A Dedicated and Nurturing Academician and Passionate, Selfless Mental Health Advocate
A proud and fulfilled mother to both her children and students, OWL Rufina Calub-Abul, affectionately called Rona by most, is an epitome of service.
Dr. Abul’s commitment to community service dates back to the 1990s. Her initial involvement as a Nursing graduate was in community health relief work for the severely affected communities in Baguio and Benguet after the 1990 killer earthquake that greatly damaged the City of Baguio. In 1991, she was again part of the team that conducted Psychosocial debriefing at evacuation centers like in San Marcelino, Zambales, during the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Since then, Dr. Rona has ceaselessly served the people of Baguio and the Cordilleras through numerous selfless acts aimed at improving the lives of children, youth, women, and the general populace. She has provided psychological first aid during calamities and disasters such as the 2009 Typhoon Pepeng, the 2014 Yolanda Storm, the 2018 Ompong landslide, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mental health problems have become a growing concern in the 21st century. In response to this challenge and her desire to do more, Dr. Rona decided to specialize in Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing. This expertise enables her to serve as a nurse therapist to clients suffering from various psychosocial problems, conduct psychotherapy, especially for adolescents who are victims of sexual abuse, and engage in various mental health advocacy efforts by conducting seminars in schools and communities in the City of Baguio and the CAR region. She also serves as a Crisis Intervener and is engaged in Psychosocial Processing. To extend the scope of service to the community, she collaborated with other Mental Health advocates and became instrumental in the foundation of the Anxiety and Depression Support Group of Baguio.
Living up to Saint Louis University’s mission of being “A Light of the North,” she chose not to join the bandwagon of nurses with lucrative careers overseas. Instead, she dedicates herself to molding caring and excellent nurses. She exemplifies “mission et excellence” (mission and excellence) in all responsibilities and undertakings vested upon her, which has earned her the “Exemplary Performance Award” as a faculty of the School of Nursing annually from 2008 to the present. She is well-loved by her students, and the 2018 batch awarded her the “Anastacia Giron Tupaz Award” – a testament to her leadership in nursing.
A woman who sees opportunities in difficulties, a dedicated and nurturing academician, a passionate and selfless nurse and mental health care provider; our outstanding woman leader for 2024, Dr. Rufina C. Abul. By Malaya Hagiyoh with Rufina Abul