Two cum laude graduates of the University of the Philippines-Diliman will represent the country in the prestigious International BioCamp scheduled on August 28-31, 2016 at the Novartis International Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
Joshua Reginald Malapit holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from UP-Diliman and is taking up Master of Science in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in the same institution. He currently works as a Science Research Specialist II at the Philippine Genome Center of UP-Diliman.
Bryan John Subong holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from UP-Diliman and is taking up Master of Science in Marine Science in the same institution. He currently works as a Science Research Specialist II at the Marine Science Institute of UP-Diliman.
Malapit and Subong were selected from among graduate and postgraduate students in the natural sciences from the country’s leading universities who participated in the 2016 Local BioCamp held recently at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati City.
Also among the top five candidates were Kamela Charmaine Ng who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (cum laude) from UP-Diliman and is taking up Master of Science in Microbiology from the same institution; Eric David Ornos who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (summa cum laude) from the same institution and is a candidate for Doctor of Medicine and Philosophy in Molecular Medicine at UP-Manila; and Ryan Christian Lintao who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (magna cum laude) from UP-Diliman and is a candidate for Doctor of Medicine and Philosophy in Molecular Medicine at UP-Manila.
Organized annually by Novartis Healthcare Philippines in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), this year’s Local BioCamp was themed "Cultivating health innovations for sustainable countrywide development". Other Local BioCamp partners are the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) and Intellectual Property Philippines (IPP).
Selection of delegates of the International BioCamp is based on academic excellence and professional experience. The panel of judges who selected the country’s representatives to this year’s International BioCamp was composed of PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime Montoya, IPP Deputy Director General Atty. Allan Gepty, and Dr. Francis Domingo, Chief Scientific Officer, Novartis Healthcare Philippines.
Malapit and Subong will join 58 other students from around the world participating in the 2016 International BioCamp. The prestigious 3-day seminar offers participants an opportunity to interact with key Novartis scientists who lead the company’s unique approach to drug discovery; learn about breakthrough new medicines to address patients’ unmet medical needs; understand trends and challenges in the biotechnology sector; receive first-hand experience about starting and running a biotech company; explore career opportunities in the healthcare and biotech industries; and network with talented students from other countries and get in touch with Novartis associates. To date, 20 young Filipino scientists have participated in the International BioCamp.