Nicholas Torres (M.Ed.) is the President of The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) and works at the cross section between the private sector, government, and non governmental institutions and aligns them toward collective social impact goals and public policy. Nicholas has over 25 years of experience in executive management and specializes in the Education and Healthcare Industries. Nicholas founded and leads a social sector “think-tank” organization and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania.

Aricia De Kempeneer, M. Sc. is the Vice President of Programs and Operations at The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH), where she oversees all organizational activities and initiatives. This includes managing the TUFH annual conferences, fellowships, TUFH academies, and Centers of Excellence, as well as overseeing communications, membership, and partnerships. She also serves as the liaison to the Student Network Organization, ensuring alignment between students and TUFH’s broader goals.

Aricia holds a Master’s in Health Education and Promotion from Ghent University and a Bachelor’s in Midwifery from Erasmus Hogeschool. In addition to her role at TUFH, she works as an independent midwife in Belgium, providing prenatal education, care, and postnatal support.

With extensive experience as a midwife in low-risk birthing units across Gambia, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, Aricia co-founded the Student Network Organization in 2015 and was its first president. She has attended TUFH annual conferences since 2012, reflecting her deep commitment to advancing global health education and collaboration.

William Burdick, MD, MSEd, is Secretary General of The Network: Towards Unity for Health, an organization of community oriented health professions schools and Professor of Emergency Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. As the former Vice President for Education at FAIMER, he was responsible for creation of global faculty development programs for health professions educators. He has received awards for excellence in teaching, including the Lindbach Award and the Trustees Award in his capacity as Professor of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine. A graduate of Oberlin College, Weill Cornell University College of Medicine, and University of Pennsylvania, he completed residency training in Internal Medicine and is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and American Board of Internal Medicine.

Rabia Khan is an epidemiologist and public health specialist with 25 years of experience working across the world to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities through better use of data and evidence. A Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health in the United Kingdom, she has led initiatives that have delivered measurable improvements in England, Australia, New Zealand, and across 36 OECD countries. Her work has contributed to a decrease in antibiotic prescribing, expanded access to emergency contraception, and improved health services in stroke, cardiac, diabetes, and mental health care. Rabia has worked with leading public health agencies and international organisations, including the OECD, where she authored a seminal report on medication adherence. She was also actively involved in the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales, Australia. Currently based in Sydney, she continues to help organisations and communities use data and evidence to drive meaningful change and greater impact.

Associate Professor Firdouza Waggie is the Deputy Dean: Clinical and Community Engagement in the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She is also a physiotherapist and has worked in hospital and community settings. Currently she plays an important role in the leadership and strategic decision-making in the faculty. Her portfolio encompasses all matters related to the training on the clinical and community platforms for all the professional programmes in the faculty. She is also responsible for ensuring that the university is anchored in various communities through establishing partnerships and relationships with stakeholders that benefits the community and the university. She is an advocate for collaborative practice and community engagement in higher education and in the health and social services. She aims to build personal and leadership capacity amongst faculty staff which is needed for sustainability and success in the higher education sector. Her post-graduate supervision and research record reflects in several national and international publications and conference presentations.

Dr. Anshu, MBBS, MD, DNB, MNAMS, MHPE, is Director-Professor of Pathology at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, India. She has been awarded Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellowship (2007), CMCL-FAIMER Fellowship (2007), FAIMER-Institute Fellowship from Philadelphia (2009), and DBT Clinical Fellowship in Genetics Diagnostics (2021). Dr Anshu was awarded the International Fellowship in Medical Education (IFME) from FAIMER, USA in 2012. The award allowed her to pursue her Masters in Health Professions Education (MHPE) from Maastricht University, which she completed with distinction. She was the President of the Academy of Health Professions Educators, India for the year 2022. Dr Anshu is the Coordinator of the Medical Education Unit and the Internal Quality Assurance Cell at her institute. She designs and conducts faculty development workshops both in India and abroad. She has been a faculty member and resource person at four Indian FAIMER Regional Institutes—CMCL-FAIMER, Ludhiana; GSMC-FAIMER, Mumbai; PSG-FAIMER, Coimbatore, and MAHE-FAIMER Institute, Manipal. She is global faculty, lead faculty for Education Methods and Assessment, and quality assurance member for the FAIMER-Institute at Philadelphia. She has edited a book along with Dr Tejinder Singh titled ‘Principles of Assessment in Medical Education’ which is into its second edition. Her interests are: oncopathology, cancer epidemiology and genetics, faculty development, educational methods, assessment, and quality assurance. She also pursues creative writing and blogging as a hobby.

