The Visionary Shaping Philippine Healthcare
Jacqueline Ciron Angeles
Chief Operating Officers
Healthway FEU-NRMF Medical Center
The Visionary Shaping Philippine Healthcare
Jacqueline Ciron Angeles
Chief Operating Officers
Healthway FEU-NRMF Medical Center
Jacqueline Ciron Angeles - Asia's Best COOs 2025
From the moment she accompanied her family on community advocacies and health initiatives, Dr Jacqueline Ciron Angeles felt the pull of medicine—not just as a science, but as a calling. Those early experiences on medical missions planted the seeds of a lifelong commitment to healing and human connection, shaping a career that seamlessly blends clinical mastery with visionary leadership. She honed her expertise in ENT head and neck surgery, completing a specialised fellowship in facial reconstructive surgery at the University of Amsterdam. Returning to the Philippines, she became a fellow of both the Philippine Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and the Philippine College of Surgeons, cementing her reputation as a clinician of valuable distinction. In 2015, an immersive leadership programme with the Unilab Foundation revealed another dimension of her potential: healthcare administration. Since then, Dr Jacqueline has built an extraordinary bridge between medicine and management, earning an MBA in Health Management from Ateneo, an Executive Master’s in Disaster Risk and Crisis Management from the Asian Institute of Management, Harvard Medical School’s Leadership in Medicine Southeast Asia programme, and a Diploma in Organisational Leadership from the University of Oxford Saïd Business School. Her executive journey began as Chief Medical Officer at The Medical City Clark, where she led the COVID-19 Task Force, navigating unprecedented challenges with resilience and collaboration. Dr Jacqueline then advanced to Hospital Director and CEO at St Camillus Healthcare Institutions, steering multiple facilities to national and international recognition for operational excellence. Dr Jacqueline received multiple international and local recognitions for leadership in medicine, such as the Excellence Award CEO of the Year by the Asian Hospital Management Awards (2023), Inspirational Executive in Asia by the Asian Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Award (2024), Outstanding Hospital Administrator by the Philippine College of Hospital Administrators (2025), Asia’s Pinnacle Leader of Excellence in Medicine and Leadership by Asia’s Pinnacle Awards (2025) and the Most Influential Filipina Woman in the World Award (Global FWN 100) 2025. Since August 2025, as COO of Healthway FEU-NRMF Medical Center under AC Health, Dr Jacqueline oversees one of the country’s apex hospitals while maintaining her clinical practice. Her leadership philosophy—anchored in collaboration, co-creation, and people-centred governance—drives operational innovation, crisis resilience, and pioneering patient-care programmes, demonstrating that healthcare, at its best, is both expertly delivered and deeply human. Dr Jacqueline shared her journey exclusively with TradeFlock.
How do you ensure seamless coordination among clinical teams, medical trainees, and support staff?
At Healthway FEU-NRMF Medical Center, we integrate clinical teams, medical students, and hospital staff into a cohesive ecosystem through Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP). This begins with a shared mental model, where standardised huddles and multidisciplinary ward rounds ensure closed-loop communication, and clearly defined roles empower students to contribute meaningfully under supervision. We also foster a culture of mutual respect and collaboration, bridging the gap between academic and operational teams, promoting open communication, and emphasising that every task serves the hospital’s larger mission of delivering quality, compassionate care. Finally, students are active contributors, engaged in patient coordination, quality improvement, and operational feedback loops. By embedding collaboration as both an operational standard and cultural value, we ensure that Healthway FEU-NRMF Medical Center excels as a high-performing hospital while nurturing world-class medical talent.
Can you share a major operational challenge you faced managing a Level 3 hospital and how you overcame it?
One of our most complex challenges was launching the Cardiovascular Surgery (CVOR) Program, particularly open-heart surgery, amidst a “silo of fear and inertia”. Years of prior negative outcomes created resistance and mistrust among doctors, nurses, and support staff, compounded by knowledge asymmetry; some specialists were confident, while other stakeholders feared gaps in expertise, equipment, and readiness. Each unit perceived risks through its own lens, resulting in fragmented ownership. To address this, I applied bridging leadership and co-creation: open dialogues validated fears, anchored the purpose to our Care Beyond Cure philosophy, and fostered shared ownership. Preop conferences, alignment talks, and structured training bridged knowledge gaps and clarified roles. Over six months, this transformed the culture, building trust, cohesion, and accountability. The programme launched successfully, achieving a 100% full recovery rate for initial procedures, proving that collaboration and purpose-driven leadership are as critical as clinical expertise.
In practice, how do you encourage your teams to embody the “Care Beyond Cure” philosophy?
“Care Beyond Cure” at Healthway FEU-NRMF Medical Center is about transforming every patient interaction into a compassionate, human-centred experience. We go beyond treating disease to addressing emotional, social, and psychological needs. Staff are trained to recognise distress, remove barriers, and ensure dignity, whether through a comforting word, thoughtful guidance, or helping navigate social challenges. I lead by example, connecting teams to humanitarian initiatives and community outreach, showing that healthcare extends beyond hospital walls. Students and staff participate in medical missions, witnessing firsthand the profound impact of empathy and service. Sustainability and staff wellness are equally vital, ensuring those who care for others are themselves supported. By embedding these values into daily operations, we cultivate a culture where excellence in medical care is inseparable from compassion, and every action reflects our commitment to healing lives holistically.
How do you prepare your teams to stay resilient amid rapid change in healthcare?
Preparing teams for rapid change begins with building resilience before introducing new systems or technology. I ensure everyone understands the “why” behind each transformation—how it enhances patient care and aligns with our mission. Psychological safety and staff wellness are priorities, so teams feel supported, not threatened, by change. Operationally, agility is embedded through Lean Six Sigma reviews, cross-functional real-time coordination and constant feedback loops. These practices enable teams to adapt swiftly, collaborate effectively, and maintain a seamless patient journey amid rising expectations.
