How this Filipina became a world-class infectious diseases expert

Cementing Dr. Thelma Tupasi's legacy as a pioneer for modern tuberculosis treatment

- DR. EDSEL MAURICE T. SALVANA

CLINICAL MATTERS DR. JOSE MAURICIO T. MAGNAYE

Last Nov. 17, 2025, I had the distinct honor of delivering the seventh Dr. Thelma Tupasi Memorial Lecture at the Makati Medical Center.

Dr. Thelma Tupasi was one of the pillars of infectious diseases in the Philippines, and her contributions to the proper treatment of tuberculosis are acknowledged worldwide. If you or someone you know has ever been diagnosed with tuberculosis, the ubiquitous TB DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Strategy) clinics from where free treatment can be obtained were first set up by her and her team. She pioneered the use of an intensified TB DOTS setup for the successful treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis, and this served as a model for the rest of the world after the World Health Organization (WHO) determined that her interventions were more successful than other approaches. Her studies on drug-resistant tuberculosis are still quoted in scientific literature and remain relevant even in this age of molecular diagnostics and artificial intelligence. The research institutions she set up, particularly the Tropical Disease Foundation (TDF) at the Makati Medical Center, which was the original country recipient of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, are still going strong. TDF was responsible for setting up the provision of free antiretroviral treatment for people with HIV in our country. In addition, tuberculosis remains the biggest killer of people with HIV in our part of the world. I believe these are the two reasons why the organizers invited me to give the memorial lecture, since my research and advocacy work are on HIV and AIDS.