Dr. Czarina Atupan-Calderon
FRACP · Consultant Paediatrician · Founder, Centre for Neurodivergence
Dr. Czarina Atupan-Calderon is a Filipino-Australian Consultant Paediatrician with nearly two decades of experience caring for children in the Philippines and Australia.
A graduate of the Cebu Institute of Medicine, she began her paediatric career in the Philippines before moving to Australia in 2008. She undertook further specialist training in paediatric respiratory and sleep medicine at Monash Medical Centre and the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, and was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in 2017.
She currently practises at Northern Health in Melbourne, where she also leads the Paediatric Refugee Health Clinic. Her clinical interests include child development, developmental and behavioural concerns, and supporting children and families from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds. She has also undertaken training in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
The Vision Behind CFN
Throughout her career, Dr. Calderon has witnessed the challenges families face in accessing timely, coordinated developmental care. Long waiting lists, fragmented services and limited resources often leave parents navigating their child’s needs without adequate support.
These experiences inspired her to establish the Centre for Neurodivergence (CFN) in Cebu, where her medical journey began.
Her vision is to create a multidisciplinary centre bringing together paediatricians, therapists, psychologists and educators to provide coordinated, evidence-informed and neurodiversity-affirming care.
Beyond clinical services, she hopes to empower parents, support educators, promote community understanding and advocate for policies that improve access, inclusion and opportunities for neurodivergent children.
Her ambition is for CFN to become more than a healthcare centre: a catalyst for meaningful and lasting change in how neurodivergent children are understood, supported and valued in the Philippines.
A Message from Our Founder
“I founded the Centre for Neurodivergence because I believe every child deserves to be understood, every parent deserves to feel supported, and every family deserves access to the right care.
My hope is to bring together professionals, families, educators and communities, not only to support children in their development, but to help create a society that recognises their strengths, respects their differences and gives them every opportunity to thrive.
If we can change the way we understand and support neurodivergent children, we can begin to change their future.”