President’s Corner
WVSU President
Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz is a product of the Philippine public school system, graduating from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) with the degree of BS Biology and proceeded to earn his MD degree from West Visayas State University (WVSU), as class salutatorian and most outstanding medicine graduate Intern awards in 1991. He pursued and completed residency training in Pediatrics at WVSU Medical Center (WVSUMC) in 1996, became a diplomate of the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) in 1999, and was conferred a fellow by the same specialty society in 2006. He earned two postgraduate degrees: a Master in Management degree from UPV and a PhD in Educational Management at WVSU. He also completed a diploma/certificate course at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) for Global Academic Leadership Program in 2022.
He has served in various capacities at WVSU and the WVSU-Medical Center as Training Officer and eventually as chairman of the Department of Pediatrics. In 2009, he was designated Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs at the WVSU College of Medicine (COM), a position he barely held for a year before he was designated Dean of the College for 7 1/2 years, the first alumnus of the College to do so. His term saw the college’s external accreditation, the birth of the maiden issue of the WVSU Journal of Medical Studies, and the consistent top performance of the college in the Physician Licensure Examination. Furthermore, his stint as Dean has seen massive infrastructure development in the college.
He was able to lobby for government funds to expand the carrying capacity of the College of Medicine and establishment of the Modern Skills Laboratory for medical students through legislated government appropriations.
He has served as the editor-in-chief of the WVSU Journal of Medical Studies and the OIC Chair of the COM Office of Research.
One of Dr. Villaruz’s career highlight, however, was his appointment as OIC President from November 2013 to May 2014. During his seemingly short stint as university president, he has left a remarkable legacy in managing the affairs of the university. In 2019 he was appointed 8th President of WVSU. He jumpstarted the University’s vision to become a research university and has achieved research milestones over the past four years as well as improving the WVSU national and international rankings in research productivity. He also initiated the WVSU Internationalization Program.
In 2012 he was invited by the Commission on Higher Education to be a member of the Technical Committee for Medical Education, an appointment he kept until May of 2021. To date, one of his greatest contributions to medical education in the country involved his participation in the crafting and formulation of the policies, standards, and guidelines for the Doctor of Medicine Program (2016). In June 2022, he was appointed Chair of the Technical Panel for Medical Education (TPME). As the TPME Chair, his role was pivotal in leading the implementation of RA 11509 “Doktor Para Bayan Law” through assessment and recommendation to the CHED en banc for approval the application of new medical programs by State Universities and Colleges. As the Chair of the TPME, he also sits as the adviser to the CHED Chairman in the awarding of grants to existing and new medical schools for facilities and laboratory modernization. He currently leads the TPME in the formulation of the SMART MD Roadmap for the Philippines with Universal Healthcare (UHC) as a backdrop as well as led the TPME in formulating the CHED- approved Accelerated Pathway for Medicine (APMed), a shortened program for Medicine set to be implemented in AY 2024-2025.
He was appointed National President of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC) for two consecutive terms (2015 and 2016). He initiated institutional reforms that included the automation of the National Internship Program for medical graduates, the release of APMC Journal’s maiden issue, and actively assisted medical schools in the curricular transition to outcome-based education during his term. He is a member of the APMC Post-graduate Internship Committee since 2017 and has contributed to the formulation of the policies, standards and guidelines for the National Internship Program.
Degree Earned: Doctor of Philosophy (Educ Mgt)
Institution/School West Visayas State University
Year: 2007-2012
Honors/Distinction: 2nd Best Dissertation
Degree Earned: Global Academic Leadership Program (Certificate Course)
Institution/School Asian Institute of Management
Year: 2021-2022
Honors/Distinction: Best Capstone Project
Appreciation as Dean of the College of Medicine, Jan 4, 2010 to July 22, 2017.
Recognition for Achievements in Medical Education, APMC, Feb 2, 2017.
Commendation as OIC President of West Visayas State University from November 2013-May 2014, WVSU, 2014.
Halad sa Pinoy: Serbisyo Medikal, a Joint Undertaking of the St. Augustine Catholic Parish and the WVSU COM, St Augustine Catholic Parish Social Action Ministry, 2011.
