Caraga State University formally launched its School of Medicine on July 25, offering the first and only Doctor of Medicine Program in the Caraga Region with 35 pioneer students.
The launching introduced the 2025 Cohort, composed of students from Butuan City (14), Agusan del Norte (3), Agusan del Sur (2), Surigao del Norte (2), Surigao del Sur (4), Dinagat Islands (2), and nearby provinces outside Caraga (8), most of whom have a preparatory program in Biology.
SoM’s esteemed 13 faculty doctors were also presented led by Dean Dr. Teresita Brion, an obstetrician-gynecologist with 33 years of teaching experience before joining CSU.
The launch forms part of the SoM Medicine Week on July 21-25, which featured a medical mission with the SoM partner community in Buenavista, wellness talk and fair, open house, and press conference.
With the SoM in place, CSU directly responds to the persistent challenges in the healthcare sector in the region, driven by the lack of access to quality medical education and the shortage of healthcare professionals.
Establishing the School of Medicine
SoM is committed to producing highly skilled, compassionate, and community-centered physicians dedicated to serving underserved and marginalized communities.
This mission was rooted in the lack of schools that offered the Doctor of Medicine Program. With this, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) instructed CSU in 2020 to address this gap. Relevant to such, Dr. Anthony M. Penaso organized strategic activities aimed at establishing the medical institution.
Present University President Rolyn C. Daguil, PhD, furthered this vision by implementing various output-driven strategies to meet the requirements set by CHED. His efforts were bolstered by a strong leadership team, including Vice Presidents Michelle V. Japitana (Executive Operations), Alexander T. Demetillo (Administration and Finance), and SoM Dean Dr. Teresita Brion.
Crucially, the university has garnered significant support from local executives, the Department of Health, and affiliate hospitals in Butuan City.
The DOH-Caraga procured examining tables to augment the Skills Lab of the University. Congressman Jose “Joboy” S. Aquino II also lobbied for vital endorsement and budgetary provisions that enabled the university to meet the requirements set by CHED, including the additional funding for the construction of the SoM academic building.
Following a rigorous CHED technical evaluation in October 2024 with revisions submitted in November, CHED En Banc officially approved and recognized CSU as home to Caraga’s inaugural state-run medical school on January 28, 2025.
Producing Five-Star Physicians
At CarSU, the “Five-Star Physician” is more than a title—it is a vision. With strong partnerships with hospitals and local communities, the university envisions physicians who will help fill and address the gaps in the region’s medical situation.
The future doctors from CSU will embody five essential roles: Healer, Health Educator, Social Mobilizer, Researcher, and Leader.
Producing five-star physicians involves value-based and transformative education with emphasis on community service. They will be immersed in meaningful learning experiences to help them empower communities with sensitivity in mind and research undertakings that will inform and support relevant healthcare policies and programs.
Reinforced through strong partnerships with hospitals and local communities, the Doctor of Medicine Program offered at CSU is holistic. It combines academic rigor with practical, real-world clinical training not only to produce doctors but also changemakers for a healthier, more innovative, and equitable healthcare in the region.
Research agenda
Beyond offering a medicine program, the SoM is driven to develop ethical, service-oriented physicians who will lead the advancement of Universal Health Care in Caraga and beyond.
In this quest, the SoM is guided by the research agenda THRIVE: Transforming Health, Transforming Lives through Pioneering Research, and Discovery, Innovation, Value, and Equity for Caraga.
The agenda, also introduced on July 26, aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and CarSU’s new brand of education that is human-centered and deeply rooted in the needs and aspirations of the community, as incorporated in Hiraya ’28, CSU’s Strategic Plan 2022-2028.
With the MD program and the research agenda set, CSU advances its contribution to SDGs No. 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and No. 4 (Quality Education) as a transformative university producing five-star physicians committed to community engagement, research, and healthcare innovation and responsive to the region’s healthcare challenges.
