About Us
The Philippine Medical Society of Northern California (PMSNC), a non-profit organization registered as a 501(c)(3), is staffed by volunteer Filipino-Americans practitioners from the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding areas. Founded in 1972, its mission originally was to foster fellowship among Filipino physicians and to provide charitable assistance to underprivileged Bay Area residents.
The society's membership is primarily made up of healthcare professionals living in the four "regions" of the Bay Area: San Francisco/San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda/Contra Costa, and Napa/Solano/Monterey. The organization elects twenty officers every two years.
The specific and primary purposes of PMSNC are:
- To unite and promote closer personal and professional relationships and better understanding among the members and other medical societies.
- To encourage continued professional growth and development of the members through continuing medical education (CME) activities.
- 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.
- 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 conducts monthly gatherings that feature an educational lecture, followed by a general membership and board of directors meeting. There are eight permanent 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
More Education Grants
A perpetual Scholarship Endowment Trust Fund was established and since then, has been the main source for funding for all scholarships.
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.
Medical Mission On Hold
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the annual medical mission to the Philippines to be halted for two consecutive years. In 2023, the 35th medical mission resumed in Pangasinan.
Golden Anniversary
Amid a global pandemic, PMSNC decided to hold a commemoration event to celebrate the society's 50th anniversary.