Effective Implementation of the DepEd Thrusts and Programs for School Year 2008-2009, Nabitasan Elementary School, 2009.
Outstanding Professional Award, UP Alumni Association (Iloilo Chapter), August 15, 2022.
Excellence in Professional Achievement, WVSU Federated Alumni Association, Jan 23, 2019.
Service Award -25 years, WVSU, Jan 24, 2019
Nominee, Rizal Award, Iloilo Medical Society, Philippine Medical Association, June 29, 2018.
Outstanding Alumni of the Century Award (Health Services), Janiuay Pilot Elementary School, 2018
Outstanding Leadership Award, Association of Philippine Medical Colleges, May 31, 2017.
Outstanding Professional Award, UP Alumni Association (Iloilo Chapter), August 31, 2017.
Outstanding Alumni Award- Service to the Academe, West Visayas State University College of Medicine Alumni Association, 2015.
Iloilo Medical Society Outstanding MD Award, Category: Academe, Iloilo Medical Society, 2012.
Outstanding Professional Award (Government Service), UPV Alumni Association, August 15, 2022
Outstanding Professional Award (Academe), UPV Alumni Association, August 31, 2017
Excellence in Professional Achievement, WVSU Federated Alumni Association, Jan 23, 2019 Service Award -25 years, WVSU, Jan 24, 2019
Outstanding Alumni of the Century Award (Health Services), Janiuay Pilot Elementary School, 2018
Outstanding Leadership Award, Association of Philippine Medical Colleges, May 31, 2017.
Outstanding Alumni Award- Service to the Academe, West Visayas State University College of Medicine Alumni Association, 2015.
Iloilo Medical Society Outstanding MD Award, Category: Academe, Iloilo Medical Society, 2012.
33rd Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial Awardee (Academe Category), 2024
Regional Winner in the 2024 Civil Service Commission Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award
Oducado, R., Dequilla, MC, & Villaruz, J. Factors predicting videoconferencing fatigue among higher education faculty. Education and Information Technologies. Volume 27, pages 9713–9724 (2022)
Oducado, R., Dequilla, MC, & Villaruz, J., Parreno-Lachica G., Zoom Fatigue and Mental Well-Being among School Executives: Journal of Loss and Trauma: Vol 27, No 4 (2022)
Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III, Deborah Oluwaseun Shomuyiwa, M. B. N. Kouwenhoven, Thinley Dorji, Goodness Ogeyi Odey, Adriana Viola Miranda, Isaac Olushola Ogunkola, Yusuff Adebayo Adebisi, Junjie Huang, Lin Xu, Joseph Christian Obnial, Aminath Huda, Sarawut Thepanondh, Manuel Millar Dayrit, Salvador B. Evardone, M. D. Lamawansa, Samrawit Solomon Ethiopia, Lydia Aziato, Philip Baba Adongo, Mohamed Hindolo Samai, Fernando B. Garcia Jr, Joselito F. Villaruz, Indika Mahesh Karunathilake, Hao Li, Patrick Alain Azanza, Ian Findlay, Martin C. S. Wong. Top 10 public health challenges to track in 2023: Shifting focus beyond a global pandemic. 02 May 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.86.
Olapane, E., Villaruz, J. Contreras, C., Dela Vega, MA, Cataluña, MJ., Losañes, M., Otayde, DJ., Management And Support On Knowledge-Generation Practices Among Higher Education Institutions. Baltic Journal of Law & Politics16:3 (2023):3160-3172DOI:10.2478/bjlp-2023-00000236
Dumancas, G., Harrison, D., Zamora, PR., Liwag, A., Villaruz, J., Guanzon , MLV., Ferraris, HF., Jalandoni, P., Padernal, W., Villareal, BN., Maculada, R., Fernandez, RM., Villa, FR., De Castro, R, Are phenome-wide association studies feasible in a developing country?. Trends in Genetics. Published: May 31,2022. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2022.05.003
Gerard G. Dumancas, Khalil Frederik K. Smith, Adrienne Marie Bugayong-Janagap, Pia Regina Fatima C. Zamora, Victor Marco Emmanuel N. Ferriols, Aretha G. Liwag, Joselito F. Villaruz, Ma. Luz Vicenta Guanzon, Hans Francis D. Ferraris, Terry Rodney Jr, Romulo de Castro. Challenges and opportunities in establishing a regional biobank center in a developing country: A case from the Philippines. Health Policy and Technology. Published November 14, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlpt.2023.100822
Villaruz, J., Villareal, M.V. (1998). Perceptions on Male Adolescent Homosexuality in Two Public High Schools in Iloilo City. Philippine Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 47 No. 2 pp 93-101. Available online at Health Research and Development Information Network (HERDIN) database of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (HERDIN Record no: PCHRDPC981044). http://www.herdin.ph/index.php/component/herdin/?view=expert&cid=1783
Villaruz, J. (2010) A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial on the Effectiveness of Pure Honey versus Mupirocin in the Treatment of Non-Bullous Impetigo in Children. WVSU Journal of Medical Studies. Volume 1, No 1, pp. 8-14. ISSN 2094-7992.
