Beyond History: A Legacy and a Vision 5 VOL. 49 NO. 1 2015 ACTA MEDICA PHILIPPINA _______________ Corresponding author: Leonor Cabral-Lim, MD, FPNA Department of Neurosciences College of Medicine Philippine General Hospital University of the Philippines Manila Taft Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000Philippines Telefax No.: +632 5548462 Email: lcabral-lim@post.upm.edu.ph Beyond History: A Legacy and a Vision Leonor I. Cabral-Lim and Martesio C. Perez Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila Introduction This work is a tribute to all those who have shaped the Department of Neurosciences of the National University Hospital and the University of the Philippines Health Sciences Center. I am deeply honored to have collaborated with my highly esteemed mentor and colleague, Dr. Martesio Perez, Professor Emeritus of the University. History is more than a chronology of the past. There is much more beyond the names and events of the past. History has not only made us what we are today, but will also guide us to where we want to be in the future. As the historian David McCullough stated, "History is an unending dialogue between the past and the present." This written history starts at the present, goes back in time, and moves forward toward our envisioned future. I. Where we are now The Department of Neurosciences is the clinical department of both the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. It consists of the Sections of Adult Neurology, Neurosurgery and Pediatric Neurology with a complement of 66 medical personnel consisting of 36 consultants and 30 trainees. The Department's mission is to serve the Filipino people and advance the field of Neurosciences in the country by: providing excellent and compassionate neurologic and neurosurgical care; developing outstanding human health resources; mentoring future pioneering leaders and advocates through education, research, training, service, and advocacy. In line with this mission, the Department's functions are grouped into 3 major areas: Service The PGH being the National University Hospital is a tertiary care hospital catering to all the complex cases referred from all over the country with an annual in patient admission of 45,092 patients of which 4,286 (9.3 %) are neurologic/neurosurgical cases. 1,2 The hospital is primarily a service hospital that takes care of the poor segments of society. 58% of the inpatient admissions are from the Charity Service, 55.2%, 26.6 % and 18.2.% from the Sections of Adult Neurology, Neurosurgery and Pediatric Neurology, respectively. The top admissions are Stroke, Intracranial tumors, CNS infection, Epilepsy, Congenital Malformations and Traumatic head injury. The section of Neurosurgery performs 1012 operations/year. The most common neurosurgical operation is ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion, followed by intracranial tumor excision and aneurysm surgery. 2 The top most consult at the Outpatient Department is Epilepsy, for both the Adult and Pediatric Neurology Section comprising 40.92% and 76.6% of the patient visits, respectively, translating to a total of 5028 patient visits. This is followed by stroke and intracranial tumors. 2 The department also sees a total of 2,589 interdepartmental referrals/year. 2 Training A. Residency and Fellowship programs The department offers residency training programs in Adult Neurology and Neurosurgery graduating 5-6 residents and 2 pediatric neurology fellows/year. To date, the respective formal training programs of each section has graduated a total of 102 adult neurologists, 44 neurosurgeons and 22 pediatric neurologists. Majority of the graduates have become leaders, pioneers, educators and advocates in the Neurosciences irrespective of their place of practice. Many practice in the different regions of the country serving the needs of the community. Majority of those practicing in Metro Manila either has joined the department as members of the faculty or joined the academe in other institutions. SPECIAL ARTICLE