(L-R): Mapúa Dean of Nursing of Mapúa Dr. Emmillie Joy B. Mejia, Sean Zantua, Healthway Medical Network Chief Human Resource Officer Sean Zantua, Healthway Medical Network president and CEO Jimmy Ysmael, President and CEO of Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. AC Health Paolo Borromeo, Mapúa Dean of School of Health Sciences Dr. Malaya P. Santos, Mapúa President and CEO Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, iPeople President Alfredo Ayala, Mapúa EVP for International Alliance & Cintana Partnership Executive Director Dr. Bonifacio T. Doma Jr., and Cintana Education Country Manager—Philippines Justin Fabia.
It was a Filipina nurse who administered the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine. Records state that 300,000 Filipino nurses are working abroad, giving world-class service in medical sciences. These data are not said to romanticize Pinoy's talents working outside the country but to show that the Philippines can produce highly competitive nurses and doctors.
To give aspiring students an even higher level of learning in medical sciences courses, Mapúa University School for Health Sciences partners with Arizona State University (ASU) and Ayala-owned AC Health. This was announced at the official launch event last June 6, 2023, at the Mapúa University Makati Campus.
These partnerships are part of Mapúa’s commitment to providing a world-class education that helps graduates succeed in their fields and serve society. Under the partnership with ASU, students can participate in classes involving professors from ASU and ASU-Cintana Alliance’s universities. They can also join internships and participate in international exchange programs and research projects. Working with professors and classmates worldwide also gives them the soft skills for a global workplace, such as communication, collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to lead and manage teams worldwide.
Mapúa University also announced its partnership with AC Health through its hospitals and clinics group, the Healthway Medical Network (HMN). Leveraging its integrated network of hospitals and clinics nationwide, HMN can enable Mapúa School of Health Sciences to provide enhanced experiential learning opportunities for its students through clinical rotations, internships, and other immersive strategies for active learning. The group will also offer scholarships and allow the students to explore career opportunities in the different Healthway QualiMed hospitals and Healthway Multispecialty Centers immediately after graduation.
Incorporating technology into the medical field
Mapua is internationally recognized as one of the top institutions when it comes to engineering and IT courses. This year, the university received the prestigious Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Award for Digital Readiness, making it the first university in the Philippines to bag the top award for the said category.
On top of solid partnerships with different organizations, the university is also bringing technologies in health and sciences courses by investing in state-of-the-art simulation tools and integrated training to develop practice-ready healthcare graduates.
“We have human structure and functional labs. The professor does an introduction, and then students go to different stations with different learning scenarios,” Dr. Francisco Gutierrez, head of Medicine & Health of Cintana Education, explains. “It is a very immersive experience, and immersion leads to deeper learning and retention.”
All of these investments are designed to ensure that the institution will give the best learning experience for its students. Despite these hefty costs, Dr. Malaya Santos, Mapúa’s Dean of the School of Health Sciences, assured Manila Bulletin Lifestyle that the university’s tuition fee would remain competitive.
“Health has a huge impact on quality of life and economic growth. Even from the perspective of personal impact on a family, the average Filipino is just one catastrophic disease away from poverty,” she says. “Our goal is to make healthcare more accessible and give our graduates the skills and mindset for a more global and digital healthcare industry.”
The Mapúa Health Sciences degree programs include BS Biology, BS Psychology, BS Medical Technology, AB Psychology, and BS Nursing (waiting approval from CHED) in the Mapúa Makati campus. There are also plans to introduce nursing, medicine, and other health professions soon.