About

Dr. Manuel M. Dayrit is Professor at the Ateneo School of Medicine in Public Health. In his 42 years as a public health practitioner, Dr. Dayrit worked with the Philippine government, the NGO sector, academia, the private sector, and the World Health Organization. He was Secretary of Health (Minister) of the Philippines from 2001 to 2005 when the Department of Health (DOH) was recognized for its effective implementation of disease control programs (including for SARS, dengue, tuberculosis, and vaccine-derived polio); the implementation of the health sector reform agenda which included widening the use of generic medicines; and the broadening of access to social insurance (PhilHealth) by indigents. Under his leadership, the DOH was cited among the top-performing government agencies. From 2005 to 2012, he was Director of the Department of Human Resources for Health at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. The WHO Code on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel was developed during this time and adopted by Member States at the World Health Assembly in May 2010. Prior to this appointment, he was a member of the Commission on Social Determinants of the World Health Organization. From 2013-2018, he served as Dean of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH), during which he broadened the research activities of the School and opened opportunities for the deployment and employment of ASMPH graduates to local governments, especially in the Eastern Visayas region and the province of Northern Samar. He active led projects which aimed to strengthen health systems in the country. He was the founding Director of the Philippines Field Epidemiology Training Program and directed it from 1986 to 1997. For work in the control of AIDS, cholera, and Red Tide, he was named an Outstanding Young Scientist by the National Academy of Science and Technology in 1990. In 2006, Dr. Dayrit became an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In 2008, he was the Centennial Awardee for Health of the Alumni Association of the University of the Philippines. He has published about 50 articles in community health, infectious disease control, and human resources for health about 26 of which are indexed in Scopus. He has 700 citations for various articles in ResearchGate.