I first met Dr. Thelma Tupasi when I was a Field Epidemiology Trainee and had to investigate a meningococcemia outbreak. The case was admitted at Makati Medical Center, and I had to interview Dr. Tupasi. She was strict. But this impression changed when I joined the TB Program again and was involved in the implementation of the Global Fund grant led by TDF. She may be strict, but she is also genuinely concerned about your well-being. She would engage you in small conversations, asking how you were aside from work when you had the chance to sit beside her during meetings, workshops, or other NTP activities.
I admire Dr. Tupasi’s work ethic. She was always passionate about what she did. She wanted things to start on time, especially meetings. She did everything promptly and with quality—mabilis magtrabaho. She always wanted you to learn something from the work you did. She was a great teacher.
As a Program Manager of the NTP, I would like to thank Dr. Tupasi for providing us with the evidence that helped the Program design strategies to address TB challenges. As a researcher, she led the conduct of the 1997 and 2007 National TB Prevalence Surveys. The latest research conducted by TDF was the Loss to Follow-up study among Drug-Resistant TB cases. The findings of this study are frequently cited and have served as a guide on how to provide quality TB care for drug-resistant TB patients. Many researchers have inquired about who conducted the study and how it was done.
Dr. Tupasi was a visionary. She initiated efforts to address drug-resistant TB at a time when the World Health Organization guidance was to prioritize drug-susceptible TB cases only. TDF was the first facility approved by the Green Light Committee to address drug-resistant TB. This achievement placed the country and the Program on the map of WHO. Dr. Tupasi also pioneered the application for the Global Fund grant. TDF became the first Principal Recipient in the country for the three grants—TB, HIV, and Malaria. To this day, we continue to benefit from the fruits of her labor and her dreams.
