On July 8, 2025, the University of Santo Tomas and the Metrobank Foundation Inc. (MBFI) conferred the Doña Victorina Ty Tan Professorial Chair in Medical Education to Drs. Patrick Gerard L. Moral and Maria Cristina A. Maranion at the Continuing Medical Education (CME) Auditorium, St. Martin de Porres Building.
Human healers in the time of AI
After the ceremonies, the newly conferred Thomasian Doctors from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery delivered their joint lecture entitled “Wired to Heal: Evolving from student to digital-age physicians”, where they took turns in sharing their reflections on the development of medicine in the present age, where artificial intelligence is being integrated into people’s daily lives, and what it means to remain human amidst the effects of technology-independence.
For Dr. Maranion, as Catholic educators and physicians, we were called to form skilled minds and compassionate and morally grounded hearts, which becomes an urgent mission in the age of artificial intelligence. “We must lead this transformation with discernment and courage, embracing new tools, questioning them critically, and integrating them wisely into how we teach,” Dr. Maranion said.
“Above all, we must model what it means to be fully human in an increasingly automated world, forming hybrid physicians who are both tech-enabled and faith-anchored. In the age of AI, our calling remains unchanged: to teach, serve, and form physicians who will heal with competence, commitment, and compassion here in UST, where medical education is unparalleled, sufficient, superb, and transformative,” she added.
In leading the future healers, Dr. Moral valued the importance of being human and noted that technology should serve as a guide to discover and learn new things outside clinical and hospital duties–not be consumed.
“Allow technology to help you gather your thoughts and streamline it, but it should not replace it. Technology should help you become a better physician by increasing the breadth of your vision instead of narrowing the world you live in. Technology should augment your communication skills with your patients, but it should not take away your voice. Allow technology to bring equity to health care and do not allow it to be a gatekeeper,” Dr. Moral said.
“Should healthcare robots rise in the future? Let your healing touch be superior.” He added.
After the event, outgoing MBFI president Aniceto “Chito” Mangahas Sobrepeña was honored by the University officials for the foundation’s generosity in honoring Thomasian luminaries via the professorial chair.
In 2019, MBFI established the Doña Victoria Ty Tan Professorial Chair in Medical Education in the UST Research and Endowment Foundation, Inc. to support the University of Santo Tomas in its endeavor to further develop, enhance, and innovate its programs on medical education.
Drs. Moral and Maranion join the league of Thomasian luminaries Prof. Sandra Teresa V. Navarra, M.D., Prof. Fidela L. Moreno, M.D., Prof. Angeles Tan Alora, MD, and Prof. María Minerva P. Calimag, MD, PhD.
Upon conferment to 10 medical educators and researchers, UST and the Metrobank Foundation will publish a book containing the collated lectures and research works.
