Strengthening health policy and systems research means bringing people, ideas, and institutions together.
During the 19th Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Week, the National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (NUS-SSHSPH), through the NUS Philippines Partnership Programme (NUS-PPP), and the Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau of the Department of Health, Philippines (DOH-HPDPB), came together to advance capacity building and collaboration in Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR).
Held at The Farm @ Carpenter Hills in Koronadal City, South Cotabato, the sessions brought together leaders and researchers from the DOH, DOST-PCHRD, Regional Health Research and Development Consortia, Higher Education Institutions, and the next generation of HPSR researchers.
Connecting HPSR efforts through the PN4HPSR
The morning session, “Strengthening Health Systems through Collaboration: Introducing the Philippine Network for Policy and Systems Research (PN4HPSR),” explored how a stronger national research network can connect research producers, evidence users, and health system implementers, and ultimately support evidence-informed decision-making and Universal Health Care (UHC).
Dr. Harvy Joy Liwanag, Programme lead of the NUS-PPP, shared frameworks for health systems and policy analysis and their application to HPSR, highlighting how research can contribute to stronger health systems and better health outcomes.
He was joined in the discussion by Mr. Pio Asuncion of the DOH, Ms. Joana America of the DOST-PCHRD, Dr. Katherine Ann Reyes and Mr. Reiner Lorenzo Tamayo of the National Institutes of Health at the University of the Philippines, Dr. Ricardo Mateo of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, and Dr. Romy Jun A. Sunico of the Surigao del Norte State University.
Building skills in analytical and statistical modelling
The afternoon session, “Modelling for Health Policy and Research: An Introductory Workshop,” shifted from frameworks to hands-on learning, introducing 15 participants to statistical modelling and basic modelling techniques using R and RStudio.
Mr. Vicente Alberto Puyat, Research Associate of the NUS-PPP, facilitated the workshop, with Ms. Erylla Beatrish Oamil of the DOH serving as co-facilitator and providing hands-on guidance as participants explored R.
These sessions reflect the NUS-PPP’s commitment to building research capacity, strengthening partnerships and networks, and advancing the research-to-policy-to-action pathway in the Philippines.
Looking forward to more opportunities to learn, collaborate, and build a stronger HPSR community together.