News & Events

As part of its newly-launched “The Future of Health” conversation series, the St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine-William H. Quasha Memorial, through its new Planetary and Global Health Program, will be holding the tenth episode entitled “The Future of Digital Health” on November 10, 2021, Wednesday, 4:00-5:30 pm Manila time.

The advent of digital technology – including computers, smart phones, and the internet – has led to the dramatic rise and global expansion of its application in healthcare and public health. Digital health, eHealth, telemedicine, mHealth, precision medicine – all these and more have emerged as exciting new arenas for research, education, practice, and innovation, initially in high-income countries but now also in the developing world. During the past year, the mobility restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic greatly contributed to the spectacular growth and rapid uptake of digital health technologies. Their use in the health sector has also diversified over time, ranging from data management and disease treatment to medical education and self-care. Digital health has been touted as a new solution to addressing longstanding healthcare inequalities, but the digital divide and infrastructure limitations threaten to exacerbate existing health disparities. Novel challenges related to data privacy and healthcare quality must also be addressed if digital health is to fulfill its promise to improving health worldwide.

This new series, which adopts an innovative conversation format, convenes health leaders from the Philippines and abroad to not only examine the current health situation but also envision the future of health in the post-coronavirus era, with the hope of advancing health policy discourse in the Philippines and globally through a futures-oriented discussion.

For this webinar, health leaders from the Philippines and abroad will share their diagnosis as well as their prognosis of the state of digital health in the country and across the world. Panelists include:

• Dr. Alvin Marcelo, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, St. Luke’s Medical Center
• Dr. Saira Ghafur, Digital Health Lead, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London
• Dr. Ivy Patdu, Former Deputy Commissioner, National Privacy Commission
• Ms. Dorothea Koh, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Bot M.D.
• Mr. Cholo Tagaysay, Chief Executive Officer, Global Telehealth, Inc. (KonsultaMD)
• Ms. Cherry Pie Valencia, Volunteer, ICanServe Foundation

The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Renzo Guinto, Associate Professor of the Practice of Global Public Health and Inaugural Director of the Planetary and Global Health Program of the St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine-William H. Quasha Memorial.

The event is open to the public. Register at https://bit.ly/stlukesdigitalhealth.

The webinar series is co-presented by the following organizations: Department of Health; Rappler; Harvard Club of the Philippines; Zuellig Family Foundation; University of Asia and the Pacific School of Law and Governance; Development Academy of the Philippines Graduate School of Public and Development Management; Management Association of the Philippines; Philippine Futures Thinking Society; Philippine Society for Public Health Physicians; Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations; Health Justice; Healthy Philippines Alliance; Center for Engaged Foresight; PH Lab; Likhaan Center for Women’s Health Inc.; Asian Center for Drug Policy; Health Care Without Harm; Civika Asian Development Academy; Southeast Asia Climate and Health Alliance; and Asian Medical Students Association-Philippines.