I woke up at 5:30am to prepare for this, which meant driving in sleep-inducing rain and pout-inducing hunger. I arrived at the new Medical City compound a little past seven o'clock. Parking in the basement was easy as the guards were helpful and there was a parking aide showing me the reserved area for forum attendees.
I happened to be too early for the registration, so I took my camera out and captured snapshots of the elegant building. Twice, I was mistaken by event organizers as the official photographer / videographer of the event. Hmmm, didn't know I had THAT kind of aura. I should get a more socially-acceptable haircut and clothes.
The registration committee was a group of six people who made sure that forms were prepared, guest books were signed, and name tags & certificates were printed out properly. They also provided me with a goody bag that included products from pharmaceutical companies, an ID tag, a Boost++ coffee tumbler, and a souvenir program. I would have traded the feminine wash for a notepad and pencil.
At 8:00am, the auditorium was less than half-full (or only half-empty, since I'm an optimist), so the forum started at 8:40am because of late attendees. Below was the program and list of speakers:
Here are some snapshots of the speakers:
Thanks again to the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, including everyone else who made this possible.
