Thirty participants attended the training on Sampling Process and Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis on November 18-20, 2015 at the Bulwagang Juan Luna, University of the Philippines Baguio.

The training aimed to enhance the research capabilities of researchers in the Cordillera region on two important aspects of research—the sampling process and data analysis for quantitative and qualitative researches.

Five resource persons from reputable institutions  facilitated the learning: (a) Prof. Fatima Castillo on the principles of qualitative data analysis; (b) Dr. Erlinda Palaganas on the data analysis process from data organization, management and analysis; (c) Ms Marian Sanchez on the use of Nvivo for organizing and analyzing qualitative data; (d) Dr. John Domantay on the stages of the sampling process particularly in determining the sampling size using the OpenEpi, a free soft ware commonly used on health research; and (e) Ms. Liezl Astudillo on quantitative research analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Nvivo is a qualitative research tool intended to help users organize and analyze non-numerical or unstructured data.  The software allows users to classify, sort and arrange information, examine relationships in the data.  The SPSS, on the other hand, is more of a quantitative research tool with several capabilities in describing, exploring, and predicting data.  But both tools can be used as part of the triangulation process.  This means that in order for a research finding to be reliable, generalizable, and useful, there should be more than two research strategies be employed. 

The three-day training has left the participants clamoring for more, this time on  advanced module courses so as to enable them come up with outputs expected of them to prepare as a result of the training.  

The training was conducted by the Capability Committee composed of Dr. Erlinda Palaganas (Chairperson of the committee representing the University of the Philippines Baguio), Dr. John Anthony Domantay (Saint Louis University), Ms. Ruth Tingda (Cordillera Career Development College), Rex Bate (Department of Health), Ms. Mary Rose Catapang (Benguet State University),  Ms. Marilou Saong (University of Baguio), and Ms. Judith Odanee Magwilang (University of the Cordilleras).  

Dr. Erlinda Palaganas, chair of the Capacity Building Committee and Ms. Phoebe Ullalim-Pasiwen, project development officer of CRHRDC took part in the monthly DOH-CAR Kapihan at its regional conference hall on August 19, 2015, dubbed as the “Health Research and Health Events”.  

The inclusion of CRHRDC in the kapihan was related to the Philippine National Health Research System Week which is observed every second week of August every year. Other national health awareness events in August reported were on family planning, adolescent immunization, lung care, sight saving, breastfeeding awareness, mother-baby friendly hospital initiative. There were also health events observed on a day- basis (i.e., National Tuberculosis Day) and on week-basis (i.e. mother-baby friendly hospital initiative week, 1st week; national hospital, 2nd week; brain attack awareness , 3rd week).

During the celebrations, DOH and other institutions conduct advocacy activities and updates.

With the goal of improving the health status of the Cordillerans   through increasing the number of health research proposals in the region, the Cordillera Regional Health Research and Development Consortium (CRHRDC) brings the members and officials to the provinces through the Cordillera Regional Health Research Roadshow with the theme “Harnessing the region’s potentials towards inclusive health research”.

Specifically, CRHRDC aims to attain the following: (1) Expand individual and institutional membership coverage particularly those coming from the provinces; (2) Promote and advocate the Regional Unified Health Research Agenda 2015-2016, the Health Research and Development Information Network (HERDIN), ethical guidelines on research preparation and implementation, and other related information on health research;  (3)  Promote the dissemination and utilization of health research in the region; and (4)  Provide a venue for knowledge and resource sharing and collaboration with the provincial development partners.

The roadshow covers four stop-overs in selected provinces from October to December 2015.  Each stop-over is held in a day in each of the provinces: Abra (October 29), Ifugao (November 25), Kalinga (November 26) and Mountain Province (December 17).

Definitely participants have something to look forward to as each stopover constitutes two learning and sharing sessions in the morning and afternoon. Moreover, hopeful researchers will gain more on this with the presence of Ms. Paula Jane A. De Leon who is expected to push projects that could be funded by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.   

Ms. De Leon always says in all CRHRDC activities, “We are very willing to provide you assistance in terms of training and funds.  All we wanted from this activity is for everybody to produce researches that can be supported by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.”

CRHRDC officers and members led by the chairman Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos gave their nods for the implementation of the Philippine National Health Research System Strategy Roadmap 2015-2019. This was learned during the observation of the 9th PNHRS awareness month on August 24, 2015 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Manila.

The roadmap envisions a dynamic and responsive health research community working for the attainment of national and global health needs. To attain this, the PCHRD together with all regional health consortia in the country including the CRHRDC shall pursue interventions in the following strategic objectives:

1. Ensuring good System governance;
2. Creating and sustaining an enabling environment for health research stakeholders;
3. Institutionalizing effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of research programs, projects and activities;
4. Ensuring responsiveness of research to current and emerging needs;
5. Improving access to and dissemination of updated information;
6. Developing capacities for conducting, managing and utilizing health research;
7. Establishing and maintaining common service facilities for research; and
8. Strengthening resource mobilization for health research and development.

The CRHRDC’s positive response is due to the innovations brought forth by the roadmap roll out to the regions. This includes the availability of a tool to monitor the performance of the System and the regional consortiums as well as the contribution of the region to the System. Other innovations are the twinning strategies where collaboration to undertake health research project can be between and among consortia (not only institution to institution), increasing investments for capacity building (e.g. Newton fund, USAID STRIDE, Oscar Lopez Fund for Climate Change) to increase utilization of the NUHRA/RUHRA, replication of best practice on the establishment of common service for the Tuklas Lunas (drug discovery) program.   All of these are expected to create a research community in the region.

For its part, CRHRDC will strengthen its organizational structure by engaging more stakeholders from the region and the provinces.