INTERVIEW WITH AN ACHIEVER
by Ulysses V. Espartero
LEONILA M. OCAMPO
Exemplary Leader
Her passion to help others and share what she knows needs to be shared has set this extraordinary lady to the path of leadership in both national and international scenes.
Ocampo is currently serving her first term as the National President of the Philippine Pharmacists Association. She is also the President of Asia Pacific Institute of Medication Management, Inc. (APIMM).
She holds memberships in the Council of the Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Association (FAPA), the Council of the Federacion Internaionale Pharmaceutique (FIP), the Steering Committee for Community Pharmacy of FIP and the Team Formulating the Quality Indicators for the Standards of Good Pharmacy Practice of FIP.
She’s a resource person of the FIP-WHO Pharmacy Education Task Force and a member of the Honorary fellows of the Hongkong Academy of Pharmacy. She is also a member of the Advisory Council for Price Regulation now the Advisory Council for Healthcare of the Department of Health (DOH).
With her are her dedicated staff. “I handle them as human beings but clear with what I am and the organization we are in are expecting from them. I advocate open communication, good or bad, to all my staff as I am a believer that no problem exists with no solution if only it is recognized and talked about.”
NATIONAL REFORMS
Midway to her presidency of the 40,000 strong PPhA, Ocampo believes she has achieved what seems to be impossible.
She reported that very recently they have just finished the preparation of the Operations Manual developed based on the newly launched revised PPhA Purpose, Vision, Mission and Core Values. This will be used by all Chapters for all the Pharmacists to be one in working to improve their services and correspondingly improve the Image of the Pharmacy Profession in the country. The revised Purpose, Vision and Mission was an output of the PPhA Officers, Board of Directors, Chapter and Affiliate Presidents and Committee Chairs strategic planning early this year.
“We are also busy in the hearings both in the upper and lower houses for the Pharmacy bills which when passed will replace R.A. 5921 or the Philippine Pharmacy Law.”
For her, one very important challenge have is to find effective strategies to improve the Image of the Pharmacists and the Pharmacy Profession in the Country; how we can make people understand that there are more that the pharmacists can do to help them get the best benefits from their medications and not just as a supplier of their medications.
Needless to say but a day in her life is an opportunity to be of great service. “I am busy pushing my advocacy to improve the Pharmacy services in the country all for the benefit of the patients who are not getting what they are due from the pharmacists who are supposed to be their medication managers that will ensure optimum health outcomes from the medication they are taking.”
“And for me to be always able to share what I know to anyone I come in contact with, most especially to my fellow pharmacists, fellow health care practitioners and most of all, the people who use medicines to preserve their life.”
Prior to her assumption of the presidency, she was a member of the Board of Directors of PPhA. She also served as chair of the committees on community service and the continuing professional development, member of the Selection and Awards Committee and Editor-in-Chief of the Hygeian.
AS A PHARMACIST
Leonie is a dedicated pharmacist and became involved in various areas of practice having been the Area Manager of Rose Pharmacy, a consultant of Nikken Sohonsha Japan, a consultant for Pharmacy Management Services of the United Laboratories, a faculty member of the University of San Carlos, the Dean of the College of Pharmacy of the Southwestern University, the Vice President for Operations of Manson Drug and MedExpress Drugstores and Vice President for Pharmacy Management Services and Business Development of Argent Business Consultants and Stores Specialist.
She loves innovations. While in MedExpress, she worked with the team that introduced innovative changes in the community pharmacy services advocating the professional role of the pharmacists in ensuring medication safety of patients.
As a strong advocate for continuous improvement, she pursued short-term post graduate studies like Basic Drug Store Management, Change Management, School Accreditation Process, Malcolm Baldridge Quality Assessment Process, Instructional Module Development, Distance Education and Learning, Facilitation Process and Supervisory Skills Training. For Leonie, learning is a lifetime process.
AS AN EDUCATOR
Leonie initiated curricular changes in the college where she served as Dean and facilitated the inclusion of students’ internship into the B.S. Pharmacy curriculum. She was an active member of the Committee Developing Competency Standards for Pharmacy Education and a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Health Profession Educators of the Philippines. She co-authored the book, Pharmacy Economic, Administration and Accounting and the module, Optimum Health Outcomes Through Medication Safety and many other modules for the trainings of drug store owners, pharmacy managers, pharmacists and pharmacy assistants. This was in coordination with the UP College of Pharmacy, the Philippine Society of Pharmacists, the Philippine General Hospital and United Laboratories, Inc.
