Ms. Kawano, a resident of Quezon City for nearly 35 years, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Technology from Centro Escolar University, Manila. Her career commenced in 1989 at the US Naval Medical Research Unit at San Lazaro Hospital, followed by a role as a respiratory therapist at the Lung Center of the Philippines in 1990. Subsequently, she served at the Bureau of Research and Laboratories (BRL) and the National Reference Laboratory for STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (NRL-SACCL), Department of Health, Manila, from 1990 to 2000.

At the DOH, she actively contributed to research and health policy development, spearheading the National External Quality Assurance Scheme (NEQAS) for HIV/AIDS and other Blood STIs. She played a pivotal role in drafting regulations for evaluating HIV, Hepatitis B, and C in-vitro diagnostic tests. From 1993 to 2012, she trained, facilitated, and lectured in nationwide HIV Proficiency programs, collaborating with WHO and JICA on HIV Projects.

During her government tenure, she earned a Master’s Degree in Medical Technology in 2000 and pursued a Doctoral Degree in Public Health with a major in Clinical Microbiology at the University of the Philippines in 2009 as a PCHRD scholar. Her expertise led to her role as a committee member of the Technical Working Group (TWG) at the National Health Laboratory Network (NHLN) of DOH in 2012, where she contributed to Quality Management System plans for Clinical Laboratories. She also completed ISO 13485 training and served as an external assessor for the Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO) for Clinical Laboratories from 2011 for three years.

In 2013, she transitioned to the medical device industry with JARC Group of Companies after completing an Applied Master’s in Business Administration (sMBA) at the Executive Development Academy. She also worked as a research and technical consultant at IDL Biotech, Sweden, from 2012 for five years. Her expertise in quality assurance played a crucial role in public hearings for IVD and medical device FDA regulations, and she co-founded the In-Vitro Diagnostic Distributors Association of the Philippines (IVD-DAP).

Since 2010, she has served as a professor at the Angeles University Foundation’s graduate school of public health, specializing in infectious diseases and disaster management, with four international publications to her name.

Ms. Kawano’s dedication extends to her role as Committee Chair of Professional Practice and Ethics for the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists (PAMET), where she actively shares her proficiency. She has contributed to proficiency training on HIV/AIDS and STDs, consulted on the initiation of PAMET’s specialty board, and helped develop codes of ethics and administrative guidelines. She is also appointed by the Professional Regulation Commission as a committee member of the Career Progression and Specialization Program and Credit Accreditation Transfer (CPCP-CAT) of the Board of Medical Technology Profession.