CLINICAL MATTERS
Last week I wrote about my first international trip in two years and the truly incredible experience of attending TED 2022 in Vancouver, Canada. Many readers asked me to expound on the TED conference and the fellowship I received. They also wanted to know the details of the return trip home. Since an impromptu TED-style talk I gave to the IATF helped convince our government leaders to lock down early against Covid-19, I am happy to oblige.
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. It is the organization behind the ultra-popular TED talks. A TED talk is a well-conceived, short (less than 18 minutes) talk on pretty much any topic delivered in a highly effective style. TED has a main conference in Vancouver once a year, where some of the best speakers in the world are invited to present. The motto of TED is “ideas worth spreading.” TED has also licensed its conference format to numerous organizers worldwide, giving rise to the many TEDx conferences and making TED talks more accessible.
The main TED conference remains the gold standard for TED conferences. It is the most prestigious. Attendance is by invitation only, and the basic conference fee is $10,000. Aside from a fantastic lineup of speakers, the food and entertainment are top notch. A TED gift bag, which is given to all attendees, is full of really nice giveaways ranging from the latest electronic gadgets, curated experiences, and unbelievable stuff like a full-blown pizza oven, a Segway, or a very high-end bed. Needless to say, most TED attendees or TEDsters, as they are called, are high-net worth individuals who can afford the price of admission.
So how did I end up attending this conference for millionaires? Enter the TED Fellows program. Established in 2009, the TED Fellows program “recognizes people at work on future-shaping ideas, offering them tools to amplify the power of their vision. Each year, a new group of TED Fellows from around the world, and from every discipline, are welcomed into this international community of remarkable thinkers and doers who have shown unusual accomplishment, exceptional courage, strength of character, and potential to create positive change in their respective fields (https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/ted-fellows-program).”
The TED Fellows program is one of the most sought-after fellowships in the world. Only 20 fellows are selected from thousands of applicants each year. It not only allows TED Fellows to attend TED, but it also provides training in public speaking while leveraging TED’s vast network to amplify the message of the fellows. Coaching, media training, and a spot on the TED Fellows stage are provided, with the possibility of the fellow’s talk being published on TED.com.
I applied for a TED fellowship because I wanted to tell the world about the worrisome emergence of HIV in the Philippines, which was being fueled by a recombinant form of HIV. The application process involves an extensive writeup of your work. If your work and level of accomplishment is of interest to the organizers, they set up multiple interviews before making a final decision. I was chosen a TED Fellow in 2017 and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
Despite already being a very experienced public speaker, I found out that there was so much to learn. I had speaking coaches who taught me how to move around the stage, maintain eye contact, and persuade with body language. I had a designer who helped make my slides, even using elements of the barong I wore on stage as a design motif. I ended up transforming what is usually a one-hour lecture into a very accessible four-minute-36-second talk. Not all TED Talks end up being published on the TED.com website. I was fortunate that mine was chosen, and it has racked up more than 1.3 million views (https://www.ted.com/talks/edsel_salvana_the_dangerous_evolution_of_hiv/transcript?language=en).
After my first TED experience, I wanted more and so I applied to be a Senior TED Fellow. Senior fellowship is only open to former TED Fellows and allows the fellow to attend four more TED events, including two of the main conferences. It includes further training and coaching in public speaking. I was chosen as a senior fellow in 2020. Due to the pandemic, however, I only got to attend TED again this year.
Which brings me to how useful my TED training has been in my career as a physician, as a scientist, and as a communicator. Scientists and doctors are not very good in explaining concepts to a general audience. They are frequently misquoted in mainstream media. My TED training helped me advocate more forcefully for HIV, and it helped me fight vaccine hesitancy during the Dengvaxia fiasco. But perhaps the most critical TED-type talk I ever gave happened outside the public eye.
Two years ago, we asked the Philippine government to lock down Metro Manila. As new cases of Covid-19 started showing up in the community, the Technical Advisory Group in consultation with WHO concluded that there was a strong likelihood of community transmission for what was then termed nCoV or novel coronavirus.
My day started in Camp Aguinaldo at the 11th meeting of the IATF. DOH was making the case for the lockdown. Sec. Duque asked me to present the TAG’s recommendations. And this is where I channeled everything TED had taught me. I prefaced my presentation with these lines:
“Every disaster movie begins with everyone ignoring the scientist. I am a scientist. Please listen to me so we can change the ending.”
The effect was instantaneous. I had their undivided attention. As I went over the list of unprecedented restrictions we were going to impose, there was only silence. I could see fear, disbelief, and finally acceptance in the demeanor of the Cabinet members.
At the end of my presentation (six slides only, less than 10 minutes in true TED talk fashion), there was a prolonged silence. Then Sec. Salvador Panelo moved to adopt all our recommendations for the President to sign off on (https://pcoo.gov.ph/OPS-content/on-the-11th-iatf-meeting/). The motion carried unanimously, and the TAG was asked to go to Malacañang that night for the final decision, which was confirmed by President Duterte. The initial lockdown saved at least 200,000 Filipino lives. Even with limited resources, our death rate per million is among the lowest in the world. We never shut out our returning kababayans. And we defeated Omicron (BA.2 at that!) with vaccination and continued masking. Together, we have definitely changed the ending.
I told this story many times to different people during the TED conference, and everyone was astonished. It truly shows how crucial communication skills are in persuading politicians to follow the science. The US and the UK have by far the most resources and the best minds in public health. These were, however, unable to prevent widespread deaths since their politicians did not follow what their experts recommended. In the end, it is about simplifying the science into a message that conveys the urgency and necessity of actions. TED talk training should be a required subject for all scientists who interact with policy makers to ensure that the information is communicated seamlessly.
The TED 2022 conference ended with a bang, including a live interview with Elon Musk and an epic final picnic. I had myself tested 24 hours before departure with an antigen test and it was thankfully negative. Either a 48-hour RT-PCR or a 24-hour antigen test is currently required to enter the Philippines. The antigen test must be professionally done, and the test result signed by a health facility provider. Self-administered antigen tests are not accepted. The frame of reference for the time period of validity is the departure time on the ticket, not the arrival time in the country of destination.
The test result, along with proof of vaccination must be uploaded to the One Health Pass website (https://onehealthpass.com.ph/) prior to departure. At the airport, the airline checked my requirement and off I went. Masks were required throughout the flight. Upon arrival, the Bureau of Quarantine checked my requirements and allowed me to proceed through immigration.
Home sweet home, and I can definitely say that international travel is back!