As the official publication of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM) community, the magazine aims to create a sense of community among various constituents of the UPCM faculty, students, alumni, and administrative staff.
This community magazine's namesake came from Dean Charlotte M. Chiong's strategic vision of the UPCM as discussed in detail in her inaugural speech in September 2018. Through this publication, the editorial team aims to share the progress of the many projects and endeavors that the college has initiated in pursuit of this goal.
The UPCM InSPIRE magazine, formerly known as the UPCM Newsletter, is the official magazine of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM). This was an initiative started by Dean Charlotte M. Chiong at the start of her term. With the goal of engaging and connecting the UPCM community as a whole, including its students, alumni, and faculty, through shared experiences and stories, the magazine realized itself as a biannual publication, released in both digital and printed formats. Aside from a core team consisting primarily of current faculty and students, the magazine also includes various guest contributors from all sectors of the UPCM community.
In late 2018, the office of the dean collaborated with a team of medical student volunteers for the release of the first issue. This student team, then composed of 14 medical students from different learning units, formed the editorial board and was able to publish the first issue. Eventually, the first faculty Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Angela S. Aguilar, was appointed to head the team.
While still retaining some elements of the old newsletter, the first issue was successfully released during the UPCM fundraising concert, “Musika ni Ryan, Medisina ng Ating Bayan,” on Sept 21, 2019. Given the experience earned in the first issue, the UPCM InSPIRE team reorganized itself and recruited more student volunteers to bolster its capacity and fill up additional roles. Furthermore, the magazine strived to distinguish itself further from the old newsletter format by focusing on engaging features and visuals. In the interim, plans were materializing for the eventual release of the UPCM InSPIRE website, which was launched on June 24, 2020. The second issue involved extensive collaboration with the University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society (UPMAS) and was released to coincide with the annual homecoming celebrations of the college in December 2019. Recently, the magazine is currently working on its website and preparing for its third issue in time for the July 2020 college graduations.
In the coming years, the UPCM InSPIRE magazine hopes to further improve itself and to become a medium where the whole UPCM community can participate and connect.