PCHRD News

: Janine Trinidad; Latest News; 11 March 2019; Hits: 75

In conjunction with its 37th year Anniversary, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology holds the International Conference on Health Research and Industry 4.0 on 15 March 2019 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City.

Bannered by the theme, “Health Research and Industry 4.0,” the event will tackle issues and the opportunities that confronts the health research landscape in the face of Industry 4.0. It will bring international experts to showcase what others are doing under Industry 4.0, particularly for the health field. Expected participants include the academe, policymakers, private sector and civil society representatives will have opportunity for conversation on how we can take advantage of the opportunities and manage the risks emerging from Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe).

To deliver the keynote address is Dr. Michael Braun, Program Manager from the Vietnam Climate Innovation Center. He has over 25 years of professional experience in the management of innovation, knowledge, academic education, technology and R&D in leading nations as well as in developing countries. Other international speakers are Dr. Junjie Chong from Newcastle University UK, Ms. Tala de los Santos from PATH, USA, and Dr. Russell Walker from Swinburne University.

Highlight of the program is a panel discussion on the readiness of the health research sector in the coming of the fourth industrial revolution with the resource speakers Dr. Jun Jie Chong from Newcastle University and Dr. Rowena Cristina Guevara, Undersecretary for Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology.

In the afternoon, five parallel sessions are organized as follows: Developing a Research-based Biomedical Device and Diagnostics Industry, Academe and Industry Stakeholders’ Forum on Technology Commercialization, 3-Minute Pitch to Policymakers, PAMJE Annual Educational Session and 7th General Assembly, and PCHRD Scholars Society General Assembly.

To know more about the event, you may download the program, visit www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph. and like us on Facebook (/dostpchrd) and follow us on Twitter (@DOST_PCHRD)!

: Lemuel Basierto; Latest News; 13 February 2019; Hits: 300

Click here to download the program and registration details

: Super User; Latest News; 01 February 2019; Hits: 368

Call for Research Proposals: AHEAD-HPSR Program

The Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) is pleased to announce the first call for research proposals for the Advancing Health through Evidence-Assisted Decisions with Health Policy and Systems Research (AHEAD-HPSR) Program.
Interested institutions, organizations, and researchers are invited to submit a full proposal on any of the topics listed below.

1. Research on Global Trends and Impact of International Bilate ral Cooperation on Healthcare.
2. Capacity Assessment of Health Policy and Systems Research in the Philippines.
3. Strengthening Urban Primary Healthcare Service Delivery Through the Use of E-health Programs in China, Nepal, and the Philippines (The SUPER Study).
4. Estimating Burden of Disease per Province in the Philippines.
5. Financial Reporting Assessment to Ascertain Financial Position of DOH Hospitals.
6. Foodborne Trematode Prevalence Survey.
7. Gender Responsiveness of TB Prevention and Management at the Community Level in Quezon City.
8. Strengthening Evidence Base and Building Capacity on Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of Development Policies and Projects in the Philippines (Phase 1).
9. Longitudinal Cohort Study on Filipino Boy and Girl.
10. Determining the Implementation Status of Benefits under Magna Carta of Public Health Workers in the Philippines.
11. Mental Health Protocol within the Urban and Rural School Systems.
12. National Health Expenditure Survey.
13. Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA extraction from sputum smear negative/ chest X-ray suspects among participants in the 2016 NTPS.
14. National Survey to Monitor the Impact of the Sin Tax Law.
15. Conduct a Population Based Survey using Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) Methodology to Determine Contraceptive Coverage in 17 Provinces of the Philippines (One Province Per Region).
16. Qualitative Study on the Causes and Effects of Adolescent Pregnancy.
17. Rapid Assessment of Patient Flows in 4 DOH-retained Hospitals in Metro Manila.
18. Health Burden of Road Crash Injuries in the Philippines: Constructing an Index for Road Safety Using Metro Manila Baseline Investigation.
19. Operations Research on the Implementation of the Single Joint Ethics Review Process
20. Health Burden of Road Crash Injuries in the Philippines: The Epidemiology of Cases of Road Crashes and Injuries in Major Tertiary Hospitals in the Philippines (Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao).
21. Health Burden of Road Crash Injuries in the Philippines: Investigating the current road management and road legislations in the Philippines.
22. Pilot Testing of a Scorecard Designed to Assess the Performance of Local Government Units (LGUs) in the Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Philippines: Identifying Implementation Issues and Potential Solutions.
23. Support to Policy Development for the Tobacco Control Component of the Lifestyle-Related Diseases Prevention Program of the Department of Health.
24. Sweetened Beverage Tax Interim Monitoring
25. Capacity of the DOH to Assist Small and Medium Scale Industry-driven Development of New Medical Products and Technology Research and Development
26.Exploring Philippine Opportunities and Identifying Possible Offers and Requests on Trade in Health Services Towards the Achievement of National Health Objectives
27. A Profile of the Medical Device Sector in the Philippines
28. A study on the selection, procurement practices, pricing and management of medical devices and equipment of selected DOH Centers for Health Development and Government Hospitals
29. Capacity Building on Evidence Synthesis
30. Operations Research and Modelling on the Development of Strategic Roadmap for the Implementation of mHealth Services in the Country
31. Licensing of Service Delivery Networks
32. Regulatory Impact Analysis on Regulating Oncology Health Facilities
33. Operations and Legal Research on the Philippine Medico-Legal Death Investigation System
34. Determining Required Skill Mix to Deliver Primary Health Care Services: Phase 2 (Validation)
35. Operations Research and Modelling on the Development of Strategic Roadmap for the Implementation of Telehealth/Telemedicine in Service Delivery Networks<
36. Operations and Legal Research on the Development of Regulatory Framework for the implementation of Telehealth/Telemedicine Services in the Country

