Executive Profile — Board of Trustees

Professional Summary

Dr. Joel Buenaventura currently serves as the Division Chief of the International Relations and Diplomacy Division at the Bureau of International Health Cooperation, Department of Health. He is a career public servant with over 17 years of government service and has served the PSPHP Board of Trustees for the past 2 terms. After becoming a licensed physician in 2005, he joined the “Doctors to the Barrios” program of the Department of Health where he was assigned as a rural health physician and later as the Municipal Health Officer of San Jose, Carabao Island in Romblon. He transferred to the DOH Central Office in 2013, wherein he became the person in charge of ASEAN affairs, Migrant Health, the processing and clearance of all foreign donations to the health sector, as well as foreign surgical and medical missions. In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, he became the focal point for all foreign medical teams that were deployed to the Yolanda - affected areas, and he headed the facilitation of the entry of all donated drugs and medicines to the Philippines. He also spearheaded the development of the policy and program for the health of migrants and overseas Filipinos.

Aside from his government job, Dr Buenaventura also serves as the Medical Director of Child Health Family Health International (CFHI) Philippines’ program on Remote Island Medicine, a partnership with a US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization that creates and runs global health education programs throughout the world, aimed at teaching what clinical care, public health and health-related programs are like in different parts of the world. He is also a visiting professor at the Carlos P. Romulo School of Diplomacy/Foreign Service Institute at the Department of Foreign Affairs, the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the Ateneo Law School.

Strategic Plan of Action

Having served as a Board of Trustee in the past two terms, I had the privilege of seeing the growth and development of PSPHP as an organization. Over the past few years, we have laid the groundwork and built the credibility of PSPHP in terms of collective representation, development of the profession and establishing the community of practice. Further, being the Head of the PSPHP Membership Committee in the past 2 terms of my trusteeship with the Board, I plan to continue to push for the strategic activities towards the realization of providing value and opportunities for PSPHP members. Continuation of current innovations such as the TalkPH with continuing professional education credits and regular posting of scholarship opportunities will be maintained.

Another strategic direction is for the expansion of regional chapters and membership. With the establishment of PSPHP regional chapters in Cebu and Northern Mindanao, there is a clear need for development of other regional chapters in order to strengthen the organization and provide more interactions and opportunities for members, aside from the annual conference. Development of a mentoring program for new public health physicians will also be a strategic activity to be conducted.

As to the public health specialty development, there is a need to lobby with the Philippine Medical Association and advocate for the establishment of a track towards a diplomate and fellow of public health medicine. As this has been already in the pipeline for the last few years, I plan that this will be focused in the next term of the Board of Trustees.