Sary Valenzuela
Class of 2026
Dr. Sary Valenzuela is a public health physician and environmental health specialist, advocating for holistic, inclusive environmental health and climate change policy development and action planning. Under the Ateneo School of Medicine of Medicine and Public Health – Center for Research and Innovation, she has led several national-level projects, including the creation of the Philippine 5-year One Health Agenda, National Environmental Health Action Plan 2030, and the National Action Plan to Combat Anti-microbial Resistance 2023-2028. Her commitment to translatable research generation has also led to the investigation of several overlooked environmental issues in the Philippines, such as arsenic groundwater contamination, climate change-dengue incidence projections, and household covid waste management, whose results have guided government policy planning and management efforts.
She also served as the Marketing Director and is currently a board member of One Million Lights Philippines, a non-profit organization that provides solar energy to off-grid communities with little to no access to electricity. She coordinated and organized 10+ on-site distributions, providing 1000+ solar lights to several geographically-isolated provinces, and built the organization’s digital presence and social media community from ground up in less than one year.
Dr. Valenzuela received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of the Philippines, graduating magna cum laude, and her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center. She joins the Georgetown University Master in Global Human Development Class of 2026 as the next recipient of the Fr. Bienvenido Nebres Scholarship.
She is also a professional recording artist and songwriter, published with Warner Music Philippines.