Josef de Guzman’s career at a large multinational in the Philippines was cut short by his psoriasis outbreak in 1996. His experience as a psoriasis patient then led him on a successful health advocacy path, focusing on epilepsy, cervical cancer, hemophilia and schizophrenia, amongst others. In 2005, Josef formed PsorPhil as an online support group for Filipinos. The group turned into the leading psoriasis organization in the Philippines, with over fifty chapters. Josef also founded PsorAsiaPacific, IFPA’s regional member in Asia as well as PSorAsiaMD: a pool of doctors in Asia-Pacific passionate on Psoriatic Disease. Josef has also mentored other countries in starting up patient organizations and given lectures on the patient perspective at medical congresses in Asia, the EU and the Middle East.

Josef is the Chair of the World Psoriasis Day Steering Committee. In 2013, Josef was part of the IFPA team that flew to Geneva to push for the Psoriasis Resolution at various permanent missions/offices and that resolution was eventually approved by the WHA in 2014.