Mariano Marcos
State University

MMSU COM alumni emerge champions in nat’l medical quiz tilt

By Jedd Bryant Boado
 

Facing some of the country’s brightest young physicians, alumni of the MMSU College of Medicine (COM) emerged as champions in the Philippine Medical Association-Junior Doctors Network (PMA-JDN) Quiz Bee held on May 16 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City. Representing the Ilocos Norte Medical Society, the team was composed of Dr. Addielou Fidelfio Abad, Dr. Dinelle Laurina Aguilar, and Dr. Aira Cassandra Castro-Agra.
 

During the 4-hour tilt, they competed against 13 other teams from across the country, answering multiple-choice questions in easy, average, and difficult rounds. Questions revolved around various medical topics, including Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, the history of the Philippine Medical Association, and other trivia items.
 

In a message on behalf of the team, Dr. Abad expressed gratitude for the values and lessons that MMSU COM had imparted to them, which contributed to their victory in the competition. But more than that, he considered the event an opportunity to reconnect with his former classmates from the college, who graduated in 2021.
 

“This victory reminds us that the values and lessons that we gained during our time at MMSU COM, which were strengthened further by our medical experience, stay with us wherever we go. But more than winning the competition, I am happy that this event allowed me to reunite with my classmates at MMSU COM, who are now successful in their respective careers,” Dr. Abad said.
 

Dr. Abad currently serves as a Doctor-to-the-Barrios and OIC-Municipal Health Officer in Currimao, while Dr. Aguilar serves as a Doctor-to-the-Barrios and OIC-Municipal Health Officer in Banna. Meanwhile, Dr. Castro-Agra is an Associate Professor at COM.
 

The PMA-JDN Quiz Bee is an annual national medical competition for young physicians in the Philippines. It tests junior doctors aged 40 and below on their comprehensive medical knowledge and clinical expertise.