CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Sixteen (16) participants from various member-institutions of the ARMM Health Research Consortium (AHRC) took part in the three-day “Seminar Workshop on Research Methods”, aimed at generating health research proposals for possible funding considerations under DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research’s (DOST-PCHRD) Regional Research Fund, conducted on June 19-21, 2013 at The VIP Hotel.

Dr. Ma. Carmen Tolabing, Associate Professor of the UP Manila College of Public Health and PCHRD Consultant, served as trainer and discussed the basics of conducting health research, from formulating research objectives, designing a research, to analyzing and interpreting research results. The training focused on three integral activities: lecture-discussion on the research process, workshop discussions to reinforce the lectures, and writeshop to develop a concept paper.

Participants from the Mindanao State University-Marawi City, Mindanao State University-Maguindanao, Department of Education – ARMM, Commission on Higher Education – ARMM, Sulu State College, Upi Agricultural School, Regional Planning and Development Office – ARMM, and Department of Health – ARMM grouped themselves and worked on topics such as dengue, folkloric medicinal practices, impact of disasters on health, and functional foods, all of which are in line with the ARMM Regional Unified Health Research Agenda (RUHRA) for the period 2013-2016. The concept papers synthesized by the end of the training are to be polished further into full-blown research proposals to be submitted to the AHRC for assessment and recommendation to PCHRD within the month of August 2013.

Dr. Ma. Carmen Tolabing gives hands-on mentoring to the researchers of MSU-Maguindanao during the last workshop on "Concept Paper Preparation" (June 21, 2103 at the VIP Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City).

(See more photos HERE.)