Dr. Consolacion Ragasa, Prolific Natural Products Chemist-Researcher and Well-Loved Professor; 65

The Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP) mourns with the country’s scientific community on the passing of Dr Consolacion Y. Ragasa, prolific researcher in the field of natural products chemistry and well-loved university professor and colleague. She passed away on 14 April 2021 at the age of 65.

Dr Ragasa devoted her life and career to the isolation and structure elucidation of the chemical constituents found in Philippine plants, some of which were named after her. Her research papers have been published in local and international scientific journals; to date, 238 of them are published in SCOPUS-indexed journals, making her one of the country’s most productive researchers. She also served as a member of the editorial board of The Scientific World Journal; Pharmacologia; Advances in Biomedicine and Pharmacy; Journal of Pharmaceutics; American Journal of Life Sciences; Journal of Botanics, Targets and Therapy; Philippine Science Letters; Philippine Journal of Science; and the Manila Journal of Science.

Dr Ragasa obtained her BS (1977), MS (1983), and PhD (1990) degrees in chemistry from the University of the Philippines Diliman. She served as full professor at the Chemistry Department of De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila where she taught undergraduate and graduate chemistry courses, particularly in organic chemistry and structure elucidation, and where she conducted her research and mentored hundreds of chemistry majors as their research adviser. In 2000 she was conferred by DLSU as a University Fellow, a title bestowed to its faculty members in recognition of their teaching and research, and was the first Pioneering Research Professor at DLSU’s Science and Technology Complex in Laguna. At the time of her passing, she was an adjunct professor at the department.

In recognition of her dedication to research, Dr Ragasa received numerous accolades, most notably: the Pillar of Lasallian Excellence Award in Research (2013), National Research Council of the Philippines Achievement Award in Chemical Research (2003), Philippine Federation of Chemistry Societies Achievement Award in Chemical Research (2002), and St. Miguel Febres Cordero Research Award (2000). She had also received annual recognitions from DLSU for her commendable teaching performance, achievements in research and publication, and various roles and capacities in local and international scientific organizations.

The ICP offers its prayers for the passing on of Dr Ragasa, her mother Elena, and brother Jose. May they rest in the Peace of our Lord. We also wish to convey our condolences to the Ragasa family and the De La Salle community.

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The Philippine Federation of Chemistry Societies, the umbrella organization of chemistry societies in the country, is sponsoring a mass for the late Dr Consolacion Ragasa. This will held on 21 April 2021 (Wednesday), 12:00PM and will be livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/LSPOManila

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