European Regional Board Member, The Network: TUFH Professor in Nursing, VIVES University of Applied Science, Belgium Coordinator VIVES LiveLab: Interprofessional Education Researcher Centre of Expertise for Care Innovation, VIVES.

Dr. Mohammad H. Taha is a distinguished figure in the field of Medical/Health Professions Education with over 15 years of expertise in educational research and practice. Holding a background as a physician and a certified medical educator, he has earned prestigious fellowships from institutions like the Academy of Medical Educators (UK) and the International Association for Medical Education (AMEE). Dr. Taha has obtained his doctoral and master’s degrees in Health Professions Education from the University of Gezira, Sudan, and has contributed significantly to the development of medical education in various capacities. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Medical Education at the University of Sharjah, Dr. Taha holds multiple leadership roles including Director of the Medical Education Center and Coordinator of the Master of Leadership in Health Professions Education program. He has played pivotal roles in curriculum development, faculty development, and accreditation processes in institutions across Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Notably, he led the comprehensive curriculum reform at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, and facilitated the transition to online learning during the COVID19 pandemic. Dr. Taha’s contributions extend beyond academia, as he actively engages in international organizations such as AMEE and WHO, serving as a consultant and expert in curriculum development and competency framework design. He has authored numerous research articles, book chapters, and led various workshops and courses in medical education. Dr. Taha’s dedication to advancing medical education and his extensive experience make him a respected figure both regionally and internationally in the field of Health Professions Education.

Amy Clithero is a faculty member in the Department of Family & Community Medicine (FCM) at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Dr. Clithero has a PhD in Family Medicine from the University of Kwazulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa as well as a Masters of Business Administration with a health systems concentration and a Masters level certification in Medical Education from the University of New Mexico. In addition to teaching medical students about social determinants of health, health policy, and health services research, Dr. Clithero participates in numerous educational research initiatives focusing on educational best practices, health services research, and social accountability within medical education. As of December 2022, Dr. Clithero has written two book chapters, has over two dozen peer reviewed papers and has presented at almost 60 conferences worldwide.

Associate Professor Lionel Green-Thompson was appointed dean and took up the role from 15 March 2020.

He has held multiple roles at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), including being the assistant dean for Teaching, Learning and Undergraduate Affairs in the Faculty of Health Sciences. He was also the clinical coordinator for the MBBCh degree in the Centre for Health Science Education from 2004, during which time he engaged in numerous student development initiatives, including the supervision of MMed (Anaesthesia) students.
He graduated from Wits with an MBBCh in 1988. He is a Fellow of the College of Anaesthetists of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. He obtained his MMed (Anaesthesia) at Wits in 2011 and completed a two-year Wits Carnegie Clinical PhD Fellowship.

He was national chairperson for the South African Association of Health Educationalists for the 2010 to 2013 triennium and chaired the national conference held at Wits in 2010 titled “Making Education Matter”.

Associate Professor Green-Thompson is an occasional reviewer for academic journals such as the South African Journal of Surgery, South African Journal of Psychiatry, South African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia, African Journal of Health Professions Education and, internationally, Medical Teacher and BMC Medical Education. He is a member of the Research Committee of the Association for Medical Education in Europe for the term 2018 to 2022.

He is currently the chair of the network for Medical Education in Resource Constrained Situations.

