The R1HRDC continuously equips its veterans and amateur researchers with skills and knowledge that would strengthen their capabilities as researchers. Thus, the R1HRDC through its Capacity Building Committee (CBC) and Ethics Review Committee (ERC) conducted a simultaneous training workshops entitled “Training Course on Basic Research Methods” held on November 21-23, 2017 at Hotel Veniz, Baguio City and “Good Research Practice Training” held on November 22-23, 2017 at Dagupan Village Hotel, Dagupan City Pangasinan.
The CBC, headed by Dr Unity H. Cortez, Chairperson and Engr. Ismael Gurtiza, Vice Chair, conducted the 3-day Training Course on Basic Research Methods. This was led by the competent resource speaker Dr. Ophelia M. Mendoza with dexterity on proposal writing and qualitative research. Dr. Mendoza is an adjunct professor at the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics in University of the Philippines. She is also a consultant on different projects related to public health and a retired professor from the same university where she is presently affiliated. She taught the participants who are mostly new on the field of research on the development of capsule research proposal, hence, giving them critical insight into their own decision making process.
Another training conducted by ERC headed by Dr Hilarion H. Maramba, Chairperson, in cooperation with the Philippine Health research Ethics Board (PHREB) is the Good Research Practice Training with an initial aim that researches funded by the consortium should be conducted to the highest achievable standards of research practice to ensure the integrity of research outputs, and to prevent research misconduct. The first resource speaker was Dr Ricardo Manalastas Jr, a member of the National Ethics Committee Ad Hoc Committee for the revision of the National Ethical Guidelines and the Chairperson on PHREB Committee on information dissemination, training, and advocacy. He is also an obstetrician gynecologist at Philippine General Hospital and a professor at the UP Manila College of Medicine. The second speaker was Professor Fatima A. Castillo, a professional lecturer in Political Science in UP Manila, UP Centennial professor, a visiting researcher in the institute of social and health sciences, and a social researcher with a numerous published researches. The 2-day seminar includes topics on Ethical Research; Scientific Soundness; Principles on Non-maleficence, Beneficence, Autonomy and Informed Consent and Principle of Justice; Social and Behavioral Research; Conflict of Interest; National, International and REC Controls; Procedures on the Research Ethics Committee Review of Protocols; the Principles, Standards and Guidelines on Good Clinical Practice. In addition, there were also role playing activities conducted by the participants portraying real scenarios on the conduct of researches involving human participants. Aside from the entertainment factor of the activity is the recognition of participants about the DOs and DONTs, how to avoid and how to correct common ethical issues experienced by the researcher and their human subject.
With these two activities, the whole R1HRDC is looking forward to cater more researchers with good quality research projects in the near future.
