Dr Maria Asuncion A. Silvestre is the Founding President of Kalusugan ng Mag-Ina (KMI), a nonprofit NGO dedicated to promoting and supporting the health of the motherchild

dyad through health policy development, research, capacity development and program implementation. Dr Silvestre completed advanced training in Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine at the Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University, Michigan. She played a key role in designing a newborn health care protocol EINC or Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care, first piloted in Philippine government hospitals. With the WHO WPRO (Western Pacific Office), EINC has since been implemented in at least 28 other countries as Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC) - better known by the name Unang Yakap (First Embrace).

In 2023, she was awarded the United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize for her work in Unang Yakap and breastfeeding promotion, support and protection. As a 2023 WHO Laureate she joins the ranks of Hillary Clinton, the Queen of Jordan, the Gates

Foundation and other notable personages. She was appointed to the Congressional Educational Commission 2 in March of 2024, as Point Person for Health of the Standing Committee on Early Child Care and Development (ECCD) and Basic Education. Her

other pro bono positions include membership in the WHO WPRO Independent Review Group on EENC, Smile Train’s Global Medical Advisory Board and Research and Innovation Advisory Council and the Technical Working Group on Maternal and

Newborn Health of the Philippines DOH.