries?” or “How can medical students participate in global discussions

without necessarily being part of IFMSA delegations in UN conferences, which

oftentimes are expensive to attend?” The new President will commission a diverse

group of individuals committed to the principle of equity in IFMSA to arrive at an

analysis of the current situation and to propose clear-cut recommendations for action.

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Renzo with Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization, with Maria Kusuma

Tatang (CIMSA-ISMKI-Indonesia) and Kai Yuan Cheng (FMS-Taiwan), IFMSA delegates to the WHO

Western Pacific Regional Committee Meeting held last October 10-14, 2011 in Manila, Philippines

A New Level of Global Health Leadership

Each year, we attend tens of international conferences, approve dozens of policy statements,

and deliver hundreds of advocacy projects. But we never maximized our unique position as the

biggest international organization of medical students in, rephrasing Rudolf Virchow, pointing

out the major problems in global health and defining their theoretical solutions. We have local

projects that target almost all health problems imaginable, but there is little coordination as

well as evaluation of their global impact. Furthermore, many of our efforts come and go,

sporadic and transient in nature, which could actually make an enormous difference should we

consciously sustain them.

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As a Federation and as future physicians, we should aim to contribute significantly to global

health. Someone asked me, “Why the focus on global health? Isn’t just for SCOPH?” Remember,

global health is “collaborative trans-national research and action for promoting health for all”

(Beaglehole and Bonita, 2010). Global health is SCOPH, SCORP, SCOME, SCORA, SCOPE, SCORE,

Projects, Trainings, Publications, New Technologies, Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, EMR,

Europe combined – in short, IFMSA.

Therefore, the Federation should now start working not just as one of the players, but as a

respected leader in global health.

• Design a general vision for the future of IFMSA and global health. Due to the fast turn-

over of officials in student organizations, short-term goals and priorities change yearly.

However, I believe that all medical students of all generations do cherish universal

values and principles and do have a common general vision for the future of IFMSA and

of global health, much of which are not enshrined in our Constitution and By-Laws. I

hope that by the end of the term, we could launch a statement of vision and principles

that will guide and provide direction to future IFMSA generations. Such a vision design

process and a “futures approach” will enable us to find our real place in the world. The

new President will commission a group of experienced members and alumni to draft

this pioneering declaration to be approved by the NMOs by August Meeting 2013.

• Elevate the existing discussions and actions on global health equity, social

determinants of health, global health governance, climate change, and sustainable

development in all dimensions. These are the most crucial challenges in global health in

our century, and IFMSA should have a major stake in their solutions. Discussions and

actions on these global themes should trickle down vertically from the Executive Board

to the smallest local committee. Furthermore, they should also penetrate all of IFMSA

horizontally, across all Standing Committees and Divisions. Existing discussion groups

will be given further Executive Board support so that they can come up with strong

statements and facilitate enduring advocacy programs. Finally, presidents’ meetings and

evening plenaries during General Assemblies should be utilized not just for discussing

internal rules and conflicts, but more importantly for debating global health issues – our

stands and our proposed solutions. The new President will lobby for these innovations

to the various initiatives, standing committees, and small working groups concerned

with this areas.

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• Forge enduring bonds with the biggest health organizations and movements across

the globe. Global health is all about transnational and intersectoral cooperation, and

therefore we will engage in more global health collaboration this coming year. As we

enliven the discussions from within, we will also strengthen our role externally, not just

in the conferences we attend but in our relationship with allies and in the conduct of

joint activities and initiatives. We will also offer our services to other renowned

international nongovernmental organizations (iNGOs), academic institutions, joint

learning initiatives and commissions working on global health challenges but requiring

further creative contribution from young people. The new President will provide

enormous technical and moral support to the Vice President for External Affairs and all

liaison officers and regional coordinators involved so as forging these new and

enduring relationships that will eventually improve global health.

• Review IFMSA’s impact on global health, particularly in global health equity. Like many

organizations, we always celebrate our achievements, big or small, just like what we did

last August 2011 in Copenhagen during our 60th

anniversary. But a systematic, scientific,

and thorough evaluation of IFMSA’s impact on global health has never been done. Such

an evaluation is critical in establishing our stature in global health and in tracking our

new future. The new President will commission this evaluative study to a diverse group

of IFMSA members and alumni who will evaluate our impact and relevance, especially

in reducing the health gaps, from our professional exchange programs to our

worldwide and local campaigns.

• Instill global health equity in professional and research exchange. Since our inception,

exchanges have been at the heart of IFMSA. Each year, we have thousands of IFMSA

members traversing the world to learn from prestigious hospitals and participate in

groundbreaking research efforts. As we enter the era of “global health equity,” we hope

to instill this invaluable principle in our existing exchange programs, whether through

incorporation in learning modules or giving back to receiving countries. We also hope to

see the rise of new forms of exchange programs like public health, community medicine,

and health policy and advocacy exchanges. The new President will work with the

directors of the Standing Committees on Professional Exchange and Research

Exchange in developing a framework for incorporating global health equity in IFMSA

exchange programs.

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Renzo with former Asia-Pacific Regional Coordinator Anneliese Willems (AMSA-Australia) and Asia-

Pacific NMO presidents and leaders

More than the Usual IFMSA

Certainly, aside from the aforementioned innovations, we will still keep on doing our existing

jobs – and do them much better.