Titi Savitri is Associate Professor in Medical Education at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She is currently the Head of the Medical Education Department (2014-2018), member of the Asean University Network for Quality Assurance (AUNQA) Council (2013-2015), Senior Trainer and Lead Assessor of AUNQA (2009-present) and member of the Board of National Education Standards – Indonesian Ministry of Education (2014-2018).

In January 2018 she succeeded Professor Rita Sood as the President of SEARAME.
Her areas of expertise are curriculum development, quality assurance in health profession education, higher education management and management of teaching hospitals.

Dr. Pushpanjali Krishnappa works in the capacity of a professor at the Department of Public Health Dentistry, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences. She is deeply absorbed in research activities pertaining to social determinants and oral health promotion and oral cancer prevention at different levels. She is also an expert in the areas of health professions education while contributing in specialties, planning teaching learning strategies, strengthening assessments, and programme evaluation.
An extensive list of her educational accomplishments includes Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Dental Surgery, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Hospital and Health Management (PGDHHM), a Doctor of Philosophy degree, and a Fellowship offered by the FAIMER Institute, Philadelphia. She is a member of the Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry and Indian Dental Educationists Association. She completed her Master’s in Health Professions Education from Keele University, UK, through the IFME Fellowship and was awarded MAMS from the National Academy of Medical Sciences and International Fellowship from Pierre Fauchard Academy.

Mora Claramita is a professor and head of the Department of Medical Education and Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). Her studies are about health provider-patient relationship and teacher-student relationship based on the global cultural dimensions. She is an active family medicine doctor and has professional practice twice a week at the UGM clinic. She is currently the director of the Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) Centre of Excellence UGM program, and chair of the Indonesian Society of Teachers in Family Medicine.

Dr. Florence Pribadi, M.Si. is a Lecturer at Universitas Ciputra in Indonesia. She joined Universitas Ciputra in 2015 and is currently part of the School of Medicine. Her expertise is in pharmacology and gamification and she has authored various journals and publications.

An Associate Professor at the Batangas State University College of Medicine, she teaches Preventive Medicine and Research among other subjects. She is the current Assistant Director of the university’s Research Integrity and Assurance Unit. She is also the Chair for Community Engagement and Health Research Development in the College of Medicine. She worked as a Medical Officer in a district hospital and was also a staff of a local non-government organization before working in a private tertiary hospital during the pandemic. After exploring the different sectors of the healthcare system, she decided to pursue further studies in Public Health at the University of the Philippines. She has engaged in several research projects on Maternal and Child Health, COVID, and medical devices funded by national and international agencies. She has also served as a consultant to some internationally funded research and projects.

Dr. Nitin Gangane, was earlier the Dean of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS), Sevagram, Maharashtra. He has been awarded Yamagiwa-Yoshida Memorial International Cancer Study Grant by UICC to work at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France and NIDCR/NIH, Bethesda, USA. He has also received a Fellowship from the Association of Nordic Cancer Society and the Indian Council of Medical Research. He has more than 180 national and international publications to his credit. He was the Principal Investigator in seven research projects and co-investigator in 12 projects. The projects were funded by international bodies like the IARC, UICC, NIH, and the University of Umea, and national funding agencies like the ICMR, UGC, and DST.

He was a Member of the Governing Body of the Indian Council of Medical Research. He was also the Member of Management and Academic Council of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. He has earlier worked in the Senate of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, Maharashtra. He was the President of Maharashtra chapter of Indian Association of Pathologists and Microbiologists from 2006 to 2009.

Dr Stephen Knight is a retired public health medicine physician from South Africa. He works part-time as a mentor and moderator for the Master of Public Health program in the School of Nursing in Public Health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. After medical education in Johannesburg, he worked as a clinician and medical superintendent in a rural hospital in KwaZulu-Natal for ten years. Once registered as a specialist, he worked as a district public health physician involved in primary healthcare and community health worker training and infectious disease programs, including EPI, TB, and STI in the province.

Dr. Knight spent the second half of his career as an educator in public health at UKZN, where he was involved in master-undergraduate-level modules in health measurement, research methods, infectious disease epidemiology, and primary healthcare. He is an honorary fellow of the College of Public Health Medicine of South Africa and have served as an examiner and council member. He is chair of the board of a home for older people in Durban and is a passionate environmentalist and birder.

