Bionote:
Dr Imelda Peña is a licensed pharmacist with the following qualifications all obtained from the University of the Philippines (UP): Bachelor of Science in Industrial Pharmacy, Master of Science (Industrial Pharmacy) and Doctor of Public Health (major in Epidemiology).
She is currently a Professor with 34 years of experience in the academe, including 6 years as the Former Dean of the College of Pharmacy, University of the Philippines Manila and 4.5 years as Former Director of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences or IPS, National Institutes of Health (NIH), UP Manila, where she is also an Affiliate Research Faculty. Further, she extends technical consultancy services to the government, as (1) Member of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) – Technical Panel for Pharmacy Education and as (2) former Member of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on the certification program for immunizing pharmacists, for the Professional Regulatory Board of Pharmacy, under the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). She was a Former Member of the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC), Subcommittee on Drugs, under DOH and DOST. She has been a pioneer advocate on immunization, having served as trainer, coach and assessor of the Immunizing Pharmacist Certification Program (IPCP). She currently serves as the Adviser of the Philippine Society for Pharmacist Vaccinators (PSPV), a PRC-designated Competency Development Group for the Certification Program for Immunizing Pharmacists (CPIP).
Her research areas of interest for the past 10 years include, regulatory science, biowaiver monographs, pharmacy-based immunization, health policy analysis, antimicrobial stewardship, biologics / biosimilars, drug utilization reviews and other industry-collaborative researches, pharmaceutical and cosmetic product development.
In recognition of her relentless dedication and commitment to the pharmacy profession, and as a testament of her outstanding career, she received a number of distinguished awards from her University and various associations, the most notable of which, was the prestigious national award, the “Outstanding Professional of the Year Award in the field of Pharmacy,” given by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in July 2022.
