DR. TRINIDAD Palad-Trinidad of the UST Graduate School passed away on Sept. 17, 2020. She was 73 years old.
She died due to pulmonary embolism or a blood clot in the lung, according to her family and family doctor Irene Ubungen.
Trinidad, an alumna of the College of Science, received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1968. She also taught food science at the UST Graduate School.
She became a career scientist at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) in 2002.
From 2004 to 2006, she served as nutrition scientist at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a United Nations agency conducting studies on nuclear energy.
She was a recipient of the Outstanding Chemist Award from the Professional Regulation Commission in 2007 and the Achievement Award for Research in the Medical Sciences from the National Research Council of the Philippines in 2012 for her work in the field of chemistry. She was also awarded the DOST-FNRI Award of Recognition.
Trinidad’s studies on iron absorption from Filipino food and regional meals were used as basis for the development of the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake for Filipinos in 1989, 2002 and 2014. She was also one of the authors of a study on nutrition and obesity among Asian youth, published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2011.
She was active in government projects on food and health, contributing in projects including “The Technical Working Group on Functional Foods,” “The Technical Review Committee for the Clinical Practice Guidelines on Prevention,” “Diagnosis and Management of Osteoporosis in the Philippines,” and “The Body Composition Studies.”
In 2008, Trinidad was an Outstanding Thomasian Alumni awardee for Science and Technology.
“She’s a very loving sibling, mother and grandmother in the household. I may just a niece but she treated me like a princess, and moments with her won’t be forgotten,” her niece, Jessica Trinidad told the Varsitarian.
“She is very dedicated to her work, very detail-oriented and works for excellence. She doesn’t just work, she genuinely takes it seriously and makes sure that her studies may benefit all, that’s why she is very well-known,” she said.
Priscilla Samonte, a former student of Trinidad, said in a Facebook post, “[She was] my mentor who has given so much and loved and inspired so many.”
Lucila Bance, a fellow professor and former director of the Counseling and Career Center at the University, said Trinidad was “a very compassionate person, a caring friend. May she rest in peace in the loving arms of Blessed Mama Mary in God’s kingdom.”
Her remains were interred at the Loyola Memorial Park in Parañaque on Sept. 20, 2020.