Sailaja Musunuri, MD, Chief Medical and Clinical Officer, and Executive Vice President of Integrative Medicine at Woods System of Care, is an accomplished team leader in clinical settings for more than 20 years. She is experienced in working with children and adults with intellectual disability, autism, and co-occurring psychiatric disorders and other complex medical conditions.
Dr. Musunuri is a physician and psychiatrist (double board-certified in Adult, Child, and Adolescent Psychiatry), providing high-quality medical and psychiatric care with diverse experience in clinical operations. She founded the Mollie Woods Hare Center for Excellence in Neurodivergence – Intellectual Disability, Autism and Mental Health, which houses the Woods’ training and dissemination arm for best practices in the field. She is also a board member of The Network: Toward Unity for Health (TUFH), an international non-state actor of the World Health Organization. She serves as Academic Faculty Advisor at Woods for interns and fellows from area health professions schools.

Prior to Woods, Dr. Musunuri served for eighteen years as Medical Director of Devereux, a behavioral health organisation, serving individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism. She received her MD from Siddhartha Medical College/Nagarjuna University, Vijayawada, India, completing her internship in Psychiatry at Medwin Hospital, Hyderabad, India, and residencies in Adult and Child/Adolescent Psychiatry, respectively, at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Hana is a Presidential Leadership Scholar, Assistant Dean, Executive Director, Underserved and Global Health Innovator, Educator and Visionary Leader.

Hana Hinkle is an expert in rural health care, an educator and a dynamic national leader in both public and rural academic medicine. She currently serves as the assistant of rural health in the College of Medicine and the director of the National Center of Rural Health Professions.

Professor Alan Bruce Chater, M.B., B.S. Hons (Qld), FACRRM, DRANZCOG (Advanced) FRACGP OAM, has lived and worked in the rural town of Theodore, Queensland, Australia as Medical Superintendent of the local hospital and principal of Theodore Medical Centre for 44 years. He has recently handed on his practice to a talented young doctor and her team. He is Chair of Rural Wonca (World Organization of General Practitioners Working Party on Rural Practice) and Mayne Professor and Head of the Discipline of Rural and Remote Medicine at University of Queensland. He was the founding convenor of the Rural Doctors Associations of Queensland and Australia and the founding Chair of the Australian National Rural Health Alliance and inaugural Chair of the Statewide Rural and Remote Clinical Network Queensland Health. He was, for 10 years, on the Australian Independent Hospital Pricing Authority Board. He remains grounded in the needs of rural communities and now resides in the small rural community of Maleny closer to his grown children and grandchildren. He has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to Rural Medicine and his rural community.

Dr. Ray Markham has worked in rural family practice for over 20 years. He has had a diverse and productive medical career that has taken him across the globe. Born in Zimbabwe and trained in South Africa, Dr. Markham first immigrated to Canada in 1992, where he practiced for three years in rural Newfoundland.

Dr. Pratyush Kumar is the inaugural chair of WONCA Rural South Asia (WoRSA) and chair elect of Rural WONCA. He is in the third year of his post graduate training in the Department of Family Medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India. He attends outpatient clinics and visits their rural health centre as a primary care physician. Apart from his regular clinical and academic schedule as a post graduate trainee, he devotes extra time to primary care research. Currently he is working on Diabetes, HIV, and infectious disease outbreaks like dengue and swine flu. Dr. Pratyush has also published and presented research papers on the above subjects in peer-reviewed indexed journals.

Richard is an experienced non-government and not-for-profit manager in health and social services. He has a background in sponsorship & event sales and marketing. He is an advocate for social leadership and has achievements in program and change innovation, commercial and government partnership development, program management, research and evaluation. His interests include capacity building for the community’s health and wellbeing and the commercialisation of services and products to support NGO sustainability. He has experience in the design and implementation of organisational business strategies and approaches for embedding evidence-based practice.

