Learning Coaches

Onille is a faculty member of the Environmental Biology Division of the Institute of Biological Sciences. He holds a PhD in Engineering (Advanced Science and Biotechnology) from the International Center for Biotechnology in Osaka University, Japan. His research endeavors are in the areas of Microbial Ecology, Molecular Biology, Yeast Systematics, Glycobiology and Biotechnology towards health, agricultural modernization and bio-resources valorization and conservation.

He is the current president of the Philippine Association of Japanese Monbukagakusho Scholars Southern Luzon Inc., an officer of the Philippine Society for Microbiology, Inc., a member of the Coalition for Agricultural Modernization in the Philippines, the Philippine Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mycological Society of the Philippines, the National Research Council of the Philippines, the Biology Teachers Association of the Philippines and the recently formed Philippine Epidemiological Society. He is a strong supporter and member of the newly-formed Planetary Health Philippines Network.

Demi is a Professor of Plant Ecology teaching various courses on Plant Ecology, Population Ecology, EarthScience, and Biology. She serves as adviser to Biology, Botanyand Environmental Science undergraduate and graduate students, as well as co-adviser to BS Agriculture major in Soil Science and BS Forestry students, and supervises their research activities. She is actively involved in research and provides leadership to multidisciplinary research teams. Her research interests include land use change and its impacts on biodiversity and hydrologic balance; biodiversity information system; climate change and environmental risk assessment; recreational and aquaculture carrying capacity of freshwater lakes, mangrove ecosystem services in coastal hazard mitigation, developing climate decision-support framework, water and nutrient dynamics in indigenous muyong-payoh systems, and sustainability of agricultural and agroforestry production systems. She is the President of the UPLB BIOTA chapter and a member of several scientific organizations including PAASE, OYSI, and PA3i. She is serving as a Reviewer for several international scientific journals, and a Technical Expert for the International Foundation for Science (IFS) and Philippine Science High School.

Vince is currently an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baňos. He graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Biology major in Wildlife Biology at IBS and Master of Science in Environmental Science with a specialization in Environmental Chemistry and minor in Microbiology at SESAM, UPLB. His research interest focuses on freshwater ecology specifically water quality assessment and monitoring. Currently, he is a Project Staff of the Seven Lakes Assessment and Monitoring Program: Strategies toward a Sustainable Lake Ecosystem (7LAMPS) wherein his work is on the water quality assessment and monitoring of the seven lakes. Prof. Pleto had already published two articles at the Journal of Health and Pollution which is an international peer-reviewed journal and one article at the Journal of Environmental Science and Management (JESAM). He is also an active member of the National Research Council of the Philippines and Biology Teachers Association of the Philippines.

Ella is an Assistant Professor at the Environmental Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, UPLB. She took BS Biology major in Microbiology at UPLB and obtained her Master degree at the Marine Science Institute, UP Diliman, MS Marine Science (Marine Biology track). Her research interests include Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Phytoplankton and Epiphytic-Benthic Ecology. aProf. Beringuela also teaches courses on Basic Biology, Microbiology, Ecology and Pollution Biology.

Jeng earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of the Philippines Baguio, where she graduated cum laude, and master’s degree in Botany from the University of the Philippines Los Baños Graduate School. She joined the faculty of the Environmental Biology Division of the Institute of Biological Sciences in UPLB after she earned her bachelor’s degree in 2002. Under the same division, she was later promoted to Assistant Professor after finishing her master’s degree in 2008. Recently (2020), she finished her PhD Botany from UPLB Graduate School. She is a member of Gamma Sigma Delta – Honor Society and UPLB Bee Program. She is currently involved in researches in pollination biology and doing extension services on bees and beekeeping.

One of the staunchest, most exciting, and most innovative voices for the new discipline of planetary health, Renzo Guinto, MD DrPH is Chief Planetary Doctor of PH Lab – a “glo-cal think-and-do tank” for advancing the health of both people and the planet. An Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader and Aspen Institute New Voices Fellow, Renzo recently received his Doctor of Public Health degree from Harvard University. Currently he is member of the Editorial Advisory Board of The Lancet Planetary Health; adviser to the Forum on Climate Change and Health of the World Innovation Summit for Health in Qatar; and Next Generation One Health Adviser of the Lancet One Health Commission hosted by the University of Oslo in Norway.

Renzo previously consulted for various organizations including the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium; World Bank; World Health Organization; Health Care Without Harm; International Organization for Migration; Philippine Department of Health; Chilean Ministry of Health; and University of the Philippines (UP) Manila. He obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree from the UP Manila under the accelerated Integrated Liberal Arts-Medicine (INTARMED) Program, and also received further training from the University of Oxford, University of Copenhagen, University of the Western Cape, and East-West Center in Hawaii. Previously he was named an Emerging Voice in Global Health by Health Systems Global; Emerging Leader by the World Heart Federation; and Raffles Fellow by the National University of Singapore. Renzo has traveled to and lectured in nearly 50 countries; published more than 100 articles in scientific journals, books, and popular media; and directed and produced short films that communicate the message of planetary healing to the world.