Philippine Society for Developmental
& Behavioral Pediatrics (PSDBP)
About Us
Mission
To lead in partnership with stakeholders in empowering families, advocating with community partners, and working towards a more accountable responsive society that nurtures, protects, and harnesses the full potential of our children.
Vision
We are professional society of developmental and behavioral pediatricians--child care advocates who are competent, compassionate and committed and to uplifting the quality of life of every Filipino child, especially children with special needs.
Our History
By: Jacqueline O. Navarro, MD, FPPS, FPSDBP, MClinEpid
It has been more than 20 years ago in September 1999 when a group of Developmental Pediatricians convened to organize a subspecialty society. They were the first practitioners in the field and the main purpose of the organization was to promote the science and art of Developmental Pediatrics. Fifteen (15) founding members set out to start the ball rolling for their group. Little did they know that the practice of Developmental Pediatrics would be in demand in the subsequent years as it needed to match the growing morbidity of neurodevelopmental disorders.
In July 2000 the organization was duly registered and approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a non-stock, non-profit corporation. The organization was named the Philippine Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (PSDBP). The Society was formally launched in November 2000 at EDSA Shangri-La, Manila in Mandaluyong City.
The PSDBP Founding Members
The Past and Present Presidents of the PSDBP
The PSDBP aimed to establish and maintain high standards of practice and expertise in the field of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The society sought to achieve this through the provision of comprehensive and competent care, establishment of linkages and through the support of research and advocacy programs. It did just that and more in the next 20 years.
The society’s logo embodied its vision and goals as an organization. It was designed in 1999 through the help of one of the founding members, Dr. Anna Maria Treichler. The child is in the center of the logo, signifying the main purpose of the Society which was to serve the child with special needs. The child is encased in an octagon which represented the multi-disciplinary approach to management. The year 2000 is seen on the bottom which is the year when the Society was formally established. The teal color was significant to the Society so it was chosen as the official color of PSDBP. Its color matched the Multidisciplinary Child and Adolescent Unit (MCAU) at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), which was the first office of the Society. This is also where the Developmental Pediatricians came up with the idea to join forces as a society.
The PSDBP Logo
The training programs in the field of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics have increased to 5 institutions already. The institutions offering Fellowship Training Programs in the field are: University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, The Medical City, De La Salle University Medical Center and National Children’s Hospital. There have been 8 batches of certification exams of new fellows since August 2004.
The Society is now on its 19th year and has definitely come a long way. There has been 8 Presidents so far. The constitution and by-laws of the Society mandate the holding of a biennial 2-day convention and a 1-day post-graduate course on the alternate years. Since then, there had been 9 Biennial Conventions all held in the Greater Manila area since September 2001. There had also been 8 post-graduate courses, 3 of which were held in Metro Manila and 5 were regional symposia held in Davao City, Clark Pampanga, Iloilo City, Laguna and Baguio City (Benguet). In December 2019, the Society hosted the Third Congress of the International Developmental Pediatrics Association. This was also the 10th Biennial Convention.