DR. Mildred A. Padilla’s dedication to her chosen career may very well serve as an example for the younger generation. She’s a proof that a Filipino public servant can be both competent and moral.
“VetMed [veterinary medicine] is not limited to taking care of small animals, though that’s where the money is,” Padilla said, when asked regarding veterinary medicine as a career option for young people.
She added partly in Filipino: “Three-fourths of human infections are animal-derived. Veterinarians have a big role in that field, along with the medical and other professionals, who would work toward human health.”
Padilla has been teaching at the Department of Veterinary Paraclinical Sciences of the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of the Philippines for over three decades. She specializes in animal welfare, disease prevention and food safety.
Her years in the field have taught her that veterinary is not a profession confined to cute animals and caring for them. It could be a field that may require certain boldness, courage and tact. It’s one profession where one can actually make a difference.
There are some risks involved, though these can be manageable, such as exposure to on-site hazards. One could also be in danger of accidentally stumbling on some findings, in the course of doing one’s research, that can raise some questions or cast some doubts to ongoing or past projects, programs or practices.
One’s ethics and courage may have to be summoned at such instances. But despite these caveats, Padilla believes that she finally found the merit of why God has put her where she is now.
“I was asking myself why I had to be a doctor of animals, when my concerns have always been humans. It eventually dawned on me that my place is exactly this, in veterinary medicine, so I could bridge the gap between animals and humans. For instance, I am doing risk assessment on animals so they will be safe for human consumption,” she explained.
While she specializes in animal diseases and welfare, Padilla’s principle is that one cannot limit oneself to animals.
“We have to go beyond the animals. We have to look at how these animals are affecting human beings. After all, we are here because of humans.” She said partly in Filipino: “I believe that animals are for humans. If the animals are healthy, humans are also healthy because it is from the animals that humans get food.”
While she respects opposing views on the matter, her personal crusade is more on prevention than cure of diseases.
As such, the National Research Council of the Philippines has tapped her to talk before children about antirabies campaign and dog-bite prevention. She has also been very active in reviewing researches. These are just some of the activities that allow her to learn and impart learning.
There are two things in her profession that give her a sense of fulfillment: One is community engagement, where she gets the opportunity to talk with farmers; and mentoring, where she gets to impart some of her values to her students.
“I always tell them that they have to do research that has impact on farmers because we are not here to get promoted or to get rich. We have to help our farmers and, if possible, let’s provide our services here in the Philippines,” she said in Filipino. Among the relevant researches that she’s come across, she cited those whose results helped identify certain viruses that may either assist or hinder animal reproduction.
She also participated in assessments of animals, such as tests for foot-and-mouth disease and food safety of certain batches of imported meat. Researches and assessments are crucial for farmers, animal breeders and the food industry, especially sectors that involve animal meat, dairy and eggs.
Indeed, Padilla is a woman of science whose love for dogs and plants equals her love for this nation—she loves to see all these grow in equal measure, with proper nurturing.
But there’s another facet of this tough lady. Surprisingly, she is hesitant being labeled a scientist. Upon learning that she’s going to be interviewed for the Filipino scientists series of the Philippine Men and Women of Science web site, she mulled, “I am not scientist enough,” basing on the strict definition of the word “scientist”. She explained that, for her, there are people who by far are more worthy of the title.
But Padilla is a Filipino scientist by heart and by profession, and she’s definitely deserving of the title.
S&T Media Service
Image credits: PH