Both professional and student contenders from Western Visayas clinched the first place in the Oral Research Paper Competition during the 15th Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Week held on August 8-9, 2022 at Marriott Hotel, Clark, Pampanga.

Ms. Adrienne Marrie Bugayong Janagap of the University of the Philippines (UP) Visayas bagged the first place in the Professional category with her research entitled, “Tubby and Hmgb2 Interaction and Potential Role in Adipogenesis,” while the winner in the Student category is Ms. Princess Jewel Guzman of Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, with her research entitled, “Practices and Challenges of Antimicrobial Stewardship among Pharmacists in Selected Community and Hospital Pharmacies in Bacolod City.”

Aiming to provide a platform for the dissemination and sharing of selected health research outputs conducted by both professional and student researchers, the PNHRS holds the competition yearly as part of the PNHRS Week celebrated every second week of August.

The other winners of the competition are as follows:

Professional

• 2nd place - Region 1: Ms. Sarah Jane Tan of Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (Serologic SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Level and Factors Affecting its Production After COVID-19 VAccination Among Employees of MMMHMC)
• 3rd place - Region 10: Mr. Mark Lloyd Dapar of Central Mindanao University (Quantitative ethnopharmacological documentation and molecular confirmation of medicinal plants used by Monobo tribe of Agusan del Sur, Philippines

Student

• 2nd place - Region 5: Ms. Maedel Joice B. Castro of Bicol University (CoVfirm: A Web browser Plug-in for COVID-19 VAccine False Information Detection)
• 3rd place - CARAGA: Ms. Hazel Faith N. Pelpinosas of Caraga State University (A Type of SEIR Model with a Large Set of Undetected Asymptomatic with Short and Long Term COVID-19 Dynamics to Better Comprehend Vaccination Immunity and Treatment

The competition, held in a hybrid format, allows researchers to showcase their research outputs and highlight relevant findings that can be used and adapted to further realize a healthy Filipino community.