Marty-Figueroa, M.S.C., Mendoza, M.R., Villaruz, J. (2010). The Effectiveness and Safety of Intramuscular Ondansetron for Children with Vomiting Secondary to Acute Gastroenteritis. WVSU Journal of Medical Studies. Volume 1, No 2, pp. 15-22. ISSN 2094-7992.
Villaruz, J., Gellada, C., Alcala, L., & Comuelo, J. (2019). Compliance to Expanded Program of Immunization among Children of Pantawid Pamilyamng Pilipino Program Beneficiaries in Selected Urban Communities in Iloilo City. WVSU Journal of Medical Studies. Volume IV, No 1, pp. 11-19. ISSN 2094-7992.
JF Villaruz, EA Medez, “Intelligence Quotient, Emotional Quotient, Adversity Quotient, General Average, Premed Course and National Medical Admission Test as Factors that Determine Academic Performance of WVSU Medical Students” Unpublished Research (2020)
JF Villaruz, “Medical Educator’s Self-Efficacy and Organizational Commitment: Their Relationship to Job Performance and Satisfaction”, An Unpublished Dissertation (2012)
JF Villaruz, “A Different Kind of Oath: Physician- Politicians Combining Medicine and Governance” (2004)
Manuals:
WVSU College of Medicine Manual of Operations (Co- author), 1st Edition, 2010, copyright September 12, 2012, ISBN 978-971-0429-17-2.
WVSU College of Medicine Manual of Board of Regents Resolutions 1973-2009 (Compiler), Copyright September 12, 2012, ISBN 978-971-0429-16-5.
WVSU College of Medicine Student Handbook 3rd Edition (Reviewer), 2010.
Board of Directors, PACUIT
Vice President, PAEPI
APMC Vice President – 2014-2015
APMC President – 2015- 2017
Study Leader: Scoping Study III (Patterns and Pathways To Transformation in Philippine TEIs: the Rile of Institutional Leadership in Focus – 2022
Lead Coordinator: Management Educators Workshop by the Asian Institute of Management and Management Association Of the Philippines – 2023
Lead Coordinator: Formation of Teachers in Challenged Area (Project Forth) with University of Groningen (Netherlands) – 2023
Overall Chair: National CHED SUC Fair 2023, Iloilo City – 2023
Consultancy/Resource Person – Year
Dissertation Panel: Leadership Capability, Self-regulating Behavior, and Entrepreneurial Competence Among Junior Executives in State Higher Education Institutions in Western Visayas: Bases for the Development of a Career Enhancement Program – 2019
Dissertation Panel: Academic Integrity Status, Strategies and Challenges Among Selected ASEAN University Network Members: Basis for an Action Plan for a State University Dissertation Panel: Teacher’s Adversity Quotient, Organizational Commitment and Performance in the Post-Pandemic Era: Inputs for an Enhanced School Recovery Plan. – 2019
Judge: Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) Western Visayas-Panay Chapter Annual Research Paper Contest, Iloilo City – 2011
Judge: WVSU College of Medicine Clinical-Based Research Paper Presentation, Iloilo City. – 2015
Judge: WVSU Medical Center Post-Graduate Interns (PGI) Research Presentation, Iloilo City. – 2009
Judge: Philippine Pediatric Society Davao-Southern Mindanao Chapter Inter-Hospital Residents’ Research Contest, Davao City – 2008
Judge: Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) Interdepartmental Research Contest, Iloilo City – 2007
Judge: WVSU College of Medicine Clinical-Based Research Paper Presentation, Iloilo City – 2007
Evaluator: Research Proposal Presentation, WVSUMC Department of OB Gyne. – 2013
Research Adviser: Body Mass Index (BMI) and Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) of Medical Students of WVSU-COM after a Year in Medical School. – 2012
Research Adviser: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Among Rural Health Workers in the Province of Guimaras on the Unang Yakap Program. – 2014
Editor-in-Chief: WVSU Journal of Medical Studies – Nov 2018-Dec, 2020
Moderator: Pediatric Emergencies 101, PPS-WV Chapter – Feb 27-28, 2020
2024 Alberto G. Romualdez Jr. Outstanding Health Research Award (AROHRA)
AROHRA Board of Judges PHILIPPINE COUNCIL FOR HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Participant
