CHSE UMagapay: Empowering Vulnerable Communities for a Sustainable Future

Authors: Ofelia C. Lariego, Joey S. Ramos
Journal: Journal of University of Mindanao's Best Practices | Vol. 1, No. 1, July 2026
DOI:
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Abstract

CHSE UMagapay is a progressive public health and social service framework designed to address a critical systemic gap. While urban health sectors advance, Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) and vulnerable communities remain neglected and continuously afflicted by preventable illness. Anchored on being Committed to Care, this initiative transforms the University of Mindanao’s College of Health Sciences Education (CHSE) into an incubator for active change, molding students into "thinkers and doers" who bridge the gap from social dilemma to sustainable practice. Implemented as a continuous, multi-year initiative (2022–2026), the project operates in three core pillars:

• Transformative Community Extension: Research becomes practice through direct field actions, including Pahimangno sa Panglawas (disease awareness), Protektado (maternal-child health), and diagnostic operations like fecalysis parasitic surveillance, blood typing, and sugar monitoring and more;
• Tangible SDG Research: A historic Balik-Scientist partnership mobilizes student researchers utilizing advanced medical concepts and explored related fields (Drosophila models for drug discovery), focusing public health studies on neglected communities, translating abstract SDGs into evidence- based solutions for vulnerable sectors; and
• Mobility & Capacity Building: Student and faculty mobility, bench-marking (such as programs both in national and international) and advanced biotechnology seminars in the field of health sciences import global healthcare concepts to optimize local competencies.

Driven by a defining culture of “People First” and a profound philosophy of being “Committed to Care”, a major milestone of Project CHSE UMagapay is its dual-impact alumni network, which spans dynamically across the country and around the world. By targeting SDG goals at all levels, the college relives its core culture and creates graduates who serve as structural pillars of public service—ultimately bridging the gap by bringing world-class healthcare standards directly into the poorest of the poor communities. Definitive in its purpose, this initiative establishes an exit-ready strategy ensuring that once institutional intervention concludes, the empowered community possesses the sustainable capability to stand on its own.

Keywords

Vulnerable Communities, Sustainable Future