NOTE: This is to inform the public that the topic "Phase I: Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines/Training Component" will no longer be included in this cycle. Please stand-by for further announcements.

Kindly register as a proponent at http://www.projects.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/reg and attach the following requirements on or before February 21, 2019:

Letter of Intent
Project Proposal following the PCHRD Detailed Proposal Form
Workplan Schedule (Gantt Chart of Activities)
Proposed Line-Item Budget (LIB)
Informed Consent Form (for studies involving human subjects)
Curriculum Vitae of lead proponent (Principal Investigator/Project Leader)
Duties and Responsibilities of each project personnel
Profile of the institution
Endorsement of agency head

For queries, contact Ms. Gilmari Peach Mallorca at 651-7800 local 1326/1329 or Ms. Clarissa B. Reyes at (02) 837-2071 local 2138

: Lemuel Basierto; Latest News; 21 January 2019; Hits: 986

The National Institutes of Health of the University of the Philippines Manila will celebrate its 21st anniversary on February 28, 2019 with the theme “Lab to Life: Translating Health Research for Filipinos” at the Bayanihan Center, Pioneer St., Pasig. The conference aims to bridge the gap between research and the community with the intent of bringing together experts from the national academic and research community and the industry.

Registration Fee:

Student - 400
Early bird - 300

Gov't Employee -1,000
Early bird- 800

Private Sector - 1,500
Early bird - 1,200

Early bird February 1, 2019

To register, visit: http://bit.ly/21stNIHAnniversary

The program of the said event will feature speakers from the World Intellectual Property Organization, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, and Department of Science and Technology. It will also highlight guide in seeking protection and partnerships and Future technologies to look forward to.

: Lemuel Basierto; Latest News; 10 January 2019; Hits: 466

The ASEAN Secretariat is looking for suitable candidates to fill the various positions listed below:

Position	Deadline of Application
Director, Political & Security Directorate	18 January 2019
Assistant Director Competition, Consumer Protection & IPR Division	6 January 2019
Assistant Director Finance Integration Division	4 January 2018
Assistant Director ICT & Tourism Division	13 January 2019
Assistant Director Energy & Minerals	13 January 2019
Senior Officer Executive Support Division	13 January 2019
Senior Officer IAI & NDG Division	31 December 2018
Senior Officer Services	4 January 2019
Senior Officer Minerals	13 January 2019
Senior Officer Maritime Transport	13 January 2019
Senior Officer Science & Technology Division	13 January 2019
Senior Officer Trade Facilitation Division	13 January 2019
Senior Officer Tourism	13 January 2019
Senior Officer Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance Division	13 January 2019
Senior Officer Poverty Eradication and Gender Division	13 January 2019
Senior Officer Conference Services, Protocol & Formalities Division	13 January 2019

For reference and further information on the vacancies, visit http://www.asean.org/opportunities/vacancies-asec

: Lemuel Basierto; Latest News; 28 December 2018; Hits: 389

In the 1st International Symposium on Science and Technology, organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in partnership with the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), sir Richard Roberts narrated how his love for Science was nurtured and his journey to winning the Nobel Prize in the Field of Physiology or Medicine.

Even at a young age, Roberts demonstrated an inquisitive nature, which his parents fostered and supported. His father gave him a book entitled “How I Became a Detective” and also helped build a makeshift chemistry lab for Sir Roberts. His mother on the other hand tutored him at a very young age that made him a passionate reader especially books in chemistry. His school’s headmaster at the City of Bath Boys’ School would also give him little mathematical puzzles which started his lifelong love of logic and mathematics.

