Mae Alparaque-Corvera
Dr. Rumalie “Mae” Alparaque-Corvera, MD, DPAFP, FPSHPM is a Family Medicine and Palliative Medicine Specialist based in the Philippines. She is the Founding President and CEO of The Ruth Foundation for Palliative and Hospice Care and currently serves as President of the National Palliative and Hospice Care Council of the Philippines (Hospice Philippines). She is also affiliated with Asian Hospital and Medical Center, where she serves as Vice-Chair of the Department of Occupational and Family Medicine and heads the hospital’s Supportive and Integrative Care Services, which include palliative care, cancer support, and grief programs.
Dr. Corvera earned her medical degree from West Visayas State University College of Medicine and completed residency training in Family Medicine at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), where she later served as Chief Resident. She pursued subspecialty training in palliative and hospice care, including a clinical attachment at the National Cancer Centre Singapore-Department of Palliative Medicine, and obtained a Diploma in Palliative Medicine from the University of Wales, Cardiff. For over two decades, she has practiced hospice and palliative medicine across hospital, community, and home-based settings.
Her professional work centers on palliative care advocacy, education, and leadership formation. She is a past President of the Philippine Society of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PSHPM) and continues to serve on its Training and Advocacy Committee. Regionally, she has served on the 18th and 19th Councils of the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) and is was a member of its Education Committee. Internationally, she contributed to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Palliative Care Resource-Stratified Guideline Expert Panel and served as IAHPC Advocacy Focal Person for the Philippines.
Dr. Corvera has played key roles in national policy and systems development, including the National Policy on Palliative and Hospice Care, the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act, and the National Manual of Operations for Palliative and Hospice Care, where she served as a technical working group member and lead author. She is also a chapter author in the Philippine Textbook of Family Medicine and the Philippine Textbook of Internal Medicine. In 2023, she became one of the inaugural recipients of the Cynthia Goh Fellowship, supporting next-generation palliative care leaders in the Asia-Pacific region.
In recognition of her community-centered work, Dr. Corvera has received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service from West Visayas State University College of Medicine (2025) and the Most Valuable Physician Award for Community Service from Asian Hospital and Medical Center (2022).
She has been an IAHPC member since 2000 and remains committed to advancing equitable access to palliative care through advocacy, capacity-building, and leadership mentoring, particularly in low- and middle-income country settings.
Her work has been featured in CNN Philippines Profiles and The Philippine Star, highlighting community-based compassionate care initiatives.
Outside her professional work, Dr. Corvera is a mother of three and is married to Atty. Peter Irving Corvera. Together, they are actively involved in a family-run commercial farm enterprise that integrates training and community outreach, reflecting her broader commitment to sustainability, education, and community empowerment alongside compassionate care..