CELIA CARLOS, M.D.
Director IV
As current RITM Director, Dr. Celia C. Carlos ensures that that vision, mission, and strategic objectives of the Institute are achieved. She chairs the 13 institutional committees, as well as the Emergency Operations Center and the Diarrheal Disease Study Group, of RITM. She also serves as head of the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program of the Department of Health (DOH), and the Philippine representative in two World Health Organization (WHO) initiatives—the Global Salmonella Surveillance and the Gonococcal Resistance Surveillance Program—in the Western Pacific.
Dr. Carlos took up a Bachelor of Science degree (magna cum laude) and finished medical school at the University of the Philippines (UP).
For almost four decades of service in the government sector, Dr. Carlos rose from the ranks from being a resident trainee to becoming the head of RITM.
Dr. Carlos was recognized for her exemplar service in her profession such as establishing and sustaining the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program for 34 years in 26 bacteriology laboratories nationwide; serving as the Philippine representative to international surveillance and research programs on infectious diseases (ID), temporary adviser for WHO consultations, and resource person in over 250 ID conferences; authoring 74 research publications; and steering RITM’s vital public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her competence, excellence, and commendable track record have earned her various awards and recognition such as being one of the outstanding women in the health sciences from 1900 to 2000 by the National Research Council of the Philippines in 2004, recipient of Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Gold Pioneer Award, Philippine Federation of Professional Associations Distinction Award, Philippine Medical Association Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Award, and the Order of Lapulapu Presidential Award.
ATTY. ANA LIZA DURAN, M.D.
Director III
Atty. Ana Liza Hombrado Duran, M.D. is the Assistant Director of RITM. She is also currently the primary focal person of the Institute for the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) national activities.
She is a doctor-lawyer with a Masteral course in Management Major in Hospital Administration. She was a full university scholar during her undergraduate years in the University of Santo Tomas, where she graduated cum laude and a Gilberto Gamez Medical Scholarship in Medicine recipient.
She pursued law studies at Arellano Law School after her pediatric residency at East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC)-DOH Retained Hospital. She later took her Masteral Course at the Philippine Christian University.
Rising from the ranks as a Medical Specialist, she then chaired the EAMC Department of Pediatrics, and EAMC and National Children’s Hospital Institutional Ethics Review Board among other institutional responsibilities.
Exploring her interest on pediatric tuberculosis (TB), she served as the National TB Program Coordinator in Pediatrics at the EAMC TB facility from the time of its establishment in 2008 until her transfer to the Institute in July 2021. She is a current member of the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) TB Committee and has contributed to the fourth edition of PPS Handbook of TB in Children.
AMADO TANDOC III, M.D.
Chief, Laboratory Research Division
As the current Chief of the Laboratory Research Division (LRD), Dr. Tandoc supervises, coordinates, and monitors the training and clinical referral services of the LRD.
Currently, Dr. Tandoc is part of the Project Management Team of the Philippine National Influenza Center of RITM. He is a member of the Technical Working Group on 2015-2019 Strategic Plan for Expanded Program on Immunization (DPO 2014-7470), and a faculty and facilitator at the Hospital Management Training for Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness. Dr. Tandoc is also the Chair of the DOH’s Committee on Quality Assurance of Public Health Programs with Laboratory Services.
Dr. Tandoc is an anatomic and clinical physician. He took up Doctor of Medicine at the University of Santo Tomas, where he also graduated magna cum laude under the degree program BS Biology. He is the Chair of the Committee on Publications of the Philippine Society of Pathologists, Inc and the Editor-in-Chief of Philippine Journal of Pathology and SCOPE—the official newsletter of the Philippine Society of Pathologists. He is also a peer reviewer at the WHO Bulletin, an editorial coordinator at the Journal of ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Associations (JAFES), and a copy editor at the Acta Medica Philippina.
NOEL MACALALAD, M.D.
Chief, Biologicals Production Division
As the Division Chief of the Biologicals Manufacturing Division (BMD), Dr. Macalalad is part of the RITM Executive Committee. He oversees the planning and administering of all the activities of the BMD, supervises the work and activities concerning the production of vaccines (i.e. BCG, PCAV), and storage and distribution of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) vaccines and other biologicals. Dr. Macalalad also decides the approval of the requests for local and international trainings. As the Division Chief, he ensures that the production of vaccines and other biologicals are in accordance with the cGMP.
Prior to taking the helm at BMD, Dr. Macalalad was the head of the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL) for more than a decade and was an active consultant as an Adult Infectious Disease Specialist from 2007 until July 2015. He has also once served as the Officer-in-Charge of the Laboratory Research Division from 2007 to 2009. Apart from these, Dr. Macalalad also served in the academe as a part-time associate Professor at the De La Salle Health Science Institute-College of Medicine from January 1994 to June 2015. He has authored papers on drug resistance surveillance, clinical research on flu, meningococcal and varicella zoster vaccine and other researches.
Dr. Macalalad took his bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and his master’s degree in Public Health at the University of The Philippines-College of Public Health. He earned his medical degree at the De La Salle Health Science Institute.
MA TERESA G. CRISTOBAL
OIC Chief, Administrative Division
Ms. Ma. Teresa Cristobal currently serves as the Institute’s as the OIC Chief Administrative Officer.
Prior to becoming OIC Administrative Division Chief, Ms. Cristobal served as the Head of Human Resource Department (HRD), spearheading activities and innovations of the HRD including the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) Level II Accreditation of the Institute.
With her new role as the OIC Chief Administrative Officer, Ms. Cristobal provides instructional leadership to the department heads and supervises the planning and implementation of the activities of the Administrative Division such as logistics (facilities, equipment and materials) management, information technology development and maintenance, documented information management, human resource management and development, and general administrative support services.
Ms. Cristobal earned her Master’s degree in Management at the Philippine Christian University (PCU).
ELMER M. HERRERA JR., CPA
Chief, Finance Service Division
As the Chief Finance Officer, Mr. Herrera supervises the activities of the Finance Service Division. He directly assists the Director on all strategic and tactical matters concerning the Institute’s budget management, cost benefit analysis, forecasting needs, and funding sources. He also manages the Institute’s compliance with the financial policies and procedures mandated by the government.
Prior to his appointment as Chief of the Finance Service Division, Mr. Herrera was Chief of the Hospital Operations and Patient Support Service (HOPSS) at the Western Visayas Sanitarium, where he was also an Executive Committee member.
Mr. Herrera earned his Masters degree in Business Management at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV). He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and is a member of the Government Association of Certified Public Accountants (GACPA), Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), and Registered Financial Planners (RFP) Philippines.