Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Leo knows that I am also engaged in another love affair, a sweet and enduring one.
This love affair is with research, and it started during my pediatric residency
training. I can still remember vividly the excitement and the long nights, the discovery1of meaningful
developments, the joy of reading medical journals, the eagerness to prepare something thorough and
relevant. The excitement I felt continued up to my postgraduate internship, my fellowship in infectious
diseases and it has lasted till now. My husband was never jealous and my relationship with my sons
never soured despite this other ongoing and never-ending love affair. I could not ask for more. This is
the best life. So last May 23, the family accompanied me to Vigan, Ilocos Sur, to attend the 107th
annual convention hosted by the Philippine Medical Association (PMA).
Being included as one of the 15 finalists for the coveted Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial
Awards is a proud moment for my family. With them around, I was the proudest wife,
While individual citations were being read on stage for the top awardees for
Victoria M. Abesamis), Clinical Practice (Dr. Bonaleth M. De Vera) and Academe (Dr.
Estrella B. Paje-Villar), I never expected that the final citation was all about the fruits
of Health…” “provided the evidence and the science…” “extended her work to the
communities…” “greater things to come that will benefit science, medicine and the
Filipino people…” “epitomizes the virtues of Dr. Jose P. Rizal…” “…love of country
and service to our countrymen…” All these brought me back to the past 30 years of
My love affair with research did not happen overnight. It was a journey that
nursery should always be facing the direction the sun rises so that a newborn can
benefit from exposure to morning sunlight won the top prize for the hospital’s annual
research competition. This did not happen once. It was a back-to-back win for three
straight years. I got hooked. Who would not be? Year 1991 was my first immersion in
dengue research. Twenty-three years later, I am now the lead investigator of the
country’s clinical trials for dengue vaccine, in the countries where dengue is a major
public health problem. It’s a vaccine the medical community worldwide is waiting for.
conferment of the award. The title comes with a specially designed trophy in the
image of Dr. Jose P. Rizal by National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva, a gold medallion,
free trip to the United States to attend the convention of the American Academy of
Family Physicians and P150, 000 worth of medicines that I can share with a civic
organization of my choice.
Was it just a coincidence or pure fate that it is also the 23rd year of the
presentation of the prestigious Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial Awards? If the number
“23” is a coincidence, what a joyful one. If this is destiny, let me accept it with
gratitude.
This award is a fitting tribute to those who have encouraged and inspired me
to continue my love affair with research — participants and their families as well as
my teams in clinical trials, officials of the local health, school and government units,
the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, collaborators/ partners and sponsors of
my researches, Basaynon Katiguban, Inc. and my town mates in Basey, Samar, who4 continue to show
resiliency despite the tragedy during the super typhoon Yolanda,
the Philippine Pediatric Society and Manila Medical Society for the recognition of my
For more than three decades, I have never felt happier and accomplished
than when doing medical research. It is tiring but exciting, demanding yet humbling,
(Dr. Rose Zeta Capeding is the 23rd Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial Awardee for
Research. She is currently the head of the Microbiology Department of the Research Institute
for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and head of the Dengue Research Group. She is the head,
Center.) 4