Asia Society Philippines has a vision for a shared future among the peoples of Asia, the West, and the world. It is in this spirit that Asia Society Philippines is collaborating with Optum - UnitedHealth Group to present “Practical Partnerships for the Pandemic” - a series of online conversations on how the public and private sectors in the Philippines can work together to beat the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The first of this series' more specific theme is dealing with the pandemic and its socioeconomic consequences and providing great insights from the speakers and on-the-ground experience as to what works, and what can be done better to scale up and hasten the vaccination process in the country.

Speakers:

Mayor Marcelino ‘Marcy’ Teodoro is the Mayor of Marikina City. He has been active in local government since the early 90s when he was first elected as councilor, and prior to getting elected as mayor in 2016 was a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, representing the 1st District of Marikina. 

Beverly Lorraine Ho is the concurrent Director for Health Promotion Bureau and Disease Prevention and Control Bureau at the Department of Health - Philippines. Immediately prior, she was Chief of Research Division of the Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau where she worked to provide the evidence needed to support health system reform by designing innovative research grants and building institutional capacity for policy research. These efforts have significantly contributed to the passage of key legislation on sugar-sweetened beverage tax, tobacco tax and universal health care, and the institutionalization of the health technology assessment process.  She has also worked in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and has provided technical assistance to the government of the Philippines and Southeast Asia on health financing, maternal and child health, and health impact assessment. She co-founded Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes, a non-profit working to raise the profile of public health and develop a critical mass of public health professionals. Bev is a fellow of the Maurice Greenberg World Fellows Program at Yale University, the Equity Initiative and the Atlantic Institute. She holds an MD from the University of the Philippines and an MPH in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as a Fulbright Scholar.

Rommel Tambunting Juan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of native food chain Binalot Fiesta Foods and General Manager and VP for Sales & Marketing of jeep body builder and exporter MD Juan Enterprises. Armed with a degree in Marketing from De La Salle University and a Masters in Entrepreneurship from the Asian Institute of Management, he immerses himself passionately in marketing and promotions, calling on people to make a business out of Binalot by investing in franchise stores. He emphasizes nationalism and corporate social responsibility in his business ventures.

Rebecca "Bec" Richmond is the Director within the Optum UK Advisory practice and an expert in international health and social care strategy. She currently works with Integrated Care Systems and Aspirant Integrated Care Systems in England to develop and implement sustainable PHM strategy. She also plans and facilitates Community of Practice events in collaboration with NHSE/I. She is experienced with an international career in health care strategy, advising senior hospital and health system executives across the UK, Europe, Australia, Asia, Canada, Middle East and Latin America. Her expertise in advising the provider, payer, government and industry sectors in many global markets. She further supports implementation of PHM strategy through design and delivery of workshops, Board-level sessions and virtual training to inspire, advise and enable multi-disciplinary leadership teams to collaborate effectively on PHM execution.

The conversation will happen on May 26, 12 NN - 1:00 P.M. and will be moderated by Dr. Albert Francis Domingo, a health systems and policy specialist who has worked extensively with the USAID and WHO.

Dr. Albert Domingo obtained his Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and Doctor of Medicine degrees from the University of the Philippines. He is a health systems specialist, with a Master of Science degree in Health Systems and Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland obtained as a Chevening Scholar of the United Kingdom. He is also familiar with the general principles of health law. He has over a decade of experience in global public health at country and international levels, having worked with USAID, the World Health Organization, and health officers at all levels. Dr. Domingo uses a health systems strengthening lens in advising ministries of health, social health insurance agencies, national and local government authorities, development partners, health care providers, and patient groups. He has worked on health system functions in the context of maternal and child care, sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and pandemic response, particularly COVID-19.

About Optum

Optum is a member of the UnitedHealth Group family, a Fortune 7 US company that has been operating in the Philippines since 2011. Optum Global Solutions (OGS) Philippines is a leading health services innovation company whose success is anchored on its commitment to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. Optum connects the brightest people, places and ideas across the health care ecosystem to create better care. Optum is spread out in Taguig, Quezon City and Muntinlupa in Metro Manila, and Cebu (Central Visayas). It is a premier Healthcare Information Management (HIM) organization in the Philippines who play a role in the care and support being provided to over 125 million customers in the U.S. The company offers an extensive suite of enabling and technology services, with a highly-skilled workforce delivering excellent customer care, payment integrity, pharmacy benefit management and revenue cycle management solutions to accelerate revenue streams and deliver value to US clients. These capabilities strive to improve experiences and lifelong health outcomes for everyone Optum serves, while discovering new ways to make care more affordable. For more information, visit www.optum.com.