[14] The citation that came with his election lauded him for his “sustained outstanding scientific research, teaching, advocacy and development work,” particularly in his “consistent efforts to revitalize scientific research on and in the use of traditional medicine, develop rational drug policies, and [understand] the social and behavioral dimensions of HIV/AIDS prevention and of reproductive health promotion.” On February 27, 2014, the University of the Philippines Board of Regents appointed Tan to serve as the next chancellor of the University of the Philippines Diliman,[1] where he currently serves as Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP).

[4] When Tan presented his vision at the public fora for nominees to the UP Diliman chancellorship on Jan. 23, 2014, he noted that it was important for UP to “go beyond resting on laurels,” and instead live up to its mandate as a national university.

Other nominees who got votes from the three remaining regents were incumbent UP Diliman Chancellor Dr. Caesar Saloma, and UP Center for Women's Studies Director Dr. Sylvia Claudio.

[17] Although he is now best known for his work as a columnist, Tan was already a well recognized writer among academics and NGO workers when he began his Pinoy Kasi columns for the Philippine Daily Inquirer in May 1997.

[18] Profiling him as an awardee Dr. Jose P. Rizal Awards of Excellence in 2005, the Manila Times and the Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran Foundation noted that:[10] In the maiden article of his Philippine Daily Inquirer column, he proposed "A middle way of looking at Filipino culture, avoiding one extreme of protracted Lenten self-flagellation that could see nothing good in the Filipino, but also being mature enough to talk about our faults.