RIO convenes researchers, DOH Disease Control Program managers
Posted on  by Communication & Engagement Office

In photo: Researchers convene to plan RITM Research Agenda for 2020 and review RITM Research Policy

The Research and Innovation Office (RIO) convened the Institute’s senior researchers in a Research Agenda-setting Workshop held on September 16-17, 2019 at the B Hotel, Quezon City. 

“For RITM to grow and prosper as a research institution, there has to be a direction. Dapat mayroong pinatutunghan ang ating mga research [our research should have a direction], and that is why we came up with the research agenda setting workshop,” says Dr. Mario Jiz, head of RIO. 

Program managers from various disease control programs of the Department of Health Disease Prevention and Control Bureau (DPCB) and partners from the Health Policy and Development Planning Bureau (HPDPB) participated in the workshop. Each study group was able to have a consultation session with the program managers to align their research agenda with their respective disease program’s priorities.

In the keynote address delivered by Dr. Leda Hernandez in behalf of DPCB Director, Dr. Napoleon Arevalo, she highlighted the importance of researchers and diseases programs working together, “Research is central to policy development and today is a great opportunity to align our priorities together. Policies fail when evidence and information are lacking. When we don’t fully understand what we are trying to solve, our objectives can become very broad and vague, that is why research is a catalyst for change.”

RITM Director Dr. Celia Carlos also supported this message and emphasized the role of RITM research in the national public health landscape, “Research translated into policies will be RITM’s strategic goal for research. This forum therefore is one of the steps undertaken to identify ways in which RITM research outputs can benefit the ordinary Filipino through the Department of Health.”

Aside from the research agenda for 2020, the researchers also worked on the reorganization of the study groups into research programs and reviewed the draft RITM Research Policy to be submitted for approval of the RITM Executive Committee.  

by Reina Manongsong, Communication and Engagement Office