Dr. Ronnie E. Baticulon is a pediatric neurosurgeon at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila, Philippines. He also teaches neuro anatomy at the College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, where he obtained his medical degree cum laude in 2008. Ron completed his neurosurgery residency training at the Philippine General Hospital in 2014, after which, he spent a year at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia for his pediatric neurosurgery fellowship. He trained further for six weeks at the Cure Children’s Hospital in Mbale, Uganda, learning about ETV+CPC for the treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus.
Baticulon’s experiences as a pediatric neurosurgeon around the world have allowed him to witness, first-hand, the disparities in surgical care between high-income and low-to middle-income countries. Back home, he treats children mostly with congenital malformations and brain tumors. His research work is focused on determining the global burden of neurosurgical disease, examining surgical care systems, and identifying barriers to neurosurgical care. He hopes that the Master’s degree in Global Child Health from St. Jude will equip him with the knowledge and skills to help improve access to essential neurosurgery, particularly for children, in the Philippines and throughout Southeast Asia.
In 2018, Baticulon won second prize for English essay at the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Philippines’ longest-running literary competition. His first book entitled, “Some Days You Can’t Save Them All” was published by the University of the Philippines Press. A national bestseller, it collected his stories from medical school and neurosurgery training, and was named a finalist at the 2021 Philippine National Book Awards and for the 21st Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award.
Baticulon also serves as a member of the executive board of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery and on the board of the global neurosurgery section of the journal Neurosurgery.
Hometown: Manila, Philippines
Education
MD – College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila (2008)
Neurosurgery Residency – Philippine General Hospital (2014)
Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship – The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia