In a country with more than 80 medical schools, distinction requires more than simply offering a medical degree. The Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) College of Medicine has set itself apart by reshaping how future physicians understand health and healing.

When AUP College of Medicine opened in 2015, it introduced a forward-looking academic framework. It became the first medical school in the Philippines — and in Asia — to formally integrate Lifestyle Medicine into its core curriculum.

The program did not position Lifestyle Medicine as an elective or supplemental subject. Faculty embedded it into the heart of medical training, reflecting a conviction that health care must extend beyond diagnosis and treatment.

Leaders at AUP emphasized that medicine is not limited to prescriptions and procedures. They taught future physicians to address the root causes of disease through prevention, nutrition, physical activity, adequate rest, stress management, social connection and faith-informed living. The curriculum trains students to guide patients toward long-term wellness rather than short-term symptom control.

This approach aligns with growing global recognition that noncommunicable diseases — including heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers — are largely lifestyle-related and preventable. By equipping medical students with tools for prevention, AUP prepared graduates to serve as health educators and advocates within their communities.

The Philippine College of Lifestyle Medicine recognized this pioneering effort on Feb. 2, 2020, granting AUP College of Medicine an Award of Recognition for its leadership and trailblazing role in integrating Lifestyle Medicine into medical education.

While many institutions were expanding clinical competencies, AUP advanced a model centered on health creation. The initiative reflects the university’s faith-based mission and its commitment to whole-person care — body, mind and spirit.

Despite being one of the younger medical schools in the country, AUP College of Medicine has consistently demonstrated strong performance in licensure examinations. Its results have placed the institution among notable achievers, underscoring that an emphasis on prevention and holistic care does not compromise academic rigor. Instead, it strengthens it.

Administrators attribute this progress to visionary leadership and a mission-driven faculty. Veteran medical educator and pioneering dean Doris Adsuara Mendoza played a key role in establishing the college’s academic foundation and in championing Lifestyle Medicine as a defining pillar of its identity.

The program also reflects the Seventh-day Adventist understanding of medical ministry as “the right arm of the gospel.” In the Gospels, Jesus ministered to physical needs while building relationships and restoring dignity. He healed bodies and strengthened communities. AUP’s model seeks to echo that example by training who they call 5-star plus physicians (clinician, teacher, researcher, manager, & social mobilizer, plus physician missionary - rolled in one) who combine clinical competence with compassion and preventive care.

As health systems across Asia grapple with rising chronic disease rates and escalating costs, AUP’s experience demonstrates that medical education can prioritize prevention without sacrificing excellence. The university continues to graduate physicians prepared not only to treat illness but to cultivate health — advancing a model of care that serves both communities and mission.

In doing so, AUP College of Medicine, with its College Motto: “Through Christ, Healing and Wholeness” has written a significant chapter in Adventist educational history — one that affirms the enduring value of holistic healing in a rapidly changing medical landscape.

The original article was published on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division news site.