Geneticist Carmencita David Padilla named National Scientist
Filipino geneticist Carmencita David Padilla was named National Scientist for her significant contributions to the field which led to the passage of two important Philippine laws.
Through President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s Proclamation No. 642 series of 2024, Carmencita David Padilla, MD, MAHPS is conferred the title, upon the recommendation of Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum and the National Academy of Science and Technology.
Padilla's work was instrumental in the enactment of Republic Act No. 9288, or the Newborn Screening Act of 2004, and RA 10747, or the Rare Diseases Act of the Philippines.
RA 9288 seeks to give newborns access to certain heritable conditions that can result in mental retardation, serious health complications, or death if left undetected and untreated.
RA 10747, meanwhile, seeks to improve access of patients diagnosed with a rare disease or those who are highly suspected of having a rare condition that would need comprehensive medical care.
As stated on the University of the Philippines Manila's website, Padilla obtained her pre-medicine, cum laude, at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1976.
She got her doctorate in medicine at UP Manila in 1981, a fellowship in clinical genetics at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Australia in 1990), and master of arts in health policy studies at the UP Manila College of Public Health in 2005.
She set up the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) as a multidisciplinary institution that combines basic and applied research for the development of health diagnostics, therapeutics, DNA forensics, preventive products, and the improvement of crop varieties in the country.
Padilla, who served as PGC executive director from 2011 to 2016, led the critical growth phases of the institution as it played a major role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She led the establishment of various medical and laboratory facilities in the country, like the Genetic Laboratories at the National Institutes of Health, Cytogenetics Laboratory originally at the Philippine General Hospital, Newborn Screening Center, Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Biochemistry Laboratory, MicroArray Laboratory, and Hemoglobinopathy Laboratory. These laboratories cater to patients of PGH and other Philippine hospitals.
Padilla was given the title alongside Romulo Davide, who is known as the "Father of Plant Nematology." Davide was recognized for his development of "BIOCON," a biological control agent against nematodes, providing Filipino farmers with an alternative to chemical nematicides.
The Order of National Scientist Award (Orden ng Gawad ng Pambansang Alagad ng Agham) is regarded as the highest national recognition given to a person of science in the Philippines. It's administered by the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines, and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation of the Academy.
The rank and title of National Scientist was created under Presidential Decree No. 1003-A, which Marcos' father and namesake, Ferdinand E. Marcos, issued on Dec. 16, 1976.
The award is the highest title conferred by the Philippine president on a Filipino with outstanding achievements in science and technology.