RECOGNIZED EXPERT
If she’s not busy with work, she goes out with her children either out of town or out of the country. Yes, she travels a lot by giving seminars and workshops.
She is a regular speaker of the Continuing Education Seminars of the PPhA, the Mindanao Federation of Pharmaceutical Association (MINFEPHA), the Philippine Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (PACOP), the Drug Store Association of the Philippines (DSAP), the Philippine Society of Hospital Pharmacists (PSHP), the Community Pharmacists of the Philippines (CPAP) and other professional organizations of pharmacists here and abroad like the FIP, the FAPA, the Asian Conference on Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), Asian Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (ASP) and the International Pharmacy Student Federation (IPSF). She is also a lecturer and the spokesperson of the Safe Medicine Network (SMN), the Samahan Laban sa Pekeng Gamot, a lecturer of the Pfizer Pharmacists LEADS and the Unilab Medical Education Division (UMED).
PHOTOGRAPHIC MIND
Leonie was a consistent honor student and graduated Valedictorian. She was a recipient of the Gerry Roxas Leadership Award, Gold Medals for Academic Excellence, Proficiency in Mathematics, Science and English and Food Preservation.
She finished her B.S. Pharmacy, Cum Laude from the University of San Carlos in 1979 and placed 8th in the Pharmacy Licensure Exams given in the same year. She obtained her Master of Science in Pharmacy from the Centro Escolar University and Master of Arts in Teaching Sciences from Southwestern University. She is also a candidate for the degree, Doctor of Education major in Educational Management. She was tagged by some of her classmates especially in the graduate school as a person with a “photographic mind.”
INSPIRING FAMILY
In all her undertakings, Ocampo stressed that her parents and her family inspire her to do projects. Her family lives a simple life and is very supportive. The second of the ten children of Epitacio Macuto and Vicenta Selos of Cantandog 2, Hilongos, Leyte.
Her father who is a public servant was a great influential factor. “He is very kind and loving. He is loved by the people in our place.” Many says she’s a duplicate of her mother, strong and strict yet kind. This makes her unique – being strong as a woman who never believes in the impossible.
She’s married to an engineer, Salvador V. Ocampo, Jr., whom she describes as “very strong-willed, strict but kind” and has always been very supportive of her. Their four children – 3 boys and one girl all excel in their respective studies. The eldest son is graduating in the College of Law, the second is an Architect who is now working as an Interior Designer in Singapore, the third is a girl who is in her Junior Year in High School, she is a good writer and the youngest is in Grade 7 who is also a good Soccer player.
“My day is always with the hope that my husband, sons and daughter will be in the best of health and excel where they are.”
BRINGING OUT THE BEST
But wherever she is, she says her secret is simple “I just live each day giving my best.” Just like President Cory Aquino, her all-time great Filipino leader, she always believe in the power of doing coupled with prayers. She looks up to Abraham Lincoln who never know what is “surrender.”
She thanks God for she has no serious frustrations in life yet. “I don’t smoke and I haven’t tried any that I know will not give me any positive beneficial effect.” But when things go wrong, she does not believe in an escape. “I stay where I normally should be.”
Her life is an open book. “I am very open as a person. I say what I need to even if it may hurts.” She handles bad publicity as a normal thing to happen. “I don’t allow it to affect me as I am a believer that if you are doing well and right, no amount of bad publicity will destroy you. Any bad publicity anyway will just fade away if not given focus and attention too. The TRUTH will always prevail anyway.
And so, for the young professionals, her advice: “Just bring out the best in you and be open to learn, one can go a long way.”
She was recognized many times for her achievements. She was conferred the Outstanding Alumnae Award of the College of Pharmacy, University of San Carlos. The Centro Escolar University also gave her the Alumni Achiever Award and the Centennial Award. She was also a recipient of the ISHIDATE Award as the Outstanding Pharmacist in the Community Practice given by the Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Association.
But above all these things, what is important is everything given to her by God. She’s happy. “I am contented with what I have and is able to do what I think I should, so what else would I ask to be happy. God has provided me what I need.”
