Aslama Alauya-Lamping, MD, FPCP, FPCCP, FCCP | Leadership in Medicine: Southeast Asia
Aslama Alauya-Lamping, MD, FPCP, FPCCP, FCCP, is a pulmonary and internal medicine specialist physician based in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur in Mindanao, one of the main islands of the Philippines. She completed her medical education at Mindanao State University, followed by residency training at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute and fellowship training in pulmonary medicine at the University of the Philippines. In February 2024, Alauya-Lamping graduated from Harvard Medical School’s Leadership in Medicine: Southeast Asia certificate program.
Mother, Daughter, Doctor, and Business Owner
In addition to being a pulmonary and internal medicine clinician, Alauya-Lamping balances many responsibilities. She is the mother of twin daughters, the caretaker of her elderly parents, and the business owner of her practice. With the support of a few staff members, Alauya-Lamping treats patients in her community and manages the administrative needs of the business. Nearly all of her training has been clinical in nature, so leadership education has become increasingly appealing as her career has progressed.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alauya-Lamping worked as a clinician in the respiratory unit of the internal medicine department at Amai Pakpak Medical Center, the only tertiary hospital in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, and its neighboring cities and provinces. The local community relies on the organization to deliver safe, quality, and efficient health care.
Between training resident physicians, treating patients, and troubleshooting recurring operational challenges, Alauya-Lamping applied to Harvard Medical School’s Leadership in Medicine: Southeast Asia yearlong certificate program, and was accepted. “I realized that aside from being a clinician, I wanted to learn about leadership, solving problems, and managing teams,” she explains. The hybrid and flexible format of the program allowed Alauya-Lamping to continue her responsibilities at home while advancing her education.
The Leadership in Medicine: Southeast Asia certificate program offers essential leadership, management, and strategic-planning skills for health care personnel, with a specific focus on the Pacific region. With support and feedback from Harvard Medical School faculty, students complete a capstone project proposal to be utilized at their home organization. Alauya-Lamping’s capstone proposal focused on implementing lean principles to enhance patient outcomes by improving cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the general medicine ward of Amai Pakpak Medical Center.
“The process of developing this capstone proposal made me realize the many ways in which we can improve processes in any institution. Starting with a small scope, we can gradually expand until we cover a larger dimension by integrating all the smaller scopes. Creating my capstone proposal to address hospital issues was my favorite part of this course,” she says.
Recognition After Graduation
In February 2024, Alauya-Lamping traveled to Boston for the final in-person workshop of the course and the graduation ceremony. After completing the program with distinction, she was recognized by Harvard Medical School faculty as a top-three capstone project proposal author and received the Excellence Award for her team assignment.
Alauya-Lamping emphasizes that meeting classmates from around the world was one of the most fulfilling aspects of the program and that her cohort exceeded all expectations. In past academic assignments, she had difficulty trusting team members to deliver quality work on time. “I was thrilled to have the opposite experience during the Leadership in Medicine: Southeast Asia program,” she says. “After completing the program, I have come to appreciate the beauty of collaboration and learning from one another.”
Alauya-Lamping is a proud member of the Mëranaw tribe, a Muslim Filipino ethnic group native to the region around Lanao del Sur in Mindanao, known for their rich cultural heritage. The provincial government awards the Pride of Ranaw recognition to individuals who have brought pride to the Mëranaws through exceptional achievements and contributions. As the first Mëranaw pulmonologist in the area, Alauya-Lamping accepted this distinction soon after graduating from the Leadership in Medicine: Southeast Asia program. “I am so happy and grateful for my experience at Harvard Medical School, and my community is so thankful that I received this training,” she says.
In the months following graduation, Alauya-Lamping was assigned the responsibility of serving as the medical specialist supervisor of Station 8 at Amai Pakpak Medical Center. This station is a general medicine ward that typically handles more patients than its capacity, including critical cases when the intensive care unit is full. She has been implementing her capstone project and other learnings to improve efficiencies and patient outcomes within the station. “The training that I received in the Leadership in Medicine: Southeast Asia program added valuable context in my past roles,” she notes, “and it continues to do so in my current position.”