On August 8, 2025, Dr. Melvin Sanicas, recipient of the 2024 Pamana ng Pilipino Presidential Award, delivered a lecture at the Philippine Embassy in Vienna as part of the PACES Lecture Series, entitled A Filipino Journey in Science and Medicine: Reflections on Two Decades of Discovery, Innovation, and Impact.
PACES Vice President of External Affairs Nilsa Fischer coordinated the afternoon’s program, which began with a welcoming remark from PACES President, Dr. Jane Gerardo-Abaya who warmly welcomed the audience and outlined PACES’ mission. She also expressed gratitude to the Philippine Ambassador for her continuing support.
Her Excellency Evangelina Lourdes Arroyo-Bernas (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Austria) warmly expressed her strong support for PACES and its mission to advance education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as a vital element of nation-building. She praised the achievements of Filipino scientists, highlighting the presence of two Pamana ng Pilipino Presidential Awardees, Dr. Jane Gerardo-Abaya and Dr. Melvin J. Sanicas, as role models for the younger generation. In conclusion, she reaffirmed the Embassy’s commitment
to fostering collaboration between culture and science within the Filipino-Austrian community.
Dr. Efren Abaya, Director for Education Programme of PACES, introduced Dr. Melvin Sanicas highlighting his global contributions to health, immunology, and preventive medicine, including pivotal roles in vaccine development and pandemic preparedness. He praised Dr. Sanicas’ distinguished career, from his early recognition as the first Asian Global Health Fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to his leadership in addressing COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Two decades of discovery, innovation, and impact in science and medicine
Dr. Melvin Sanicas then took the audience on a compelling journey through two decades of discovery, innovation, and impact in science and medicine. In a talk that seamlessly blended personal narrative with scientific insight, Dr. Sanicas traced his path from childhood in Iloilo—where his mother’s unfulfilled dream of becoming a doctor inspired his own
ambition—through a career that has spanned multiple continents and some of the most
pressing public health challenges of our time.
His story began with an unexpected twist: after earning his medical degree in the Philippines, he faced repeated rejections for local positions. Rather than a setback, this became a turning point when a job posting led him to Singapore, where he worked as a regulatory scientist at the Ministry of Health. There, he was exposed to the global landscape of drug and vaccine development, seizing opportunities for advanced training in Europe. A chance friendship with Nobel laureate Sydney Brenner would shape his philosophy: never settle too soon, and always remain open to the wider world.
That openness brought him to Siena, Italy, where he specialized in vaccine immunology and contributed to the development of the meningitis B vaccine through “reverse vaccinology.” His career then took him to Seattle as the first Asian Global Health Fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he created the Collaboration for Tuberculosis Vaccine Development (CTVD) — a global network that fostered partnerships between researchers across continents. Several of these collaborations would later play a pivotal role in producing the first COVID-19 vaccines.
Throughout his talk, Dr. Sanicas reflected on the changing landscape of science over the last 20 years: the shift from siloed research to open international collaboration, the transformative potential of genomics and digital medicine, and the continuing importance of vaccines against long-standing threats such as tuberculosis. He also addressed the challenges
of communicating science in an era of misinformation, emphasizing the responsibility of scientists to tell clear, accessible stories.
Embracing change
His message to the audience was both pragmatic and inspiring: embrace change and unexpected opportunities, lead with purpose, and elevate others along the way. He urged young Filipinos to seek out their “Ikigai”—the intersection of passion, skill, societal need, and livelihood—and reminded them that Filipino scientists already contribute to breakthroughs on the global stage. Integrity, intellectual humility, and collaboration, he stressed, are as essential as technical expertise.
In closing, Dr. Sanicas offered a vision of Filipinos not just participating in, but shaping, the future of global innovation. His journey — marked by resilience, curiosity, and a commitment to public health — stood as both a testament to individual determination and a call to action for a new generation of scientists.
— By Franz Berner
Related Links:
Facebook post by Dr. Melvin Sanicas
Facebook post by PACES Member Sonia Zerrudo
Photo Gallery (Photos by R. Quevenco):
