About Us

The Philippine Medical Society of Northern California is a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) organization run by volunteer Filipino medical practitioners from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Founded in 1972, it started as a social organization to encourage fellowship and philanthropy amongst Filipino physicians.

The society is composed of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, technologists, technicians and individuals with non-medical occupations. The organization is represented by the four "regions" of the Bay Area--San Francisco/San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda/Contra Costa, and Napa/Solano/Monterey. There are twenty officers that are elected biennially.

The specific and primary purposes of this organization are:

  1. To unite and promote closer personal and professional relationships and better understanding among the members and other medical societies.
  2. To encourage continued professional growth and development of the members through continuing medical education (CME) activities.
  3. To encourage qualified Filipino and Filipino-American students to pursue the medical profession and to provide financial assistance and other scholarship support to such students.
  4. To provide medical assistance to the elderly and indigent Filipino-Americans as well as other minority groups in the US and support medical-surgical missions.

The organization holds monthly meetings that include an educational lecture followed by general membership and board business meetings. There are eight standing committees: executive, membership, by-laws, continuing education, scholarship, medical missions, and inter-society relations.

PMSNC is run entirely by members and volunteers and operates purely on donations and the generosity of its supporters.

Timeline

  • 1972

    Established

    The Philippine Medical Society of Northern California (PMSNC) organization was founded by a small group of Filipino-American Physicians practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

  • 1973

    Inauguration

    The first elected officers were inducted at the March Inaugural Ball. This annual induction ceremony continued until year 2015, when the terms of the newly-elected officers were extended to two years. Since then, the inaugural ball has been held every two years.

  • 1975

    A Non-Profit Organization

    In October, the organization was officially certified by the State of California as a non-profit corporation with a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status.

  • 1986

    Programs Introduced

    PMSNC started monthly CME meetings that featured high-caliber medical professors as presenters. These CME meetings enabled PMSNC to obtain eight (8) years CME Accreditation.

    The first Medical-Surgical Mission to depressed area of Philippines was held.

    The Scholarship Award Program was established. The awards are given to 3-5 qualified Bay Area medical students of Filipino descent with financial needs.

  • 1990

    More Education Grants

    A perpetual Scholarship Endowment Trust Fund was established and since then, has been the main source for funding for all scholarships.

  • 2015

    Modernization

    An important By-laws amendment was made that expanded the Affiliate and Auxiliary Memberships to include Nurses and other healthcare professionals, volunteers and students.

    The PMSNC website was launched and all communications and functions, including meetings, social events and applications are now done online.