The Philippine College of Lifestyle Medicine (PCLM) honored Jeimylo de Castro, MD, FPARM, DrPH Candidate, DAABRM, RMSK, CIPS, FPSIPP, FNMSK, and AUP board member, with two distinctions recognizing his pioneering work and sustained contributions to Lifestyle Medicine in the Philippines. Dr. de Castro received the “Visionary Pioneer in Lifestyle Medicine” Award during the 10th PCLM Annual Conference Awards and Fellowship Night on September 30, 2026, at Quest Hotel, Clark, Pampanga.

He has also been selected for conferment as an Honorary Fellow in Preventive and Lifestyle Medicine, recognizing his leadership and contributions to health promotion, disease prevention, and the advancement of Lifestyle Medicine.

The honors highlight a professional journey closely connected with Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) and Loma Linda University (LLU). In 2008, Dr. de Castro organized the Philippine Academy of Lifestyle Medicine (PALM), an early organization dedicated to advancing Lifestyle Medicine in the country. The initiative followed the establishment of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in 2004.

Dr. de Castro credits the late Dr. Everet Witzel of Loma Linda University for encouraging him to establish such an organization in the Philippines. Dr. Witzel had also served as a professor and consultant at AUP’s School of Health, creating a meaningful historical link between AUP, LLU, and the early development of organized Lifestyle Medicine in the Philippines.

Several years later, the movement that developed into today’s Philippine College of Lifestyle Medicine began in 2015, initially as the Philippine Organization of Lifestyle Medicine; subsequent historical accounts describe PCLM’s formal establishment in its later organizational form in 2019.

Dr. de Castro continues this commitment through advanced study at Loma Linda University School of Public Health, where he is currently a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) candidate in Preventive Care, with expected graduation in June 2027. His work integrates preventive care, Lifestyle Medicine, rehabilitation medicine, and health promotion—fields that resonate strongly with AUP’s longstanding emphasis on whole-person health.

The Visionary Pioneer Award and Honorary Fellowship recognize nearly two decades of Dr. de Castro’s involvement in the Philippine Lifestyle Medicine movement. They also underscore an enduring connection among AUP, Loma Linda University, and the advancement of preventive and Lifestyle Medicine in the Philippines—a legacy centered on helping people not merely treat disease but pursue healthier and more purposeful lives.