Judy Lewis is a public health sociologist and Professor Emeritus of Public Health Sciences and Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut Medical School. Her major interests are women’s health, maternal, child and adolescent health, and healthcare in low resource countries.

Ruchi Kashyap is the Executive Trustee of Atmashakti Trust, a grassroots organization working with over 2.5 million families across six tribal-dominated states in India. With over 25 years in the development sector, she has led community-driven efforts to secure rights to education, health, pensions, and governance across 15,000+ villages and hamlets.

Under her leadership, Atmashakti has built a cadre of 100,000+ grassroots leaders, supported by 500 team members and 11,000 volunteers, and has influenced key policy shifts through bold, data-driven campaigns and community-led negotiations. She pioneered the Twitter Warrior Network, enabling digital advocacy in low-connectivity areas and promoting participatory democracy.

Ruchi holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and serves on the board of Social Movement Technologies. She is also an active practitioner-mentor at the University of Pennsylvania, where she contributes case studies and mentors students. Her work
has been featured in the Social Innovation Journal (USA), where she also curates global publications on grassroots movements.

Sanghamitra S. is a global outreach and communications strategist working at the intersection of grassroots empowerment, indigenous knowledge systems, and climate justice. As Global Outreach & Communications Manager at Atmashakti Trust, she designs and leads strategies that amplify the voices of marginalized communities, align grassroots action with global advocacy, and foster multi-stakeholder partnerships across philanthropy, policy, and civil society.

Her work spans storytelling, strategic communications, and research on community-led sustainability models—from ethical wild harvesting and indigenous food systems to cultural commons governance. She has supported multiple knowledge projects, including the Cultural Commons Toolkit, The Social Innovation Journal, and the TUFH network.

Before transitioning to the social sector, Sanghamitra built a 15-year career in strategic
branding, product development, and brand management with leading retail organisations, where she honed her expertise in creating market strategies, building partnerships, and leading diverse teams.

Leon Geffen is a family physician in Cape Town, South Africa. He is the director of the Samson Institute For Ageing Research, Cape Town. He is an honorary senior lecturer in the Geriatrics Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences at University of Cape Town. He has been a contributor to the WHO Clinical Consortium of Healthy Ageing. He serves on the WHO Global Network on Long-term care. He has been on the expert panels of the WHO IPC Guidance for Long-term Care Facilities, and Preventing and managing COVID-19 across long-term care services . He has worked with the Western Cape Province Department of Health in South Africa to develop an action plan for older persons during the COVD-19 pandemic. He is a fellow of interRAI and is currently conducting a research project on how to improve health and wellbeing of older persons at a primary care level.

Dr. Meredith del Pilar-Labarda leads the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Secretariat. She is a health social scientist, medical doctor, and professor at the University of the Philippines Manila School of Health Science (UPM-SHS), an innovative school known for its community-oriented stepladder health professions education curriculum.

Meredith is also a doctor of social development and UPM-SHS’s lead coordinator for health leadership and governance programs, in partnership with government and non-government organisations, providing capacity building, training, and coaching for local chief executives, municipal health officers, and other important stakeholders in the local health system and community.

Her advocacies, work engagements, and research interests include health and social development, social innovations, transformative health leadership and governance, community partnerships and empowerment, local health systems strengthening, disaster and resilience, youth capacity building, and transformative health professions education.

Dr. Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva is a Professor at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM), where she heads its Community Oriented Medical Education Unit. She is a general internist and clinical epidemiologist. Her research interests include non-communicable diseases, medical education, health operations and health systems. She is heavily involved in work related to evidence-based medicine, clinical practice guideline development, and health technology assessment.

Dr. Gene Alzona Nisperos is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM Class of 1993) through its seven-year Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (INTARMED) program. He specialized in Community Medicine and worked with farmers, indigenous peoples, and marginalized communities in Mindanao for 11 years. He later took additional studies in Global Health at the University of Tampere in Finland and worked at the National Telehealth Center of the UP Manila National Institutes of Health.

