How One Woman Heals Hearts and Souls: GIVEN Mentor Dr. Myma Albayda

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” – Mark 2:17

Three-time GIVEN mentor, Dr. Myma Albayda sees her role as a physician to serve both a person’s body and soul. Dr. Albayda says, “I see myself as participating in the healing ministry. While I had always known I wanted to become a doctor and happily pursued this with a sense of vocation, the awareness that He (Christ) was calling me to the mission of healing bodies and souls came in a striking way years into my practice.” As an academic rheumatologist, Dr. Albayda is the Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Program and an Associate Professor of Medicine at John Hopkins University. Her love of God, her medical practice, and mentoring young women has helped Dr. Albayda become the woman she knows that she was meant to be.

Dr. Albayda was born and raised in the Philippines to a loving family that helped her form a solid identity. She earned her M.D. at the University of Santo Tomas in 2005 and then went to the United States to do her residency in Internal Medicine at New York Downtown Hospital in New York City. Afterwards, she went on to specialize in rheumatology, “I was drawn to Rheumatology because every time we had cases in the hospital that were unusual or could not be readily explained, it usually turned out to be rheumatologic or autoimmune in nature. I was fascinated by the mystery solving aspect of it.” After completing her fellowship at Johns Hopkins University she stayed on as faculty.

Dr. Albayda’s profession in medicine is deeply connected to Christ’s role as the “Divine Physician.” Dr. Albayda reflects:

“I see that a return to wholeness involves the integration of our body, mind and spirit and He (Christ) wants me to deal with all of it. He has slowly revealed these layers to me and deepened my own sense of vocation as Healer, in parallel with my own maturing relationship with Him as the Source of all healing.”

Dr. Albayda’s career in medicine has brought her closer to Christ:

“Medicine has given me a much deeper appreciation for life and the brilliance of God. When you begin to study the human body and see the order as well as complexity of it all, you gain a deep respect for the creator. We simply cannot will ourselves to health, and it is truly a gift that things work well. At the same time, the practice of medicine itself is challenging as it requires a lot of cognitive synthesis, experiential knowledge, but also has an emotional load because of the nature of the entrusting relationship. It has taught me in a very practical way to depend on God who alone can provide me with both the answers and the help I need for the person in front of me. I am constantly calling on the Holy Spirit to give me light, and to work through me.”

In addition to teaching her students at John Hopkins University, Dr. Albayda has mentored several women over the course of three GIVEN forum cycles in 2021, 2022, and 2024. She sees overlap between her career as a professor and as a GIVEN mentor as explains:

“Mentoring involves a whole host of things, which can be educating, guiding, supporting. Personally, my ethos has always been a focus on whole-person development rather than simply academic or scholarly progress. This is very similar to the role of a GIVEN mentor, where you journey with someone as they bring forth their action plan, but also through all that life brings their way. We are there to support, encourage, pray for, provide connections and whatever is needed in that year.”

Dr. Albayda notes that mentoring each GIVEN alumna is a unique experience and she has learned to be flexible as God works in their lives and through the action plans. She even admits that some of her mentees’ action plans have brought her out of her comfort zone like guest speaking on an episode of the “The Feminine Genus” podcast – her GIVEN mentee Kathryn Butcher’s podcast series about Catholics working in the science field. She also mentored GIVEN ’22 alumna Annie Schuler who published, Women of All Seasons, a book on the symbolism of the menstrual cycle.

To learn more about Dr. Albayda and how she uses all her God-given gifts in life, watch her talk for the GIVEN Institute. Additionally, please pray for her as participates in the 2026 GIVEN Forum as a mentor once again!