These series of five forums were in line with the development of health research in the country.
Held at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Manila on March 17, the forum on Research for Policymaking tackled issues regarding the changes/transitions in our government which affects research priorities. The participants emphasized that change in the mindset of the policymakers is needed where they should be made more appreciative of the research results and evidences.
On March 18, the forum on Laymanizing Research held at Anabel's Restaurant in Quezon City focused on the promotion of local researches. The media, being the best channel in laymanizing these researches raised the issues on accessibility of clear reports and better dissemination of research results. They emphasized the importance of open communication with the researchers to facilitate accurate and timely reporting of health information.
The two forums held at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) in Quezon City on March 19 featured the topics in health journal publishing and the role of civil societies in channeling research results and information.
In the forum on health journal publishing entitled Journals as a Source: Strategies to Improve Communicating Research to Researchers, the discussion centered on major issues faced by journals and capacity building for researchers. In the case of scientific journals, capacity building often involves training and mentorship to improve editorial and administrative functions and processes. Some of the major issues raised include inadequate capacity for peer review and evaluation, lack of resources and funding for publication and management, and small number of manuscripts and submitted journals.
The forum entitled Civil Society as Channels of Research Information for Communities tackled the distribution of information to the people, as the main benefactors of health research. The participants agreed that the communities will play an essential role in the conduct of quality research that is feasible and easily understood. It was said that to aspire for an engaged and informed civil society, partnership, complementation, and pooling of resources are needed.
The series of forums is concluded with a Wrap-up Session with PCHRD/ThinkTank at the Pan Pacific Hotel on March 20, which tackled the over-all issues of the forums. The key points emerged as follows:
- - The main target is to train people to translate research results that would impact on policy and practice;
- - The issue is not just on communicating research but also on better management of research and access to relevant information;
- - Capacity building on knowledge translation needs to be developed;
- - The media and communication people are important players that can be engaged to conduct knowledge translation activities; and
- - Look at the initiations being done in other countries. Our country may choose to adopt a similar approach or develop its own concept/strategies on research translation.
Furthermore, Devlin also stated that he will assist in coming up with a framework on research communication for the country.
Michael Devlin is part of COHRED's team where his expertise is in science, policy communication, and the emerging field of knowledge sharing.