Currently, Dr. Nisperos is an Associate Professor with the UPCM Department of Family and Community Medicine and is the vice-chief of the UPCM Community-Oriented Medical Education Unit. He is also a board member of the Community Medicine Development Foundation, Inc. (COMMED) and an officer of the All UP Academic Employees Union, UP Manila Chapter.

Sharon Yvette Angelina M. Villanueva, MMSc, PhD, RMicro, DPAM, is Professor 6 and Associate Dean for Research at the Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila. She specializes in medical microbiology and immunology.

TJ Robinson T. Moncatar, RN, MPH, PhD, is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Administration, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila. He is also the Deputy Centre Director of the Southeast Asian Ministers for Education Organization Tropical Medicine Network–Regional Center for Public Health, Hospital Administration, and Environmental and Occupational Health.

He was previously a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the World Health Organization-Collaborating Center for Healthy Cities and Urban Policy Research actively participating in its research project and teaching activities. He is a health systems and policy research specialist with international training in global health, implementation science research, qualitative research methods, and mixed-methods research.

He completed his Doctor of Philosophy under the Disease Prevention Global Leader Program of the Department of Global Health Entrepreneurship, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (now Institute of Science Tokyo) as a Japanese Government Scholar. In addition, he is currently an Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Journal of Nursing.

Emerito Jose A. Faraon, MD, MBA, is Director of the Research Management and Translation Office (RMTO) and Head of the Research Grant Administration Office (RGAO) at the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM). He has more than six years of experience as an Associate Professor at the Department of Health Policy and Administration, College of Public Health, and also leads the university’s Research Grants Administration Office.

He focuses on driving impactful public health research and fostering innovation in alignment with UPM’s mission as a leader in the health sciences. In addition, he contributes to creating robust systems that streamline grant management processes, enabling vital academic discoveries which produce relevant health outcomes.

Evalyn A. Roxas is a Doctor of Medicine with specialization in Internal Medicine and subspecialty in Adult Infectious Diseases. She completed her Masters of Public Health from the College of Public Health, University of the Philippines-Manila (CPH-UPM).

She is an Associate Professor from the Department of Medical Microbiology, CPH-UPM, and a Clinical Associate Professor from the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, UP-Philippine General Hospital (PGH). She is a Fellow and Diplomate of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) and a Fellow and Diplomate of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID). She is a practicing Infectious Diseases Specialist in different tertiary hospitals in the Philippines. Her research interests include adult infectious diseases like tuberculosis, HIV, and COVID-19 with perspective of public health.

Dr. Louricha Opina-Tan is Associate Professor at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila.

Dr. Nemuel Fajutagana, MD, MHPEd, is a Professor of Health Professions Education and former dean of the National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions at the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM). He is also Chair of the Office of Curriculum and Instruction and Coordinator of the Learning Resource Unit at UPM.

Dr. Fajutagana obtained his medical degree at Far Eastern University, Philippines, and his Master’s in Health Professions Education (MHPED) at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.

Dr. Mac Ardy J. Gloria is an Associate Professor and Dean of the UP College of Pharmacy, University of the Philippines Manila (UPM). Dr. Gloria earned his PhD in Health Technology Assessment from Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, a Graduate Diploma in Epidemiology (Clinical Epidemiology) from UPM College of Medicine, a Master of Public Health from UPM College of Public Health, and a BS in Industrial Pharmacy from UPM College of Pharmacy. His research and extension services span diverse fields including pharmacy practice and health technology assessment. Dr. Gloria has published widely in respected peer-reviewed journals and shared his work through numerous presentations at both national and international conferences, contributing significantly to his field.

Hilton Lam is Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance of the University of the Philippines in Manila (UPM) and Director of the Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies at the UPM-National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Aila Nica Bandong is Associate Professor 6 at the Department of Physical Therapy, College of Allied Medical Professions at the University of the Philippines Manila. She specializes in pediatrics and musculoskeletal health. Her research interests are focused on service delivery redesign, clinical pathways, translational research, and clinical reasoning

Dr. Roan Pechayco is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Dental Health Sciences (Oral Surgery) at the College of Dentistry, University of the Philippines Manila. She earned her PhD in Dental Sciences, with a major in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, as a MEXT Monbukagakusho Scholar at the Graduate School of Dentistry, Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. Her research interests include oral surgery, pathology, geriatric dentistry, and bone physiology.

