College of Health Sciences – It seems like “an Englishman in New York” encounter that paid off so well.

This aptly describes what Prof. Manuel Ted F. Aurelio, chairperson of the Department of Physical Therapy (PT), experienced during his participation in the PT Cebu Congress held at the Cebu Doctors University, Cebu City, on Feb. 18.

The gathering was sponsored by the Philippine Physical Therapy Association (PPTA), the duly-recognized national organization of PT professionals. He presented the results of the research study entitled, “The healthy lifestyle construct of higher education institution (HEI) educators in Region I and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)” which he conducted with Prof. Ryan Dean Sucgang, chief physical therapist of the University PT and Rehabilitation Center.

The presentation, which was part of the plenary session during the congress proper, afforded Prof. Aurelio the opportunity to disseminate the findings of their GIA-funded research from CHED. The study concluded that the physical activity of faculty members in Region I and CAR are influenced by socio-demographic, geographical, and occupational influences innate in their environment and recommended a sound culture-based program of activities and endeavors for better adherence and compliance. The study also deemed important to construct a tailor-fit HL program for each of the two regions.

The event also gave Prof. Aurelio first-hand knowledge on the extent of research endeavors within the PT field in that part of the country.  

According to him, the PT Congress was a showcase of what the premiere PT schools in Cebu and the Visayas – Cebu Doctor’s Hospital, Velez College, and Southwestern University – have to offer.  With that, the event became an avenue to discover the best practices of the said schools.  “It was a learning experience on my part, especially since I was able to picture MMSU PT among these schools, and generate some ideas on how to better our PT program,” he added.

Prof. Aurelio is a nominee for this year’s Most Outstanding Professional Award for PT by the Professional Regulation Commission. In December 2007, he was recipient of the PPTA Gawad Propesyunal Excellence Award in the field of institutional administration, an honor conferred every three years to deserving PT professionals. Recently, MMSU was regarded as the country’s number one PT school based on the institutional performance registered by its graduates who took the February 2012 Licensure Exam,  a distinction bestowed to the institution for the third time.