On August 13-16, 2019, the Region 1 Health Research and Development Consortium (R1HRDC) joined the annual 2019 Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Week Celebration at Limketkai Luxe Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental. With the theme “Achieving Health – Related Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through Research and Innovation”, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) enjoined the different stakeholders from health research, academe, and policy makers to understand each of the sector's goal, to share their best practices as well as experiences in search for a better way to contribute, achieve and sustain health related SDGs.
Satellite Conference: August 13-14, 2019
Prior to the main conference, a Satellite Conference on August 13-14, 2019 was conducted. Topics include: Ethics in Research; Tracking and Reporting Research Data; National Medical Writing Workshop and Writeshop for Young Researchers; Campaigning towards AIDS-Free Society; ICT for Health Stakeholder’s Consultation; Refining Research Topics on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaption; Gamutang Pilipino: Katuwang Tungo sa Pangkalahatang Kalusugan (outputs will be used towards the development of the Universal Health Care); Practical Training for REC Staff; PAMJE Session: Authorship Controversies: Gift, Guest, and Ghost Authorship. Competition on the 3-minute Pitch to Policy Makers, Oral Research Contest: Professional and Student Category, and DOST – PCHRD Undergraduate Thesis in Natural Products Oral Presentation were also undertaken. Likewise, with the opening of poster exhibits on August 14, 2019 at 4:00 PM, which showcased most recent researches in the country from both student and professional categories, and consortium posters highlighting this year's celebration theme.
Main Conference: August 15-16, 2019
At the Main Conference, different subject matters regarding nationwide efforts in achieving health related SDGs were tackled. Topics includes: (1) The PNHRS Pillars: Strengthening Partnerships to Achieve Universal Health Care and Health-Related SDGs; (2) Defining a Research University – The session defined what a research university should be; (3) Progress on Health-Related SDGs: Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and How Research and Innovation can Contribute; (4) Healthy and Resilient Communities: Revisiting Marawi – two years after the conflict/crisis in Marawi City, experts who are working on the improvement of the health and social welfare status of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) gathered and studied what has been done so far and what should be done in the future in order to address the needs of the IDP’s; and (5) Evidence-informed Policy Making in Health – revolved on how health researches can be translated into policy.
Awarding Ceremony
The PNHRS Celebration did not only provide platform for health stakeholders to convene and share knowledge but also gave chances for the 17 different regional consortia to showcase their recently finished researches. The R1HRDC once again proved their capability for bagging awards in different competitions.
ALLAN CORPUZ from Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center, won the PNHRS Best Mentor in Health Research Award – Luzon Cluster, beating other nominees across Luzon area. This award is given every two years to recognize mentors in the field of health research who selflessly shares knowledge and skills, instills values and attitudes, and inspires those involved in the research process, thereby creating an enabling environment and contributing to capacity-building in research.
Last year, the PCHRD called for the nomination of the undergraduate thesis grant in natural products to all undergraduate students of Pharmacy, Chemistry, Nursing and Health and Allied Sciences who have thesis proposals on indigenous plants within the region. The research must be completed within a year after receiving the grant worth Php50,000.00. After completion of the project and thorough evaluation from the technical panel of evaluators of PCHRD, the study entitled “NEUROPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF LUBIGAN (ACORUS CALAMUS FAM; ACORACEAE) IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE” by MS. MARIEL JOY TARLIT of Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation, was qualified for the national level and won 2nd Place during the DOST-PCHRD Undergraduate Thesis Grant in Natural Products Oral Presentation Contest.
Portraying this year's theme, along with the significant efforts of the consortium on achieving health-related SDGs especially on the good health and well-being of the people in region 1, the poster of R1HRDC was awarded as 3rd Place Best Consortium Poster.
Other entries of the consortium were national level qualifier on:
POSTER EXHIBIT CONTEST (PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY) - “Bactericidal Property of Ginger against Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), E. coli and Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase E.coli” presented by Dr. Mercita Q. Queddeng (co-project leader) of University of Northern Philippines.
POSTER EXHIBIT CONTEST (STUDENT CATEGORY) – “Vital Capacity Response of Bronchial Asthma Patients to Anulom Vilom Pranayama (AVP)” presented by Ms. Frances Eileen F. Madrid of Mariano Marcos State University.
3-MINUTE PITCH TO POLICYMAKERS – “Papaya and Guava Leaves Capsule: Modern Native Platelet Count Enhancer” by Dr. Holden Kirby Valdez of Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation.
As health research advocates, the more than 1000 participants of the event deserved to be praised because they are not only working as part of their job but also significantly contributing in uplifting the health status of the Filipinos – the real winners for this convention. #PNHRS2019