BIOGRAPHY

Only my family and some of my professors call me Tiffanie. Some of my close friends call me Tiffy/Tiffie (the spelling depends on who that friend is). Everyone else calls me Tiff; and it took a while for it to get there, whether you believe it or not. The evolution of my nickname over the years would go over 300 words, so let us delve into something else about me.

Back in elementary school, I was a fat kid. I ballooned to a weight of 152lbs during 7^th grade. Since then, I have lost around 20lbs by dieting, lifting weights, and playing multiple sports (e.g. basketball, volleyball, football, swimming, ultimate frisbee). Of these, I enjoy playing basketball and ultimate frisbee the most. I was part of my school’s basketball team during grade school and high school. I was supposed to join the Ateneo Lady Eagles back in college. However, the load of my course was not varsity-friendly if I wanted to graduate on time. Instead, I just joined the Ateneo Women’s Basketball Club, where I found some of my closest friends. Because I love basketball so much, I have already suffered kneecap dislocations twice. Both incidents happened on the same knee, 4 years apart. I have undergone physical therapy to get back on track. Nevertheless, my chronically damaged leg does not stop me from playing sports or being active. In fact, last year, I was part of the ASMPH women’s basketball team, who garnered 3^rd place during Palarong Med. This year, I joined the ultimate frisbee team so I could try something new (and get darker at the same time). Next year, I might join both frisbee and basketball teams if time permits.

 Without sports, I do not think I would stay sane in medical school. Sleep maintains sanity too.

Managing Technology in Healthcare

My dad has reminded me time and again that I should specialize in a field where technology is moving. This just goes to show how important it is to healthcare.

Every year, there are always advancements in the diagnosis and management of medical conditions alongside the innovations in technology. Surgical procedures are easier to do. Patients recover faster. Healthcare administration is more efficient. Those are all possible with the help of the different innovative machines we have now.

Back then, surgeons always had to resort to open surgeries, which would predispose the patient to a multitude of infections. Patients had to come over to the hospital or the clinic for a consult with the doctor or to get their results. Hospital records that were placed in filing cabinets had to be retrieved manually. Now, there can do laparoscopic operations that minimize the risk for infections. Patients can conduct a video call with their doctor who could be miles away and can get their lab results through the Internet. Hospital records are now in computers that could search for particulars in a matter of seconds.

With these innovations comes the responsibility to use them properly. They are not there for doctors to bring home higher paychecks or for hospitals to make their facilities and services look better than those of their competitors. Healthcare professionals with access to these machines must remember that they are only aids for us to fulfill the Hippocratic oath—to cure sometimes, to relieve often, and to cure always. 

Technology has redefined healthcare, as we know it. It has revolutionized healthcare in more ways than we can count. It will continue to do so as long as there are people willing to take things a step further.