Dr. Filedito Tandinco is a Professor and former dean at the University of the Philippines Manila, School of Health Sciences (UPM-SHS). He completed his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College, and then pursued a degree in medicine at the Divine Word University. He completed his master’s program in social development at the Ateneo de Manila University.

He is a member of several university and college committees, including the UPM National Institutes of Health Scientific Review Council and the UPM Futures Thinking Technical Working Group. He is also a member of the Philippine Department of Health’s Regional Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee in his home region of Eastern Visayas, Philippines. He has also published in several indexed scientific journals such as the Philippine Journal of Health Research and Development, Acta Medica Philippina, Medical Journal of Australia, Education for Health, and Medical Teacher.

Dr. (Professor) Ma. Teresa G. De Guzman is a distinguished anthropologist and forensic scientist, currently serving as Professor 3 and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of the Philippines Manila. She holds a doctorate and a Master’s degree in anthropology from UP Diliman and a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics. She has pursued specialized training in Forensic science at the Sherlock Institute of Forensic Science in India and completed the Health in Detention Short Course at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

As an expert in anthropology, archaeology, and heritage forensics, Dr. De Guzman has actively contributed to disaster victim identification, indigenous knowledge systems, forensic investigations, and cultural heritage impact assessments. She is a core committee member of several international forensic science conferences and has served as a keynote speaker, plenary speaker, and resource person in multiple global and national forums, including events on forensic science, disaster risk management, and Indigenous knowledge systems.

Dr. De Guzman has received numerous accolades, including the Forensic Leadership Excellence Award from the International Association of Scientists and Researchers (IASR). She is a lifetime member of various professional organizations, such as PI GAMMA MU International Honor Society, the Philippine Anthropological Association (UGAT), and the Kapisanan ng mga Arkeologo ng Pilipinas (KAPI).

Her research spans topics such as health and well-being practices among Indigenous communities, forensic anthropology, and disaster response, with her work published in renowned academic journals and conference proceedings. She has also led archaeological and ethnographic assessments for major infrastructure projects in the Philippines, contributing her expertise in social and environmental impact assessments.
With her extensive background in forensic science, anthropology, and archaeology, Dr. De Guzman continues to be at the forefront of research, education, and consultancy in both academic and applied forensic settings.

Jana is the SIHI Philippines Co-Lead for Strategy and Operations. She graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 2014. For four years, she served as the Municipal Health Officer of a rural island municipality in the Philippines, under the Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) Program of the Department of Health. In 2016, she finished her master’s degree in public management from the Development Academy of the Philippines, wherein she received the Leadership Award, and the Creativity and Innovation Award.

Jenniffer Torralba Paguio, BSN, RN, MA, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines Manila – College of Nursing and a core member of its WHO Collaborating Center for Leadership in Nursing Development. As a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, she contributes to advancing health equity and nursing leadership.

She teaches across the College’s undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and conducts research on patient safety, nursing workforce sustainability, healthcare simulation, eHealth, and nursing education. She also contributes to national policy development on patient safety and nursing practice. As Head of the College’s Public Service and Professional Development Office, she leads initiatives that strengthen academic–practice partnerships and health system capacity. She has co-organized several national and international conferences and remains actively engaged in promoting equitable, high-quality healthcare through education, research, and service.

Simran Spal is a fourth-year medical student from India. She is an advocate for global health and a researcher at heart. She is active in organisations dedicated to achieving universal health coverage, undergraduate medical research, and public health. She has been a proud member of the Student Network Organization (SNO) for the past three years, serving as SNO regional activities assistant and SEA Regional representative. Birdwatching, speed cubing, poetry are some of her interests. She wants to be a resident physician in the United States.