• Prompt preparation of Executive Board and Team of Officials group and individual plans

at the beginning of the term

• Ensure involvement of Team of Officials members in making of decisions by the

Executive Board

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• Close coordination with Organizing Committees and early preparation for General

Assemblies, Regional Meetings, and Team of Officials Meetings

• Conduct of regular online meetings with the Executive Board

• Facilitation of dynamic and healthy discussions in the NMO server

• Regular updates on the work of EB and TO in the NMO server

• Continue improving the reporting system for officials, regions, standing committees,

support divisions, and NMOs

• Provide technical assistance and guidance to NMOs with individual concerns and needs

• Leadership development activities for officials and NMO leaders, both online and during

TOMs and GAs

• Efficient management of existing financial resources, in cooperation with the Treasurer

• Management of our offices in Amsterdam and Paris

• Update on the IFMSA Board of Recommendation

• Harnessing our alumni for academic resources, funding opportunities, technical support,

etc.

• Pursue the unfinished business of term 2011-2012 for the purpose of continuity and

sustainability

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Renzo with Dr. Rodel Nodora of the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) and the participants of

Think Global Asia-Pacific Workshop on Global Health in Medical Education, held in Manila last December

19-21, 2011

The New Global Health Future Lies in Us

Most of the time, we are given only one chance. We will be medical students only once in our

lifetime. We are members of IFMSA in only a short portion of our lives.

And we are given only one chance to be of service to IFMSA and to humanity at such a huge

scale and in such a unique style.

We don’t know if there are many chances to create a new global health future, but as of now,

this is one chance that we know of. The new global health future lies in you, in all of us.

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Ramon Lorenzo Luis R. Guinto

Ramon Lorenzo Luis Rosa Guinto or Renzo is a cum laude graduate of Bachelor of Science in

Basic Medical Science at the University of the Philippines Manila. Currently, Renzo is a final year

medical intern at the UP Manila–Philippine General Hospital. He is finishing his Doctor of

Medicine degree under the Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (INTARMED) Program, a

unique accelerated seven-year medical course offered to the top 40 of the 70,000 high school

students applying for admission to UP every year.

A staunch health and environment advocate, Renzo founded UP One Earth, the only student

environmental organization of health sciences students in UP Manila which seeks to lead in

education, research, advocacy, and service on matters relating to health and the environment.

In 2007, Renzo was named “Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Award” in Germany, and in

2010, a United States Department of State scholar in global environment, through which he

was able to study at the East-West Center in Hawaii and in Washington, DC.

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Renzo served as Vice Chairperson (2008-2009), and eventually Chairperson (2009-2010) of the

University Student Council of UP Manila. His term as top leader of the university is a period of

heightened student participation in university governance, health and environmental action,

community engagement, disaster response, and even the 2010 Philippine national elections.

During the period 2010-2011, he was also president of the Asian Medical Students’ Association

(AMSA)-Philippines, a national association of socio-civic organizations of medical students in

the Philippines, and concurrently Philippine Representative to the International Federation of

Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), the largest student federation in the world recognized

by the United Nations and the World Health Organization as the official international voice of

medical students.

Last October 2011, he began his term as IFMSA Regional Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific,

working with 16 member countries and aiming to recruit more to the Federation. Currently, he

is also the facilitator of IFMSA’s Small Working Group on Health Inequities, which championed

the participation of medical students in the global movement for health equity and action on

social determinants of health.

Renzo received numerous awards and recognitions both in the Philippines and abroad,

including the Climate Hero Award from UN disaster risk reduction champion and Philippine

Senator Loren Legarda in 2010; Outstanding Student Award from the UP Manila in 2009;

Honorable Mention in the 2008 International Essay Competition for Young People sponsored by

UNESCO; Ayala Young Leader in 2008; and one of the Ten Outstanding Youth of the Province of

Laguna in 2005.

In 2009, Renzo represented the Philippines in the International Public Speaking Competition of

the English-Speaking Union in London. He also represented young people in various WHO

conferences, including the 2008 International Conference on Primary Health Care in Almaty,

Kazakhstan organized by WHO and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the 2011

World Conference on Social Determinants of Health in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil organized by WHO

and the Government of Brazil.

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A consistent academic achiever, Renzo was a recipient of the UP Oblation Scholarship, given to

top 50 passers of the UP College Admission Test, and the UP Presidential Scholarship. Since

2005, he has received Gawad ng Dekano (Dean’s Award) for leadership and from 2005-2007

was also named “University Scholar” for academic achievement.

In 2005, Renzo graduated valedictorian with high honors from the University of the Philippines

Rural High School, garnering the highest academic average in the school’s 80-year history. He

also finished grade school in Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba as valedictorian.

Since 2005, Renzo has written more than 30 articles for local and international publications and

has been a resource speaker and workshop facilitator on a wide range of topics such as youth

leadership, environment, health, public policy, and student rights in the Philippines and abroad.

He also received training through courses and conferences on various areas such global health,

disaster management, sustainable development, youth empowerment, social

entrepreneurship, globalization, and journalism. Recently, he attended a summer school in

global health challenges at the University of Copenhagen School of Global Health.

Coming from a musical family, Renzo used to sing for the UP Medicine Choir and the praise and

worship team of River’s Edge Ministries. He has also directed plays and musicals in school and

organized public events and youth conferences.

Finally, Renzo loves travelling with a purpose, having visited 15 countries (most of which is

work-related) in his four years as a medical student. Moreover, he is now struggling to read his

rapidly growing collection of books, spanning the natural sciences, social sciences, and the

humanities, reflecting his eclectic taste and unquenchable thirst for knowledge and wisdom.

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Asian Medical Students’ Association – Philippines

Founding Member of the Asian Medical Students’ Association – International

and the Philippine National Member Organization

of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations