“As a nephrologist, I continued to serve our society through the lens of a teacher, an internist. I set my eyes on the future of our profession as I watched students “get set” at their starting blocks. Looking back, I was fortunate to be with these junior nephrologists – learning need not always be inspired by the sublime, even these young fellows could be sources of wisdom.”
UP College of Medicine Professor Emeritus and former dean Dr. Agnes D. Mejia is one of eight recipients of the International Society of Nephrology Pioneer Award for outstanding contributions to kidney care.
The award recognizes exceptional and long-standing efforts in promoting kidney care in developing regions worldwide.
Dr. Mejia graduated from the UPCM in 1977 and completed her internal medicine residency at the Philippine General Hospital. She underwent three-year fellowships in nephrology and hypertension under Dr. Victor Pollack and Dr. Stevo Julius at the University of Cincinnati and University of Michigan, respectively. She joined the PGH Department of Medicine Division of Nephrology in 1990 and served as UPCM dean from 2012 to 2018.
Dr. Mejia has made significant contributions to medical research and published numerous papers on various topics in medicine. Throughout her career, she has received several academic and community-service distinctions, including the A-One Award conferred by the Philippine Society of Nephrology. This recognition highlights her significant contributions to the medical field and further cements her status as a distinguished leader in nephrology.
As an ISN Pioneer awardee, she asserts: “As a nephrologist, I continued to serve our society through the lens of a teacher, an internist. I set my eyes on the future of our profession as I watched students “get set” at their starting blocks. Looking back, I was fortunate to be with these junior nephrologists – learning need not always be inspired by the sublime, even these young fellows could be sources of wisdom.”
Other recipients of the 2023 ISN Pioneer Award arre Professor Emeritus Adewale Akinsola (Nigeria), Professor Goce Spasovski (Macedonia), Dr. Juan Abraham Bermúdez (Mexico), Mohammad Ali Ghnaimat (Jordan), Irma Tchokhonelidze (Georgia), Merle L. Clarke (Saint Lucia), and Mohan M. Rajapurkar (India).
The winners will be honored at regional gatherings throughout the year and will be recognized at the ISN World Congress of Nephrology 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 30 to April 2, 2023.
Sources:
Outstanding Contributions to Kidney Care: Discover the Winners of the 2023 ISN Pioneer Awards – International Society of Nephrology (theisn.org)
https://www.upmas.org/feature/outstanding-contributions-to-kidney-care-discover-the-winners-of-the-2023-isn-pioneer-awards
Agnes Dominguez-Mejia – 37th Annual PSN Convention (sched.com)
News Source: https://www.upm.edu.ph/node/4193