The NUS Philippines Partnership Programme (PPP) participated in the 21st National Health Research Forum for Action (NHRFA), which brought together researchers, health professionals and partners to strengthen the use of evidence in health systems and policymaking in the Philippines.
As part of the pre-conference programme, the NUS Philippines Partnership Programme facilitated a four-hour masterclass on Evaluation Methods, designed to strengthen the capacity of Department of Health Centers for Health Development (CHDs) and technical teams to move beyond routine monitoring and use existing data to address meaningful health evaluation questions.
Led by Vanessa Siy Van and Vicente Alberto Puyat, the workshop introduced participants to key concepts in monitoring and evaluation, practical approaches using routinely collected data and a live demonstration of evaluation methods using R and open-source data. Participants also worked through an exercise applying these concepts to real-world health system questions, with Dr Jethri Cruz and Dr Harvy Joy Liwanag contributing to the final discussions.
Dr Harvy Joy Liwanag, Philippines Partnership Programme Lead and Senior Research Fellow at SSHSPH, also delivered a keynote conversation titled “The Power of Networks: Advancing Research and Strengthening Health Systems through Collaboration,” during the session “Connecting People, Strengthening Systems: The PN4HPSR National Convening and Collaboration.”
In his keynote, Dr Liwanag explored different approaches and frameworks in Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR), emphasising the critical role of networks in strengthening health systems. Drawing on the analogy of a spider web, he illustrated how connections among research institutions, policymakers and other stakeholders foster knowledge exchange, strengthen collaboration and support the translation of evidence into action.
Dr Liwanag also moderated the plenary session “Reimagining Universal Health Care: The R4D Session on AI and Learning Health Systems and NHRFA Takeaways.” Together with Dr Piya Hanvoravongchai, Associate Professor at SSHSPH, he facilitated discussions on the potential of artificial intelligence to strengthen health policy and systems research and support the advancement of Universal Health Care.
Collectively, the workshop, keynote and plenary discussions reflected an important principle at the heart of the NUS Philippines Partnership Programme: stronger health systems depend on generating evidence, alongside building the capabilities, partnerships and networks needed to translate research into policy and practice.
The School extends its appreciation to the Department of Health and the organisers of the National Health Research Forum for Action for bringing together a community committed to strengthening health research and its contribution to health system improvement. We look forward to continuing to build these connections and opportunities for collaboration across the Philippine health research and policy community.
