THE UNIVERSITY of Makati or UMak, under the pioneering leadership of its President, Professor Tomas B. Lopez, Jr., will open a new College of Dentistry in June 2019.
It will be part of UMak’s out-of-the-box thinking. Because, as Professor Lopez puts it, “we are not just any university, we are for the less fortunate of Makati to get the benefits from the abundance of Makati.”
He was speaking during the Recognition Day of UMak’s industry and institutional partners. Umak must “keep innovating to be at pace with the inevitable internationalization of the Philippine education system,” he said.
Institutions and companies have partnered with UMarkthrough the years, including those in 12 countries: Australia, Germany, Guam, Japan, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and China.
Next school year, for example, UMak will also open the country’s first diploma course in Traditional Chinese Medicine in partnership with Nanjing University, one of the leading TCM universities in China.
To most people, acupuncture represents Traditional Chinese Medicine which has many applications in Dentistry too. With more than 4,000 years of practice, much older than conventional Western medicine that we are familiar of, Traditional Chinese Medicine goes beyond acupuncture. It uses herbal medicines and various mind and body practices, such as acupuncture and tai chi, to treat or prevent health problems. Americans, for example, use Traditional Chinese Medicine as a complementary health approach.
TCM includes a wide range of therapeutic and pharmaceutical principles that only qualified Chinese medicine doctors are allowed topractice. Acupuncture is generally considered safe when performed by an experienced practitioner using sterile disposable needles. Improperly performed, it can cause potentially serious side effects.
This is why Traditional Chinese Medicine will be offered at Umak as a formal degree course, with qualified doctors as mentors and with professors coming from China and Singapore. It also includes a short-term certificate program on acupuncture. At the same time, UMakwill open the University of Makati Research Center on Traditional Chinese Medicine as well.
For those interested, please contact Dr. Iris Teo at iristeo@sientcm.com.
Indeed, all of these are part of UMak’s innovative and out-of-the-box way approach to education. It will be the first university to offer a four-year course on Traditional Chinese Medicine, with the fifth year at Nanjing University. The program is open to all Senior High School graduates as well as Bachelor of Science college graduates with degrees in the health and allied sciences such as medicine, nursing, biology, chemistry, dentistry, medical technology and the like.
Several scholarships are available to qualified applicants in TCM and the Doctor of Dental Medicine ( DMD) program including the Dental Hygiene and Dental Technology courses.
Dental Continuing Professional Development courses are also offered in Implant Dentistry, Orthodontics and other specialties. For those interested in the various dental programs, please kindly contact me./PN
Dr. Joseph D. Lim is the former Associate Dean of the UE College of Dentistry, former Dean of the College of Dentistry, National University, past president and honorary fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy, and honorary fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists. Honorary Life Member of Thai Association of Dental Implantology. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