Medical Clinic Services sponsored by the Association of Women Religious of Iloilo (AWRI) – October 18, 2009
Medical and Dental Mission Project by the Collegio de San Jose High School Batch 1984, Jaro Iloilo City. – September 27, 2009
Children’s Medical Outreach by the Camp Sunshine Center Foundation. – February 28, 2009
Community Free Clinic by the Community Outreach Program of Assumption Iloilo – August 26, 2006
Outreach Program in the Barangays, by the Graduate School of the University of San Agustin, Iloilo City – March 10, 2003
Medical and Dental Mission Project by the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, Ugnayan ng Pahinungod. – December 1, 1996
On December 12, 2024, West Visayas State University (WVSU) hosted...
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May 4, 1965 marked the establishment of the College of Arts and Sciences (then the School of Arts and Sciences) under Republic Act no. 4189, which converted the Iloilo Normal School into West Visayas State College. The first Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences was Dr. Ma. Celia R. Palma.
The Institute of Management was conceived as a separate degree granting unit of the West Visayas State University and approved and authorized under Board Resolution No. 27, series of 2007 dated March 8, 2007. Under its umbrella are the Bachelor in Hotel and Restaurant Management program, a transfer from the College of Education and the Bachelor of Cooperatives Management program from the College of Arts and Sciences.
The College of Mass Communications of the West Visayas State University started as the Division of Mass Communications of the School of Arts & Sciences in June 1980 when the University was still the West Visayas State College. It was in the same month and year when the AB in Mass Communications program was first offered to an initial batch of 21 freshmen.
World Health Organization (WHO) reported that there is a shortage of dentists and dental care services in many parts of the country (WHO, 2018). The poor dental health condition can be seen with the increasing percentage of its population, around eighty-seven percent (87%) suffer from dental carries or tooth decay and periodontal disease (DOH, 2012c).
The College of Education of the West Visayas State University is as old as the University itself. It started out as a branch of the Philippine Normal School 1902. Originally founded to be a teacher-training institution, it was then named the Iloilo Normal School.
The Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) and Bachelor of Science in Information Management (BSIM) degree programs were first offered in June 1998 under the Institute of Mass Communications (now College of Mass Communications.
The WVSU College of Law is the first and the only state university to offer legal education in the Western Visayas Region. WVSU College of Law aims to produce trial ready and well-trained lawyers who will become advocates the rule of law and promote the ideals of justice.
Established in 1975, the West Visayas State University College of Medicine is the pioneer medical school in Western Visayas and the 2nd state owned medical school in the country. It has produced 2,468 graduates (as of March 2009), majority of whom are serving the different areas in the entire archipelago.
The College of Nursing (CON), which is one of the flagship programs of the university, offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) programs. The College was established in 1977 to provide quality nursing education at very reasonable cost.
The College of Physical Education, Sports, Culture, Arts and Recreation (PESCAR) started as the Sports, Amateur Athletics, and Cultural Arts Center (SAACAC) in 1987, with Dr. Ramon C. Cabag as its first office head.
West Visayas State University launches its two-day Language Festival, themed “Linguistic Diversity for a Sustainable Future: Preserving Heritage, Celebrating Cultures and Fostering Inclusive Societies.” The festival aims to promote linguistic diversity and highlight its role in building a sustainable, inclusive …
