March 15 – 16, 2023 – Aiming to forecast the status of SOM in the future, specifically, in the next 30 years, as well as to foresee the limitless possibilities and to plan for possible courses of action after determining hindrances, the Palawan State University – School of Medicine (PSU – SOM), headed by their Dean, Dr. Helen Sigua, actively participated in the two-day Futures Thinking Workshop on March 15-16, at PSU Hostel.

The workshop was attended by 17 doctors of SOM with their trainers: Mr. Emmanuel R. De Guia, Resident Futurist, Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovations, and Futures Thinking, and Ms. Jalaine Joyce V. Malabanan, Faculty Member, Department of Humanities and Philosophy and Chief, Center for Futures Research, Polytechnic University of the Philippines. It was also participated by Dr. Marjorie A. Española, Vice President for Research, Development, and Extension (VPRDE), and Dr. Elucila M. Sespeñe, Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA).

The Futures Thinking Workshop was filled with discussions and group activities and presentation of outputs for the participants. The trainers discussed about topics on Framing the Future, Look Back to Look Forward: The importance of Historical Context, Patterns of Change in the Local Medical Field, Scenario Building, Causal Layered Analysis, Compassionate – Anticipatory Paradigm, and Think – Building Experiments. After the discussions, activities, and group presentations, the workshop was concluded through the closing remarks given by Dr. Sespeñe.