Aside from supportive parents, Sir Richard Roberts was fortunate in meeting good mentors. During his time at Sheffield University, Sir Roberts met Kazu Kurosawa, a post doctorate from Japan, who helped him to finish his thesis in one year. This freed up his schedule to learn more and explore the world. After finishing the book, The Thread of Life by John Kendrew, he knew he found his calling in molecular biology that fueled his drive to pursue the field. He explained that we should never limit ourselves to our curriculum and never worry about changing fields. Sir Roberts advised the audience, “Follow your heart; if you find something you love, you can always make a career out of it.”

When the time came to do his postdoctorate, Sir Roberts applied to different labs but only Jack Strominger, who worked as a professor in Wisconsin took him in. At first, Roberts thought he was going to Wisconsin but after Strominger was appointed a professor at Harvard, it led to his fruitful stint at Harvard where he expanded his knowledge in ribonucleic acid sequencing.

After finishing his postdoctorate fellow in Harvard, he began working at the Cold Spring Laboratory in New York where he found his new passion in nucleic tie sequences. His expertise on the matter led him in discovering something that only he and one other scientist, Philip A. Sharp of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), saw in 1977. Their discovery on split genes landed them both the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1993.

When asked what are his secrets in becoming a Nobel knight, Sir Richard Roberts, , would humbly say that he’s just got lucky for winning the award. Sir Roberts is a firm believer that people make their own luck by being prepared when an opportunity arises. The harder you work and prepare for such opportunities, the more you realize that you have luck on your side.

Sir Roberts revealed an incident where he lost a big snooker tournament to a man who would later become a good friend who told him, “when you have a piece of luck and you don’t take advantage of it, you’re a fool. Everybody has luck and you shouldn’t be afraid to take advantage and make the most of it.” These events helped shape a life of love for science and an appreciation of luck. Sir Roberts encouraged everyone to take advantage of luck; otherwise, what then would be the point of having it in the first place? Furthermore, he revealed that having interest in science at an early stage, obtaining good mentorship throughout his career, putting in hard work, and taking advantage of luck is what ultimately landed him the Nobel Prize.

The first International Symposium on Science and Technology is a post activity of the 14th National Biotechnology Week 2018 last 19 November 2018 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City.

Details
Written by Catherine Joy C. Dimailig
Created: 28 December 2018

: Lemuel Basierto; Latest News; 28 December 2018; Hits: 405

To fully reap the benefits of innovations from biotechnology, Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV urged for creation of more policies to support biotech discoveries, development, and commercialization during his keynote speech at the 14th National Biotechnology Week on 13 November 2018 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City. He was represented by Ms. Paola Deles, Policy Head of the Office of Sen. Bam Aquino.

Sen. Aquino, the Chair of the Science and Technology Committee, affirms the significant contributions of biotechnology in solving the country’s problems. According to Senator Aquino products of biotechnology have helped in fighting diseases through development of new methods and products to detect and treat them, feeding the hungry through boosting agricultural crop yield, and improving the environment through generation of clean energy, among others.

In particular, the Senator mentioned one of the researches funded by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCHRD) which deals with the decoding of leptospirosis and sepsis gene activities to improve present-day diagnosis and treatment methods of these two diseases. Leptospirosis and sepsis remain to be the most neglected infectious diseases in the country that needs to be addressed. Senator Aquino said, “Projects such as this is very promising because we can also apply the success of this research to find solutions in treating and diagnosing other diseases in the country.”

Despite the benefits of biotechnology, our country still faces the challenge of how research and investment can prosper, thus, a supportive research and regulatory environment should be created. Senator Aquino said, “Challenges in biotechnology must be seen as an opportunity to craft more policies and initiate more programs that would advance biotechnology’s ultimate goal of developing life-saving and sustainable technologies for every Filipino.” The Senator envisions an enabling research and policy environment where the government, academe, and private sector can work together to use their resources – knowledge, capital, commercialization expertise, to discover and bring to the Filipino people the products of government researches. The Senator also mentioned the importance of the newly passed, Balik Scientist Law, for the improvement of biotechnology researches. He explained that the law provides powerful incentives to Filipino scientists abroad who would like to return to the country to share their knowledge and expertise in different fields of Science. “With the help of the Balik Scientists, we can produce world class researches that could support policy making crucial to our national development agenda,” said Senator Aquino.

Right now, the Senator Bam Aquino and his colleague are currently working with the approval of the Senate Bill No. 1211 or the Philippine Space Act. This Act would be responsible for developing space science technology policies, implementing research and education programs, establishing industry linkages between private and public sector stakeholders, protection of national territory, natural resources accounting, and capacity building for telecommunications.

In the end, the Senator expresses his full support to DOST. “Let us build on the scope of what we have already achieved to realize a world at that is healthy and sustainable for future generations,” He said.

The National Biotechnology Week celebration is observed by virtue of Proclamation No. 1414 signed by Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on 9 November 2007. Among the other participating agencies include the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Details
Written by Catherine Joy C. Dimailig
Created: 28 December 2018

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