Image credit: TOWNS Foundation, Inc.

The Health Promotion Program proudly celebrates its Program Lead, Dr. Katherine Ann V. Reyes, who was selected as a The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Awardee 2025 for her remarkable contributions in Service, Research, and Leadership in Public Health Delivery (see the announcement).

This recognition honors Dr. Reyes’s role as a physician, researcher, and public health leader. It is a testament to her commitment to strengthening health systems and ensuring that all communities, especially the most vulnerable, have access to quality, evidence-based, and equitable health services.

Through her leadership, Dr. Reyes continues to advance the vision of building a healthier Philippines where health promotion is not only a policy priority but also a collective responsibility. Her work embodies the truth that public health is nation-building: when every Filipino is empowered to live in health and dignity, the entire country thrives. Dr. Reyes highlights that the award is a powerful validation that the work of many public health professionals, who bridge the gap between science and public health policy, is a critical contribution to nation-building.

She hopes her work inspires Filipinos to see themselves as worthy of a healthcare system that truly works for them and to embrace a culture of evidence-informed decision-making. “For this to work, we all have a role to play. We must become more careful consumers of information, asking critical questions and valuing facts over falsehoods. We can also demand transparency from our leaders and support those who prioritize data and expert advice, contextualized by the lived experiences of our communities. This change is crucial for building a better public health system and a stronger nation,” said Dr. Reyes. 

A Leader in Health Systems Strengthening

Dr. Reyes is a Research Assistant Professor and the Program Lead of the Health Promotion Program at the National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila. Her work focuses on generating evidence to inform promotive and preventive health policies and strategies, with research spanning healthy consumption, tobacco control, and immunization.

Her journey into public health was shaped by her clinical experience. As a physician, she witnessed how poor living conditions perpetuate illness, leading to repeated hospitalizations. This inspired her to pursue systemic solutions and address health challenges at their roots through public health.

Central to her philosophy is the belief that true systemic change is possible when research and policy are bridged through collaboration, dialogue, and accountability.

Written by: Reiner Lorenzo J. Tamayo, MAHPS, RN & Bill Whilson A. Baljon, RPh